Easter Sunday: A new day (Devotions for Lent from the Gospel of Mark)

As soon as dawn breaks and there is enough light to see where they are going, the women head toward Jesus’ tomb. They carry spices and hope to anoint his body.

Salome and the two Marys (Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James) know that a heavy stone seals the tomb. They wonder who will move it for them, but they are not the least bit deterred from their mission. Someone will move it, or they will try themselves. Either way, they will anoint his body right now.

It’s a gruesome task, this anointing. Jesus has been beaten and crucified. A thorny crown has been pressed into his scalp. No one has cleaned his body and he has been lying bloody and bruised in his tomb for a day and a half.

Yet they hurry to the grave, anxious to do this final thing for him.

When they arrive, they look up to find the stone already moved away, and so they enter the tomb.

There is a young man dressed in white inside, who says, “Do not be alarmed….He has been raised.” He further tells the women to go and find Peter and the others and spread the word that Jesus will meet them all in Galilee. He has gone back to the place where everything started and will meet them there.

His saying “Do not be alarmed” doesn’t change the fact that this is alarming news. The young man doesn’t prevent their fright and confusion at all.

Mark tells us the women leave the tomb completely terrified, saying nothing at all about their experience to anyone. And that’s how the gospel ends.

Except we know that wasn’t the end at all. It was only the beginning, just as Mark said in the very first sentence of his story. “This is the beginning of the good news…”

It is a new day.

Text for the day:

Mark 16:1-8

Things to think about:

Many things worth doing begin with an alarming discovery and overwhelming fear.

The most common words in the Bible are “Do not be afraid.”

Things to do:

The grave cannot hold him, or you. Celebrate today!

Jesus Christ, risen Lord, replace my fear with joy and confidence.

Saturday: Sabbath separation (Devotions for Lent from the Gospel of Mark)

The sun set on Friday, Sabbath began, and then the world fell still.  Twenty-four hours of rest.

Jesus lays in his tomb, and his family and friends grieve from afar. The week’s worship day has become their worst nightmare. They spend the Sabbath waiting for it to be over. They are waiting for the sun to set and rise again, so they might get to work.

By the light of Sunday’s sunrise, they will set out for the tomb, anoint his body with oil and spices, and leave it forever in its final resting place.

But for now, they wait.

There’s nothing to be said. There’s nothing to be done.

~~~~~

On the first Saturday of his ministry, Jesus got up before sunrise, went out alone to a deserted place, and prayed. Everyone was looking for him and no one knew where he was.

What is he doing on this Saturday?

He is lying alone in stillness of his tomb, in the most deserted place of all. Again people are longing for him, but this time they know where he is and cannot reach him.

Is he praying, even in death?

For now, we can only imagine.

Text for the day:

None. The Word is silent today.

Things to think about:

What could Jesus be doing while his body lies in the grave?

Things to do:

Grieve for those who try to kill love and life.

Jesus, help me adore you.

Good Friday: Ending it all (Devotions for Lent from the Gospel of Mark)

On the day of Jesus’ baptism, a schism opened in the heavens and a voice came to Jesus,  “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

On the first Friday of Jesus’ ministry, he entered the synagogue, the world of Jewish men, and cast out an unclean spirit. They said of him, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” He then crossed the street, entered a home, the world of Jewish women, and lifted up a woman sick with a fever. As the Sabbath ended, the whole city gathered at his door.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus couldn’t have been alone if he tried. Everyone wanted him. Then he crossed every boundary and entered every forbidden realm imaginable: sickness, religion, law, nature, gender, age, profession, ethnicity, geography. He has healed everyone and he has done all things well.

Now, on the last Friday of his ministry, he is tried, convicted, whipped, and crucified.  He dies, despised by everyone.

Now a new schism opens. The seventy-foot-high curtain in the Temple, separating the outer courtyard from the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant containing the stone tablets of the ten commandments is stored, rips from high in the air all the way to the ground, never to be mended again.

As the Sabbath begins today, instead of being surrounded by friends and people clamoring for his gifts and attention, Jesus is alone in a tomb. But he is not finished.

He is still crossing boundaries and entering forbidden realms. This time, he enters the heart of the empire. He enters the seat of power that keeps every citizen in his or her place. He enters the places the empire uses as a threat to everyone who might think of stepping out of line. He enters intimidation, trial, shame, torture, fear, and death itself.

While the world rests, he is at work.

Text for the day:

Mark 15:1-47

Things to think about:

Love and healing shatter barriers and boundaries.

Things to do:

Find something in common with everyone you meet.

Jesus, although we have done the worst, continue to do your best.

laying it down

This human life is an interesting adventure.  We are born helpless and ignorant, knowing little more than how to cry to get what we want. If the people around us are fortunate, by the end of our lives, we’ve turned that scenario completely around, having learned to focus on the needs of others more than ourselves.

That’s what my uncle Mike did. 

Ever charming, witty, brilliant, and caring, he gave himself away. Not just to his family and friends, but to everyone. He gave himself away to people he’d known all his life, and people he’d just met. He was a philanthropist, but not just of money. He gave away his connections and his time and his expertise. He gave his very self. He made friends everywhere. He laid his life down because he understood his life wasn’t about him, but about them. The world was graced because he lived.

And in the end, he taught us how to die.  He was in tremendous pain, but he didn’t complain or become a recluse. He stayed as connected as he could, right to the end. And he was upbeat; he said he didn’t want to make anyone cry.  Life was worth living, and he wanted to live every moment of it.

That’s also what Jesus taught.  Love one another; lay your life down; bear fruit that will last.

I speculate there were 500 people at my uncle Mike’s funeral. After the service, one woman said to me, “I have tools to give myself away, too. I’m going to make a start.”  Someone else said, “I don’t lay my life down for my friends, but I can change that.” And how many more? Who knows?

That’s fruit that will last.

Thanks for your life, your love, and your legacy, Michael Ward. It is indeed a great day to be alive. Want more? Click here to read John 15:12-17.