In step

[septuagint]

Scripture Reading — Mark 14:12-26

“Take it; this is my body.” . . . and . . . “This is my blood of the covenant . . . poured out for many.”
Mark 14:22-24

The Jews of Jesus’ day often told stories from their history. And every year at this time they told the ancient story that is referred to in today’s text: the story of the Passover.

The original events of that story are found in Exodus 12, where we read of the slaughter of unblemished lambs and the deliverance of God’s people from slavery in Egypt. A key detail is that God’s people had to spread the blood of lambs on the doorframes of their houses so that the plague of death would pass over their homes while it went through the land of Egypt, taking the life of every firstborn male. After this plague went through the land, the Pharaoh of Egypt set the Israelites free.

Nearly 1,500 years later, Jesus and his disciples celebrated that ancient rescue. They ate lamb’s meat and unleavened bread, shared a cup of wine, and recalled the Passover story. But this time Jesus pointed to the bread and the wine in the memorial meal and said, “This is my body,” and, “This is my blood.”

The very next day Jesus would become the ultimate Passover Lamb, sacrificing his own perfect life to pay for our sin. He would die brutally by crucifixion, rescuing all who would believe in him as the Son of God, the Savior. And ever since that day, people have begun new journeys with God into eternal life.

Today we remember that meal. Tomorrow we remember that death.

Lord Jesus, fill us with faith in you, that we may grow in gratitude and live for you, sharing your story with all who need to hear it. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Luke 23:50-56

There was a man named Joseph . . . and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.
Luke 23:50-51

There seems to be a lot of waiting in Scripture. Abraham and Sarah waited for a promised child (Genesis 12-18).

The Israelites waited for many years to be freed from slavery (Exodus 1-12). Simeon, Anna, and others waited for the Messiah to come (Luke 2:25-38). The Hebrews had many words and phrases for “wait,” just as some Indigenous languages spoken in northern Canada have many ways to describe snow. Snow is a large part of life there. Waiting, it turns out, is a large part of life for God’s people.

As we read in our text, Joseph of Arimathea was waiting for the kingdom of God. But here, surprisingly, he was taking the dead body of Jesus down from a cross. Joseph had thought Jesus was bringing in God’s kingdom, but now he was dead. If Joseph could bring himself to pick up the work of waiting again, it would likely have been a defeated, hopeless sort of waiting.

Think of the women there as well. They probably assumed that Jesus’ work and teaching had come to nothing, that there was just a body to bury.

But as Joseph laid Jesus’ body in a tomb and the women prepared spices for Jesus’ burial, God was preparing something new that would change hopeless waiting into joy and peace.

We know that you ended the waiting, Father. But before we go there and rejoice, let us taste the waiting and recognize something familiar in it—our own experiences of longing and waiting. Thank you that, in Christ, we do not wait without hope. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Luke 24:1-8, 36-48

“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you. . . .”
Luke 24:6

I remember walking up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona for the very first time. I thought I knew what to expect since I had heard so much about the Grand Canyon. But then I stepped out of the national park trolley, walked over to the edge of the canyon, and leaned up against the safety railing. The vastness, the colors, and the distance to the river below took my breath away! I realized that while I had heard about the Grand Canyon, I had not really understood what “Grand Canyon” actually meant.

Similarly, the disciples and the women who had followed Jesus had heard him talk about rising from the dead on the third day, but they had not understood what he had actually meant. So when they saw the empty tomb after the crucifixion, and when they eventually saw Jesus alive again, he took their breath away! Here was the living Jesus, walking and talking, eating food, and holding his damaged hands out for them to see.

Today the church remembers that breathtaking surprise: Jesus’ resurrection. We talk about it as, among other things, the beginning of a new creation, with Jesus being the firstborn from among the dead. It’s enough to take our breath away—the miracle itself, and then all of the many other miracles that it set in motion.

Dear God, today we read and remember the truth about Jesus’ miraculous return to life. Help us to understand it also as a launch of your new creation, and to know the hope and joy that it brings. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 35:1-10; John 20:11-18

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
John 20:15

In Isaiah 35 God gives his people a vision of a fully restored creation. His glory will appear, and a desert will turn into a lush, blossoming garden. A “Way of Holiness” will stretch through it—a roadway for God’s people to travel into his presence. In the singing crowd of God’s people on that road, the lame are leaping, the mute tongue shouts with joy, the deaf can hear clearly, and the blind are able to see.

Could those details about people’s senses and disabilities relate also to understanding and seeing the Lord in a new way—especially when the Lord gives us new life through his resurrection? I think so. When we encounter God, when we meet Jesus in an unexpected way, our eyes and ears of faith can see and hear in ways we haven’t experienced before.

Notice that on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, although Mary can see and hear, her eyes are opened in a new way as Jesus speaks her name. She receives a clear, personal visit from Jesus that helps her understand what God is up to. Mary is able to see the living Jesus, and it’s like a desert blooming.

When the resurrected Christ comes again, all of God’s people will be given complete sight. In the meantime, we see portions and glimpses of what God is up to—enough to have faith, hope, and love. Thank you, God!

Dear Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear so that we may have faith in you and serve as you call us to. May we see your glory and share about all you are doing to bring renewal. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Luke 24:13-35

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
Luke 24:31

I often wish I could see better.

I wish I could see Jesus face-to-face.

I wish I could see God’s will for a decision I have to make.

I wish I could see God’s power so clearly that I have courage to do what is right even when the risks seem immense.

The two followers of Jesus in our text for today received the gift of seeing how the Old Testament Scriptures pointed to Jesus and his resurrection—and they even saw the resurrected Jesus himself! What an amazing day for them!

Ironically, just as they began to see that the person breaking the bread before them was actually the Lord himself, Jesus disappeared. So they had to continue to believe and act faithfully even when they didn’t see Jesus face to face. It’s a joy to see those two disciples respond by making a faithfilled run back to Jerusalem to report to the other disciples what they had seen and heard.

Truth be told, Jesus invites all of us who don’t see him to live in his presence anyway, as if he is with us, breaking the bread. He does promise, after all, that he is with us always (Matthew 28:20). And as we live in his presence, by the power of God’s Spirit, we can testify to the reality of God’s new creation in us, launched with Jesus’ resurrection.

Without your Spirit, Lord, the news of the resurrection is just words. So pour out your Spirit on us, that we may understand the meaning of your resurrection and live with faith in you today and always. Amen.