Weekly devotion no 3

Weekly Devotion no 3
17 April 2020

Bible reading – Mark 16:1-8

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”’

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Reflection

Life is unsettling at the moment. We are anxious because things aren’t how we expected them to be. We are bewildered by the turn of events and how these things are affecting us. We miss the people that we love and we feel disjointed from our sense of what is normal.

The women in the passage above had just witnessed the death of their close friend. They were sad and grieving and had decided to honour their friend by caring for his body as soon as they could, following the Sabbath. In their desire to do this thing for their friend, they had overlooked the practicalities of how they would actually access the tomb! But things weren’t how they were meant to be when they got there – the tombstone had already been rolled away. And not only that, there was someone unexpected there. Why was the stone not covering the entrance to the tomb? Who was this man? And when he spoke and told them that Jesus had risen from the dead and wasn’t there – where was he? Why wasn’t his body in the tomb as they expected?

This was all too much. They left the tomb feeling bewildered and afraid. This was not what they had expected. They couldn’t process it, let alone tell anyone about it. It felt too strange, unfamiliar and terrifying.

And yet, they were the first people to be told that Jesus had risen from the dead! He had conquered death. Death would no longer have a hold over them. In the midst of their anxiety and distress, there was hope: hope in the risen Lord.

In the midst of our current distress, we too can hold onto the hope that we have in the risen Lord, he who has the victory over death. We do not have to be afraid.

Hymn

Verse 1

Thine be the glory,
Risen, conqu'ring Son;
Endless is the victory,
Thou o'er death hast won;
Angels in bright raiment
Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes
Where Thy body lay.

Thine be the glory,
Risen conquering Son,
Endless is the victory,
Thou o'er death hast won.

Verse 2
Lo! Jesus meets us,
Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us,
Scatters fear and gloom;
Let the church with gladness,
Hymns of triumph sing;
For her Lord now liveth,
Death hath lost its sting.

Thine be the glory,
Risen conquering Son,
Endless is the victory,
Thou o'er death hast won.

Verse 3
No more we doubt Thee,
Glorious Prince of life;
Life is naught without Thee;
Aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conquerors,
Through Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe through Jordan
To Thy home above.

Thine be the glory,
Risen conquering Son,
Endless is the victory,
Thou o'er death hast won.

Edmond Louis Budry © 1904 Public Domain CCLI:69198   

Prayer

Lord of all life and power,
who, through the mighty resurrection of your Son,
overcame the old order of sin and death
to make all things new in him:
grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ,
may reign with him in glory;
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit
be praise, honour and thanksgiving, now and for all eternity. Amen.

A Prayer Book for Australia 1995