Matthew 27:57-66
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from
Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58He went
to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given
to him. 59So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the
rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62The
next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the
Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63and said, “Sir, we remember what
that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise
again.’ 64Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the
third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the
people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be
worse than the first.” 65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of
soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66So they went with the
guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
It is hard not to feel powerfully alone today, or even utterly abandoned. We so often feel alone many days.Yet, we trust in the truth of resurrection and know that the loneliness we experience today is not the end of the story of God's covenant with God's people. So we hold on through this day and through every day when we feel small and frightened.
What needs resurrecting in your life? What makes it hard to
turn this over to God and trust that God will bring you, too, through death to
new life?
Let us pray: Lord God, remind us of your presence with us when we stumble,
suffer, or are afraid in any way. Give us strength, courage, and peace, and
help us to be an encouragement and sign of life to others. Amen.
