Dear Friends in the Faith,
This concludes our journey through Matthew and Mark for the Lenten season. Thank you for making this journey with me to the tomb of Christ where stand vigil until that glorious Easter morning where we can shout our hallelujahs that “Christ is risen!”.
With Joy on the Journey,
Pastor David
Read Mark 16: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark+16&version=NLT
Scripture:
Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” v. 16:2-3
Observation:
Who has the power to open the grave? Can God do it? When we consider the doubt that creeps in when we witness our loved ones depart this mortal world, we might be asking ourselves this question. Standing at the precipice between life and loss, God answers, “I can, and I have rolled the stone away.” The powers and principalities of this world may try to block the Light of the World with heavy stones of violence, death, and oppression. However, God rolls these stones away, and hope enters back into our hearts.
Application:
As the Apostle Paul comments in Romans 8:39, “nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus.” God intervenes at exactly the right time when all seems lost. When we attend to our grief and seek the Body of Christ, we encounter the hope of resurrection when we least expect it, and when we most need it.
Prayer:
Almighty God, who did establish the pillars of Earth with stone and sediment, and uses the elements of water, air, and energy to give life to the planet. We thank Thee for rolling away the stone from the borrowed tomb. Because the tomb is empty, our life is full of hope and meaning. We thank Thee for opening up eternity to us through the power of Christ’s Resurrection. Christ is risen indeed, and we give Thee all honor and glory due Thy matchless name. In Thy Holy Name we pray. Amen.