Christian Reflection and Prayer

Read Psalm 40.

TEXT: I will tell of Your Name to my brothers; in the
midst of the congregation I will praise You
(Psalm 22:22).

In the moment before His death Jesus loudly
proclaimed "It is finished," showing He had
completed His Father's plan to save all people. We
return to the final section of Psalm 22 where Jesus
predicts His resurrection, and what will come after.

After being delivered from death and hell by His
faithful Father, Jesus appeared to His brothers the
apostles, and revealed God's gracious plan of
salvation. Through their words in the New Testament
He continues to declare the Lord's Name to all
believers. He gathers us together into a great
worshiping assembly. And there in the midst of that
congregation Jesus praises the Father who was the
Source of God's plan of salvation.

Three times each year the whole nation of Israel
gathered together in Jerusalem to worship God,
recall His promises, and call upon Him for help in the
future. The first was the great Feast of Passover, when
Israel recalled God's deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
This was the very feast in which God's Passover Lamb,
Jesus Christ, carried the sins of the world and delivered
His people from slavery to sin, death and hell.

The second great feast followed 50 days after Easter.
At Pentecost the nation gathered again to thank God for
the harvest. At this feast Christ declared His great
salvation through His apostles in Jerusalem and the
Christian church was born. Each time we gather to
worship in local congregations Jesus is there with us,
proclaiming His Father's great love in sending His Son.
On the Last Day He will gather His scattered believers
from around the world into His eternal kingdom.

THE PRAYER:

 Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for declaring the Father's
love to us. Give us faith to remain in that love forever. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Matthew 27:51-53.

TEXT: And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two,
from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were
split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the
saints who had fallen asleep were raised (Matthew 27:51-52).

During the early hours of Jesus' crucifixion, it was easy for
the Jewish people streaming into town to conclude He had
been a fraud and a fake. To all appearances His claim to be
God's Son had finally caught up with Him because God had
cursed Him and permitted that horrible death. They interpreted
all the evidence they had seen as proof of Jesus' guilt.

Then came the supernatural miracles that accompanied His
crucifixion and death. First, was the three hours of ominous,
supernatural darkness. Then at Jesus' death a great earthquake
struck the city, splitting the rocks apart. The Jewish religious
leaders got a sign of their own-the curtain separating the Holy
Place from the Most Holy Place in the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom. Finally, the earthquake broke tombs open
and many dead saints came to life, appearing in the city to
others after Jesus' resurrection.

After seeing all these events the centurion and his soldiers said,
"Truly this was the Son of God!" Luke notes the reaction of the
crowds that stood there witnessing these things, "And all the
crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw
what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts"
(Luke 23:48). Beating one's breast was a demonstration of
profound grief, fear and regret.

These miracles didn't convince everyone, but they were powerful
signs that God's Son was sacrificing Himself for our sins. A
miracle even more clear was coming in three short days.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the signs that accompanied
Your Son's suffering and death and for His resurrection, which
proved You accepted His sacrifice. Give us confidence in Your
forgiveness. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Luke 23: 44-49.

TEXT: Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said,
"Father, into Your Hands I commit My spirit!"
(See Luke 23:46.)

Having completed the payment for all our sins, and loudly
proclaiming it to the world, there is no reason for Jesus to
continue suffering on the cross. He fulfills the prediction
He once made to the Jews, "For this reason the Father
loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up
again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My
own accord" (see John 10:17-18).

The time has now come. Luke tells us Jesus called out
with a loud voice, committed His spirit to His Father's
safe-keeping, and breathed His last.
 
His sudden death and the events that surrounded it had
a monumental impact on the people who witnessed it.
The centurion had watched many criminals die from
crucifixion-none was like Jesus. In the moments before
He died Jesus proclaimed four statements with a loud
voice: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?",
"I'm thirsty," "It is finished," and "Father, into Your
hands I commend My spirit." Crucified criminals died
from suffocation due to the accumulation of fluid in their
lungs. How could Jesus speak loudly if His lungs were
filled with fluid? And conversely, how could He suddenly
die if His lungs were empty enough to speak loudly four
times?
 
Seeing the way Jesus conducted Himself throughout His
crucifixion, the unnatural way He died, and the
miraculous signs that accompanied His death, the
centurion could reach only one conclusion: "Certainly
this man was innocent" (see Luke 23:47) and "Truly this
was the Son of God!" (See Matthew 27:54.)

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, when Your work on the cross was
done You laid down Your life. On Sunday morning You
took it back up again, rising from the dead. Give me faith
to trust You always. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)