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| Image by Jay Huang |
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A GREETING
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your nurturing Spirit guide me
on a safe and level path.
(Psalm 143:10)
A READING
“Where have you laid him?” Jesus asked. “Come and see,” they said. And Jesus wept. The people in the crowd began to remark, “See how much he loved him!” Others said, “He made the blind person see; why couldn’t he have done something to prevent Lazarus’ death?” Jesus was again deeply moved. They approached the tomb, which was a cave with a stone in front of it. “Take away the stone,” Jesus directed. Martha said, “Rabbi, it has been four days now. By this time there will be a stench.” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I assure you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took the stone away. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Abba, thank you for having heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd, that they might believe that you sent me!” Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus came out of the tomb, still bound hand and foot with linen strips, his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus told the crowd, “Untie him and let him go free.”
(John 11:34-44)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
The works of your hands are truth and justice.
(Psalm 111:7a)
THE ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE PRAYER
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye of every one who sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
- from a literal translation by Kuno Meyer
VERSE OF THE DAY
Indeed, the whole crowd was trying to touch Jesus,
because power was coming out of him and healing them all.
(Luke 6:19)
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| "The resurrection of Lazarus," by Henry Ossawa Tanner. Tanner was an African-American painter who lived and worked in France in the late 19th-century. Deeply faithful, Tanner's paintings often immerse us in the human elements of the Jesus story. How does this scene as the artist has envisioned it prefigure the laying out of Jesus after he has been taken from the cross? |
This week we return to the body of Jesus to experience the events leading up to Good Friday from the point of view of the incarnated Christ. These events are a slow progression toward the surrender of his divine power, and the loss of his human power as well. Jesus will be hunted, beaten and killed in the body. What began as an encounter between an angel and his mother Mary will reach its earthly end when Jesus is hung on the cross.
Today we return to the final part of the story of the raising of Lazarus, to imagine how the restoration of the life of his friend impacts the body and divine energy of Jesus. In the story of the woman who touched the cloak of Jesus in order to have healing from a perpetual issue of blood (see Day 12 devotion), we hear that Jesus felt the power going out of him. In the Luke 6 verse above involving the healing of others, we also hear that Jesus felt power leave him. Did Jesus feel such power leaving him in the raising of Lazarus?
The Deer's Cry hymn is an adpatation of the St. Patrick's Breastplate prayer. In fifth-century Ireland, Patrick and his followers used this prayer to avoid detection by enemies. The prayer momentarily transformed them into deer, so that they were unseen by their assailants. The prayer expresses the belief that the power of Jesus working in us can be transformative: we can be forever changed. In today's music, dancers offer an illustration of how the knowledge that Christ is within and around us can be animating to our spirits and bodies.
The slow release of his earthly divine and human power in his final days is one of the ways in which Jesus gives his life for his friends. His sacrifices have been incremental from the start of his ministry -- and will culminate on the cross. Each miracle, each healing, each transformation, takes something from him. Ultimately, the divine power of Jesus never diminishes -- as the last part of the story will reveal later in the week.
As we go forward in these days, how might the animating power of Jesus in our bodies -- transform us into action? What is awaiting your support in your community today?
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| Image by Jay Huang |
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
For those who may wish to pursue an imagined narrative of the events of Holy Week as told through the eyes of Mary Magdalene, this blog was created in 2009 by Deacon Sherry and then republished in 2020 during the pandemic. The first two days: Palm Sunday and Holy Monday, can be found here:
Palm Sunday.
Holy Monday.
(A new day will be made visible here each day.)
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LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!