John 20:17-18 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
 
IT is a very intimate and good thing Mary experiences here. In God’s grace, he has revealed to Mary Magdalene that Jesus is alive! In response she holds onto him with exuberant love and joy.
   Then Jesus urges her to release him. Do you wonder why? Do you think that Jesus should have let Mary hold him as long as she wanted? What’s the hurry?
   Or perhaps Jesus is assuring Mary of his eternal presence. Remember the emotional trauma Mary has experienced for three days. To watch her beloved Lord suffer the cross and die tore at her soul. Viewing his burial and discovering the empty tomb, Mary certainly had many questions invade her soul.
   Then he’s there – in the garden! He’s speaking to her, calling her name. She hears. She sees. She believes. She embraces the Lord, and she is not wanting him to go from her ever again.
   Then Jesus spoke his eternal assurance to Mary. Holding him is good, but it’s not necessary. He is going away to be with my God and your God – with his God and with Mary’s God. They will always be in union with the Father. This is just as he told his disciples: John 14:18-20 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
   Note, also, how the resurrected Lord called the disciples my brothers. This is their destiny. Even though they do not yet know of Jesus’ resurrection, they will come to complete faith. They belong to God as children of God, and he will not let them go. John said this was Jesus’ purpose in John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
   How good to know our Lord loves us so deeply. He knows your name. He has come to make the God of Heaven your God, so you can experience the Holy God’s eternal presence. Saved in your confession of Jesus, you are one with God.
   1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in Heaven for you.
 

John 20:11-16 But Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don't know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned toward him and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!”


THE inexpressible anguish and pain our Lord suffered on the cross is gone! There is no pain, no sorrow, no despair and no heartache. There is no death! The Resurrection and the Life has revealed himself to mankind! Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (Psalm 14:7) The Lord has spoken. The Lord has acted. The Lord is risen, and there is nothing that the gates of Hell can do. Satan is conquered. Death is done for all who believe. Life reigns.
   You can be sure Mary is glad she stayed at the tomb! We see in Matthew and Luke that other women were with her. How exceedingly glad would be this small first congregation of the Christian church. They were so glad, they went and told. The women became the first missionaries, the first evangelists and emissaries to represent the risen Christ. But sadly, the disciples reject their resurrection message. Mark 16:10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
   Perhaps they couldn’t believe Jesus would go to the women before he went to them. Remember, unbelief divides. It keeps us grieving when our faith should cause us to rejoice and be glad!
   Ah, Mary, your grief was deep. Your joy is now even higher! No matter what anyone says to you from this day forward, you know now the Lord is alive. You know in your heart the joy of worshiping the resurrected Jesus Christ! Revelation 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
   Is any unbelief blocking your worship of the Living Christ? Are you hearing too much of the world’s opposition to Jesus? Then listen to the Scriptures. He’s calling your name. “Come, follow me. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the good shepherd. I am the way, truth and life.” Confess, “Rabboni! Master! Teacher! Savior! I believe!”
 
Prayer: Holy Spirit, remove from my heart any unbelief that keeps me from you. Stir my heart to hear your voice speak my name that I may declare, “Jesus is alive!” In Jesus’ name, amen. 

John 20:1-10 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Sim on Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

YES! The tomb is empty! Is not this exactly what Jesus told his disciples would happen? But look. They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. Why did Peter and John (the other disciple) not know? Why did they go home? Why not go tell the other disciples? Mary Magdalene had come to tell them. She didn’t go home when she saw the empty tomb. Why don’t these two disciples from Jesus’ inmost circle eagerly search for the risen Christ?
   Could fear, guilt and shame have been ruling their hearts? Were they still afraid of the authorities? Likely, Peter felt the deep guilt of denying Jesus. Maybe both men were ashamed they had not been more faithful to protect Jesus when he needed them.
   It’s true, isn’t it? Even when we cannot control events, fear, guilt and shame will quickly intrude into our lives. These binding emotions isolate us from people we love. Tragically, such feelings will keep us “at home” to especially avoid seeking Jesus. Possibly, John and Peter thought, “He’s alive. But we don’t want to face him.”
   I don’t know about their hearts. But I do know we all have felt very unworthy of Jesus. Our shame keeps us from trusting “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7c) 
   We thank God, then, would seek these two and the other nine disciples to draw them fully into faith. He lived into his teaching, “I came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10b) The Living Lord redeemed their fears into faith, their guilt into forgiveness, their shame into joy. Transformed in Jesus’ resurrection, Peter, John and the others will boldly proclaim to a fearful, guilty world, “He is risen!”
   Do you want to live a confident redeemed life with Jesus? Give to Jesus your fears. Hand over your guilt. Bundle up your shame. Jesus will collect your garbage, and he will throw it all away. Eagerly, know Jesus seeks you. In turn, seek Jesus each day to praise his mercy, thank him for his salvation, confess your sins  and receive his tender care. Yes, because the tomb is empty, the Holy Spirit can fill your heart with the Lord’s grace and peace. Confess your sins. Believe in Jesus. By Jesus’ blood, you are redeemed.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that you have sought after my soul. You have welcomed me into your grace and truth. I love you. You are alive in me, and I rejoice! Amen.
 

John 19:38-42 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus at night, went with Joseph, taking with him about one hundred pounds of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. 
 
THERE were Pharisees who believed Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. We learn of Joseph, who came from a region called Arimathea. Sources tell us he was a man of high standing as a ruling Jew. And this is the third time John brings Nicodemus into the story. Nicodemus began the discussion that led to John’s often-quoted truths, including John 3:3 “No one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
   When Nicodemus asked, “How can this be?” (John 3:9) and Jesus responded with, “I am telling you the truth.” (John 3:11) Nicodemus must have struggled, as we all do, with the truth. He must have examined what he had been taught. If he were a good Pharisee, he would have studied the law further. In his study, he might have read again of the first Passover in Exodus 12 to remember how the sacrificed lamb’s blood on the doorposts saved the homes’ inhabitants. Did Nicodemus understand anew God’s sacrificial laws, requiring the unblemished first-born bulls and lambs to be a perfect offering to the Lord? Maybe he read the prophets, and the Spirit blew a fresh wind of truth into his soul and mind to understand the prophecies pointed to Jesus. Did he and Joseph put all the evidence together? If they did, they found the Son of God, to believe in faith how true and right Jesus’ teachings are.
   What did these “secret disciples” think as they prepared his Messiah’s body for burial? Were they disappointed and doubting? Was there somewhere in them an understanding that this was not the end? Did a light flicker in the darkness? Perhaps Jesus’ words gave them pause to say, “Let’s see what God will now do.”
   It’s true, isn’t it? Jesus has more to offer than we can see. The light of his life goes beyond the broken circumstances of life, even into death to point us to eternal life.
   Nicodemus and Joseph were about to find out. 
  

John 19:31-37 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And there is another scripture that says, “People will look at him whom they pierced.”

JOHN is careful to note the truth of Jesus’ side pierced. “The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true.” How horrible is the Jewish authorities’ cruelty! These murderous, self-serving leaders “accused” Jesus in sham trials. Think of it. Pilate never declared Jesus, “Guilty.” He only allowed the crucifixion to appease  the Jews. Then they urged Pilate to instruct the centurions to break his legs. This extraordinary pain to add to crucifixion’s incomparable strife is unthinkable. Yet, the Jewish rulers demanded it.
   In a great irony, this final insult against the Lord of the Sabbath is to preserve the Pharisees’ view of the sanctity of the Sabbath. Then they could “religiously” celebrate the Passover within the Laws of Moses. They didn’t know they were killing the Living Passover.
   But God controlled the day. The Passover Lamb’s legs would not be broken: Exodus 12:46 “The lamb must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.” God keeps his own Law.
   And then Jesus’ side is pierced. This is clear and concise evidence that Jesus had died. Turn away the swoon theories and other lies deceivers use to make the resurrection a farce. Look to the dead body of your Savior. He had to pass through death to become the Living Lord. God wants you to clearly know that his Son is dead on a cross because we all have sinned. To draw nearer to God, you must contemplate and mourn Jesus’ horrid death as prophesied: Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Living the Christian life is to grieve that our sin caused Jesus, the Son of God, to die for you. It is to rejoice he is raised to glory for you.
   How do you respond to that?
 

John 19:28-30 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”  29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 Jesus drank the wine and said, “It is finished!”

THERE it is! The plan is done. The work complete. Now the Son of God can go home. Obedient in all things to the Father, the Son will now reside on his throne in eternity’s glory. “It is finished!”
   Jesus’ life on earth was to complete the work the Father’s salvation plan required at this point in history. Jesus has ministered God’s grace to a world painfully imprisoned with evil. The Servant king has endured human suffering, even to be crucified. Now the suffering is finished. The Lord’s compassion, joy, love and peace will soon begin to flow from the cross to the world and into our hearts. Glory be to God!
   Yes, we praise God that Jesus was “born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and buried. On the third day he rose again and sits at God’s right hand.” (from the Apostles Creed). Oh, the power of those five phrases! God’s Son became human flesh. That alone is too difficult to fully comprehend. But the suffering under Pilate is even more difficult to understand. Can we realize the Holy One lived a life of labor, discomfort, poverty, and grief? Do we realize he suffered the insults of teachers of his law? His own people denied him even though he proclaimed his love through healings, resurrections and mass food distributions! Jesus suffered the doubts, pride and betrayal of his closest disciples. He suffered the horrific lash and piercing crown of thorns; he suffered the cross and the grave.
   Yes that was God’s plan, so we will know the depth of our sin and the height of God’s love. Now the plan of redemption was finished. The blood has been shed. As John the Baptist declared, John 1:29 “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  has fulfilled the prophecies and law. The Passover Lamb of God has been sacrificed to save the children of Abraham. Yes, this is for you and all who have and will confess Christ from that day on. Oh, sin’s curse is finished. The sentence of death is done.
   And now the new testament of grace and forgiveness has begun! Salvation flows from the cross. Remember and rejoice: Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Praise the Lord! 

John 19:23-27 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 The soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it; let’s throw dice to see who will get it.” 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son.” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
 
THE soldiers who nailed Jesus on the cross now await his death. It’s not enough to be beaten to the bone, a mass of blood, torn flesh and searing pain. Our Lord hangs naked, the object of cursing and shame. His crucifiers do not care. In fact, they now see how they can profit from this dying man. His robe is the prize.
   Could this be the way we, too, see God? Are there too many days we’d rather look to God to say, “What do you have to give me today?” Should we be more eager to ask, “What can I do for the One who bore my shame?” Easily we look from the cross to look to our own desires. What must we do to more richly desire our Savior?
   Of course, we must look to live as our Savior modeled for us. See his love in action here, even as he died in excruciating pain and shame: So Jesus said to his mother, “He is your son.” Oh, he’s dying. Pain we can’t imagine, a thirst beyond understanding grips his body. How is he even alive? Yet, his compassionate love comes down to the one who bore his human body.
   Do you remember the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary? Luke 1:30 “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Favor is God’s unmerited love and mercy. Favor is blessing and salvation. Now Jesus offered one more expression of God’s favor to Mary. Declaring to Mary “He is your son.” Jesus assures Mary that John will care for her.
   Yes, our Lord is the compassionate, crucified One. That day, his love flowed from the cross, through the shame and suffering. Through the soldiers’ selfishness, his pain and even unto death, Jesus’ favor poured out to his mother.
   Rejoice his love did not stop there. Even more fully, Jesus’ love flows into all who confess faith in the crucified, risen, compassionate Savior. He has sent his Spirit to comfort and care for you. John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 
   When we become too focused on worldly desires, let’s stop to remember the Father’s grace. He has saved us through Jesus’ obedience to die for us. And he has sent the Spirit to awaken us to salvation. The Triune God has given himself to you. That means he has come down from heaven to call you home into his glory. What will you give him in return?
 

John 19:19-20 Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” is what he wrote. 20 Many people read it, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city. The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
 
GOD certainly uses people in surprising ways, doesn’t he? The Bible tells us that whether one is a pagan or Jew, atheist or true believer, God can use a person’s character and traits to declare Jesus to the world.
   Here, for example, the pagan Pilate ordered a sign written in several languages for all to know Jesus as “King of the Jews”. It seems he was mocking the Jews; yet, God was using Pilate to tell the truth. Then see that “many people read it.” These were people who had traveled to Jerusalem from nearby towns and foreign countries. Many were Gentiles (also called Greeks), merchants, craftsmen, government employees and all types of social classes. For some, no doubt, it was their first notice of Jesus. Surely, they wondered about the sign to ask, “Why would anyone call this cursed criminal on a cross ‘King of the Jews’?” Why, indeed? How was God using Pilate to tell the world of Jesus?
   I wonder what some of these same people thought weeks or even years later when the apostles proclaimed the message begun in Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” And Paul wrote in Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
   Do you think some who heard the gospel thought back to that day when the “King of the Jews” was on the cross? Perhaps the memory of the crucified “King of the Jews” awakened them to know that the apostles’ words were true. The gospel message is real. God truly so loved the world he did give his only Son to be crucified to rise again for the resurrection of believers’ souls.
   Indeed, God makes himself known in unexpected ways. He even goes to die a criminal’s death on a cross. On that day, the Father planted the seeds of his salvation into the hearts and minds of many who passed by or stood at the foot of the cross.
   Pilate was a weak, ineffective ruler. He relented to the crowd and crucified the only truly innocent man who has ever lived. Even so, Pilate acted under God’s’ sovereign purpose. The Lord God gave to Pilate words to introduce the King of Kings to the world.
 

John 19:17-18 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 
 
IS it not enough that his back is a mass of torn flesh? Blood from the excruciating crown of thorns streams from his forehead into his eyes. Jesus’ wrists and arms are numb from the ropes that tied him to the lashing pole. Is he not bruised, bleeding, broken and weakened enough? Now he is carrying his own cross. Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Resurrection and the life, bears his cross to be crucified in the murderer Barabbas’ place between two thieves. The Suffering Servant demonstrated the truth of his own words: Mark 8:34 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Following Jesus is giving your life to the Savior.
   Yes, Jesus’ words of committed discipleship are figurative. They symbolize sacrificial living for Jesus and perseverance through trial and difficulties. For untold numbers over the centuries to the present day, it has even meant death. To carry a cross is submitting to the Lord’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Cross bearing means you may be brutalized spiritually and/or physically. And when you are, you get up and keep moving forward through the crowd of opposition.
   An important lesson here is that cross bearing is impossible without help. How does the brutalized Jesus reach Golgotha? Matthew 27:32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 
   Simon is forced to help Jesus when Jesus can bear the wooden beam no longer. Simon had no expectations of being involved in God’s salvation plan. But he acted, perhaps in protest; yet, the Lord rewarded him. Mark 15:21 records his two sons Rufus and Alexander were gospel missionaries, carrying their own crosses for Jesus. In a like manner, we will be unexpectedly confronted with a cross to carry. And as we do respond in faith our Lord will step in to say, “Here, I know this is too heavy for you alone. Let me help you.”
   Living into Jesus’ cross-carrying discipleship is believing in your heart such truth as Psalm 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth. Yes, your God is an active Helper. Jesus, on Heaven’s throne, has sent to you his Helper in the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of life with the power to do God’s will on earth. You can rejoice and be glad your cross will not lead you to be crucified. But the cross of faith will lead you to live into Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 
   How sweet to know, how encouraging to trust, how powerful to believe that Christ lives in you. In faith receive Jesus’ strength to take up your cross with joy. Praise and thank God you don’t have to go to Golgotha because Jesus already did.  

John 19:1-16 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 
 

1. Brutal flogging, inflicting great bodily harm
2. Painful, piercing crown of thorns
3. Repeated strikes to the face
4. A weak ruler unwilling to defend Jesus’ innocence
5. God’s own chosen people calling for the Son to be killed in the worst execution of the time
6. Jesus’ own people rejecting his kingship over them
7. The Father sending Jesus to die for the sin of the world

 
“Christians should never forget that the source of their joy is the pain and suffering of their Lord.” — M. G. Gutzke
 
Prayer: From Psalms 36:5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. I pray we live in awe and wonder of your great suffering that proves your love reaches to the heavens. Amen.