1 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his faithful love lasts forever.
2 Let Israel say it:
“God’s faithful love lasts forever!”
14 The Lord was my strength and protection;
he was my saving help!
15 The sounds of joyful songs and deliverance
are heard in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s strong hand is victorious!
16 The Lord’s strong hand is ready to strike!
The Lord’s strong hand is victorious!”
17 I won’t die—no, I will live
and declare what the Lord has done.
18 Yes, the Lord definitely disciplined me,
but he didn’t hand me over to death.
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me
so I can come in and give thanks to the Lord!
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
those who are righteous enter through it.
21 I thank you because you answered me,
because you were my saving help.
22 The stone rejected by the builders
is now the main foundation stone!
23 This has happened because of the Lord;
it is astounding in our sight!
24 This is the day the Lord acted;
we will rejoice and celebrate in it!
Reflection
We are Easter people! What does that mean to you on a day-to-day basis? Are we complacent with that “title”? Do we take for granted all that we have been given? I am one of the “lurkers” Joe and Kate talk about in their 7am devotion time because I’m not on Facebook. I have appreciated and enjoyed watching them in the mornings. I want to publicly thank them for their efforts, insights, and the way they interacted to make the study thoughtful and fun!
Joe said something on Good Friday that went along with what I was thinking for this devotion. He said that the young priests who came from all over the world to do internships at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem seemed bored. Joe was rather astonished by this, and Kate made a comment that Niagara Falls is like that for her because she grew up in Buffalo. I have been to both places and I was totally overwhelmed by the crowded nature of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It just seemed so chaotic and maybe that was a sign for me to remember that Jesus’s death and resurrection were indeed a very chaotic time. Our guide gave us time to wonder around but his take on the actual tomb was that “it is empty, no real reason to see it. Isn’t that the point of Easter?” True of course, but there is space above the rock open to the sky and when I was taking a picture, there was a bird flying up into that space and it felt like the Spirit. I’ve been to Niagara Falls several times and want to go back because there is just something about the power of the water for me.
Our Psalm reminds us that we are to be thankful. We teach our kids to say thank you and to say grace before meals. Most people say thank you when we do something for them, but is that just a habit and we don’t really think much about it? I feel that as I go through my prayer time, I am thankful but mostly in a cursory way. I sometimes am in a hurry to get to the needs of myself and those I love and the world in general, and I don’t spend enough time in gratitude. Jesus did something that we can’t really thank him enough for. The Good News is that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit just want us to be in relationship with them and with each other. That is the whole point of being a Christian, isn’t? We feel that things can be pretty dark here on earth and we know there are so many needs, but let’s take some time to be thankful people and to show others that we are truly “Easter people.” He is risen! He is risen indeed!
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
How can we foster a regular sense of gratitude? How about a gratitude journal or remembering to thank God for at least 3 things at the start of every prayer? If you have gotten away from praying before meals or just when waking up in the morning, try to get back to it. Maybe putting a note or a reminder somewhere in your house or car to say a prayer of thanks would help. I’m sure we can think of other ways to remind ourselves to be thankful.
Prayer: Thank you God for all that you have given us. Thank you for the time of Lent for us to reflect and draw close to you. Thank you for Easter and help us to live up to the name of “Easter People.” We give you all the glory, honor, and praise. Amen.
