Lenten Theme Hymn: "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say," ELW 332
Devotion
1I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Come unto me and rest;
lay down, O weary one, lay down
your head upon my breast."
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting-place,
and he has made me glad.
2I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down and drink and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.
3I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"I am this dark world's light;
look unto me, your morn shall rise,
and all your day be bright."
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my star, my sun;
and in that light of life I'll walk
till trav'ling days are done.
Text: Horatius Bonar, 1808-89 (Public Domain)
Christ is risen!
A full-on bodily resurrection!
Today the tomb is empty; resurrection is now!
We have journeyed with our own bodies through Holy Week and Christ's passion, arriving at the mysterious truth of the resurrected body of our God. With vision and hearing, with smell, taste, and touch, we have experienced the grace and love of God that death cannot stop. This is the eternal promise of our embodied God, who traverses the way of death to bring us to life in all its bodily fullness. Indeed, we have seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched the truth of the crucified and risen Jesus, who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, re-members us to God forever.
As we stand at the empty tomb in wonder and joy, let us proclaim together, as the one body of Christ, "Alleluia! Christ is risen!"
Prayer
What more is there to say, O Trinity of love, than to shout with our whole body: "Alleluia! Thanks be to God!" Amen.