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Evening Devotion for April 23, 2018

stained glass of Jesus Christ resurrection

Resurrection of Christ by Paolo Uccello, ca. 1445, in the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) of Florence, Italy.

Prayers

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Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen.

Lord Be with Us

How excellent is your loving kindness, O God; therefore do the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. Satisfy me, and all who pray with me, with the goodness of your House throughout this day. In your light make us to see light. May your Holy Spirit be with us in prayer and praise, in speaking and hearing from your holy Word. And bless us with all spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ, for His name’s sake.

Amen.

Confession

Have mercy on me, Oh Lord, for I am a humble and miserable sinner. [At this point, pause to remember specific sins you have committed during the day and speak or think them.] I renounce all of these sins, heavenly Father, and repent of them, and I promise to make every effort not to repeat them.

Have mercy on me, pardon me for these offences and any I might have omitted from forgetfulness or ignorance; in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, I pray for forgiveness. And I pray that your Holy Spirit may dwell with me in the coming day, to comfort me, to give me strength against temptation, and to guide me into the path of righteousness.

Amen.

Prayer for Enthusiasm

Holy God, I have spent many hours trying to do Your will, but sometimes I do not feel the excitement and freshness I once felt in my prayers, in my charitable work, in my giving, in my Bible study—in all the ways I try to serve and please you in my life. Let me not become weary in doing Your work. I pray for Your Holy Spirit to grant me a sense of enthusiasm, lest I be led astray and into sin by boredom and unconcern. “Thy will be done” in all things and in every way.

Amen.

Blessing for the Day

Oh God, hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray that you will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role you have given to me and feel your peace deep in my soul, today and always,

Amen.

A beautiful worship video from Shelly Nirider.

Scripture

Psalm 147:7-9 (NKJV)

John 2:18-22 (ESV)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple (2)

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Notes on the Scripture

esus is not immediately arrested or attacked, so we have to think that much of the crowd at the Temple has at least some sympathy for his actions: throwing out all the moneylenders and merchants. But they are also partially angry—and certainly suspicious. They ask him, basically, for his badge. They want to see some proof that he is authorized to do what he has done.

But the signs that Christ has given and will give of his authority are miraculous acts. His miracles are not magic performed for the sake of amazing the crowd and collecting money, or asking for votes. They are signs that identify him as the Messiah. They are his identification papers.

So he tells them about the greatest sign that he will give; “tear down the temple and I will rebuild it in three days.”

This only confuses the people at the temple. But the reader cannot be confused, because John does not leave interpretation to us; he tells us that Christ’s remark about rebuilding the temple in three days refers to his resurrection, rather than to the physical temple within which they are standing.

As we have previously noted, John organizes his Gospel into events that show a progression of theological events, relating to the meaning of Christ’s life. By giving prophecy of His resurrection at such an early time, Christ provides guidance for the unconvinced, and ammunition for His believers to use, after His crucifixion. He shows that it was His purpose all along, to die and be raised up on the third day.