Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning,
the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were wondering about this,
suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning
stood beside them.
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground,
but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you,
while he was still with you in Galilee:
‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners,
be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things
to the Eleven and to all the others.
It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James,
and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
But they did not believe the women,
because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.
Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves,
and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

---

He is risen. The tomb is empty.
Glory to God in the highest!

No grave could hold him.
Death could not keep him by the power of God.
The grave cloths were left behind.
The blood and warmth of life
came back into the body of the Savior of the world.

Because he lives,
we will live also!

Because he was raised,
we will be raised, too,
because of his glory and majesty!

The Holy One knows our names and calls us to himself.
May the power that raised Jesus from the dead
be the power that keeps us lifted,
so that we may run on and see what the end will be.

May the power that conquered death and the grave
give us an everlasting hope and assurance
that we are the children of God!

And may the power of Almighty God
always be a shelter, a refuge, and the place we run to—
for every single soul needs the empty tomb and a risen Savior.

Hallelujah to the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world!

Glory be to God!
Amen.

Luke 11:9-10

Luke 11:9-10
[Jesus said] “So I say to you:
Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives;
the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

---

Lord Jesus, as I bow down in my spirit
before your throne of grace and mercy,
I remember that I can call on you for help.
I remember that I can ask in your name,
believing that I will receive and it will be done.
I am reminded that no door is too difficult to open or close,
depending on which way you want it to swing.

When seeking you with my whole heart,
I know you can be found.
I know that you are a rewarder of those who diligently seek you
and seek to do your will.
And we so earnestly want to do that.
We want to please you.
What joy to know your mercy!
Your grace, love and forgiveness are from everlasting to everlasting.

What a blessing to look back over our lives
and see all the ways and all the times you answered,
even the smallest prayer.
Our souls overflow with gratitude
when we recall your awesome presence
overshadowing our lives from its very beginning.

Thank you, Jesus, for responding to our every ask,
for responding to our every knock,
and for our ever seeking of your face
and your glory and your presence,
your power and your healing.

We give thanks!
We love you and we trust you.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

Luke 9:12-17

Luke 9:12-17
Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.”
(About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.
Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.
They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

---

Feed us, Lord, until we want no more.

No more fast food, quick prayers and praise.
No more “microwave” worship.
No more stagnant, flat water in our baptismal font.

Lord, give us fresh bread.
Give us a fresh word from on high.
Feed us heavenly manna
that has been made by the hand of God.
Fill our spiritually empty bellies with spiritual food that will not spoil.

Fill us with a bottomless anointing!
May your Spirit multiply our meager expectations
with lavish abundance
of a joy-filled hope in your hands, O God.

There is always more than enough in your hands.
God, there is never a lack or scarcity in your hands.
God, there is always a full pot with plenty left over in your hands.
God, there are always more loaves.
Thank you that even when we can't figure it out,
you have already worked it out.

Help us to remember to always look to heaven,
to the one who is the author and the finisher of our faith:
Jesus Christ, the righteous one.
Thank you, God, for the infilling of your Spirit.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.

Luke 1:7-15

Luke 1:7-15
But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood,
to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.”

---

You are an amazing prayer and serene God!

We are so very grateful when we look back,
and we see the prayers of our ancestors and grandparents being answered
because of your faithfulness.

As we read your word and we read about Zechariah and Elizabeth,
who prayed in their youth,
but it was in their old age that you answered in your perfect timing.

Thank you for “Kairos” time, which is God’s divine timing.
Thank you that you know our beginning and our ending,
and you know the time and place of all of our blessings.

Thank you for the birth of John, born to parents in old age.
Thank you for the joy of parenthood and the gift of children.
Thank you for those who were never biological parents,
but who “parented” countless children over the ages.

Some of us have been the recipients
of those blessings and that love.
Thank you for your word: to not be afraid,
even when we don't understand!

Thank you for sending ministering angels on earth,
some of whom walk among us each day
to give us words of encouragement and hope.

Thank you for all those who walk by faith and not by sight,
Even in the midst of what they cannot see.

Bless your people, O God,
with an overwhelming expectation
that joy will indeed come in the morning.

It is the joy of the Lord that is our strength
and we praise you today.

We worship you, we adore you,
and we bless you
in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Luke 9:28-36

Luke 9:28-36
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.
They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him,
“Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—
one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them,
and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying,
“This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone.
The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

---

Lord God,
overshadow us with your presence.

When Jesus went up to the mountain,
he took Peter, James, and John,
and they were enveloped in the cloud of your goodness.
They were enveloped in the cloud of your holiness.
They were enveloped
in the awesome and almighty presence of the great God of heaven.

They saw Elijah, and they saw Moses,
and they didn't know what to say…
but God, they were changed
as a result of hearing your voice say,
“This is my son, hear what he has to say.”

And so, God,
I pray that we will hear the voice of Jesus,
that we will follow the words
as we are enveloped into the cloud of your goodness
each and every day.

Lord, let us listen to Jesus.
Let the words that he speaks in our hearts,
let us follow those words faithfully.
Let the words of Jesus abide in our hearts
so that we will not sin against you.

God, envelop us in the cloud,
envelop us in the cloud
of forgiveness and hope and joy and peace.

O God, that others would want to come into the cloud
because they see the transformation
that has taken place within our own lives:
envelop us into the cloud.

O God, that all of the things of the world
would drop away, that they would fall away.
That they would no longer hold us bound.
Envelop us into the cloud!

Oh, God, that we might be faithful disciples
and that we would follow you wholeheartedly.
Envelop us into the cloud….
O God, that we would be more like you.
That we would be light and salt in the world.
And that people would come running to you
because we have been in the cloud.

In Jesus name,
Amen.

Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1-13
Jesus returned from the Jordan River full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. There he was tempted for forty days by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and afterward Jesus was starving. The devil said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread.” 

Next the devil led him to a high place and showed him in a single instant all the kingdoms of the world. The devil said, “I will give you this whole domain and the glory of all these kingdoms. It’s been entrusted to me and I can give it to anyone I want. Therefore, if you will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It’s written, You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”

The devil brought him into Jerusalem and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here; for it’s written: He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you  and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.” Jesus answered, “It’s been said, Don’t test the Lord your God.” 

After finishing every temptation, the devil departed from him until the next opportunity.

---

O merciful God, lead us not into temptation!

Protect us from the devices of the evil one.

Let the power of your glorious Spirit
always cover us and protect us and keep us!

We trust you
and we pray in faith and thanksgiving,
in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen!