Matthew 28:1-16 and Psalm 118

Matthew 28:1-16

[1]After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. [2]And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. [3]His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. [4]For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. [5]But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. [6]He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. [7]Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." [8]So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. [9]Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. [10]Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

[11]While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. [12]After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, [13]telling them, "You must say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' [14]If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." [15]So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

[16]Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

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Psalm 118

[1]   O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
          his steadfast love endures forever!

[2]   Let Israel say,
          "His steadfast love endures forever."
[3]   Let the house of Aaron say,
          "His steadfast love endures forever."
[4]   Let those who fear the LORD say,
          "His steadfast love endures forever."

[5]   Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
          the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
[6]   With the LORD on my side I do not fear.
          What can mortals do to me?
[7]   The LORD is on my side to help me;
          I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
[8]   It is better to take refuge in the LORD
          than to put confidence in mortals.
[9]   It is better to take refuge in the LORD
          than to put confidence in princes.

[10]  All nations surrounded me;
          in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
[11]  They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
          in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
[12]  They surrounded me like bees;
          they blazed like a fire of thorns;
          in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
[13]  I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
          but the LORD helped me.
[14]  The LORD is my strength and my might;
          he has become my salvation.

[15]  There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
     "The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
[16]       the right hand of the LORD is exalted;
          the right hand of the LORD does valiantly."
[17]  I shall not die, but I shall live,
          and recount the deeds of the LORD.
[18]  The LORD has punished me severely,
          but he did not give me over to death.

[19]  Open to me the gates of righteousness,
          that I may enter through them
          and give thanks to the LORD.

[20]  This is the gate of the LORD;
          the righteous shall enter through it.

[21]  I thank you that you have answered me
          and have become my salvation.
[22]  The stone that the builders rejected
          has become the chief cornerstone.
[23]  This is the LORD's doing;
          it is marvelous in our eyes.
[24]  This is the day that the LORD has made;
          let us rejoice and be glad in it.
[25]  Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!
          O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!

[26]  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.
          We bless you from the house of the LORD.
[27]  The LORD is God,
          and he has given us light.
     Bind the festal procession with branches,
          up to the horns of the altar.

[28]  You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
          you are my God, I will extol you.

[29]  O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
          for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 66 and Psalm 98

Psalm 66

[1]   Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;  
[2]        sing the glory of his name;  
          give to him glorious praise.  
[3]   Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!  
          Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.  
[4]   All the earth worships you;  
          they sing praises to you,  
          sing praises to your name."                                        
             Selah

[5]   Come and see what God has done:  
          he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.  
[6]   He turned the sea into dry land;  
          they passed through the river on foot.  
     There we rejoiced in him,  
[7]        who rules by his might forever,  
     whose eyes keep watch on the nations --  
          let the rebellious not exalt themselves.                          
     Selah

[8]   Bless our God, O peoples,  
          let the sound of his praise be heard,  
[9]   who has kept us among the living,  
          and has not let our feet slip.  
[10]  For you, O God, have tested us;  
          you have tried us as silver is tried.  
[11]  You brought us into the net;  
          you laid burdens on our backs;  
[12]  you let people ride over our heads;  
          we went through fire and through water;  
     yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.

[13]  I will come into your house with burnt offerings;  
          I will pay you my vows,  
[14]  those that my lips uttered  
          and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.  
[15]  I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings,  
          with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;  
     I will make an offering of bulls and goats.                            
    Selah

[16]  Come and hear, all you who fear God,  
          and I will tell what he has done for me.  
[17]  I cried aloud to him,  
          and he was extolled with my tongue.  
[18]  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,  
          the Lord would not have listened.  
[19]  But truly God has listened;  
          he has given heed to the words of my prayer.

[20]  Blessed be God,  
          because he has not rejected my prayer  
          or removed his steadfast love from me.

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Psalm 98

[1]   O sing to the LORD a new song,  

          for he has done marvelous things.  

     His right hand and his holy arm  

          have gained him victory.  

[2]   The LORD has made known his victory;  

          he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.  

[3]   He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness  

          to the house of Israel.  

     All the ends of the earth have seen  

          the victory of our God.

[4]   Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;  

          break forth into joyous song and sing praises.  

[5]   Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,  

          with the lyre and the sound of melody.  

[6]   With trumpets and the sound of the horn  

          make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

[7]   Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;  

          the world and those who live in it.  

[8]   Let the floods clap their hands;  

          let the hills sing together for joy  

[9]   at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming  

          to judge the earth.   

     He will judge the world with righteousness,  

          and the peoples with equity.

Mark 16:1-8 and Psalm 115

Mark 16:1-8

[1]When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. [2]And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. [3]They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" [4]When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. [5]As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. [6]But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. [7]But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." [8]So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid

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Psalm 115

[1]   Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,   
         for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.   
[2]   Why should the nations say,   
         "Where is their God?"

[3]   Our God is in the heavens;   
         he does whatever he pleases.   
[4]   Their idols are silver and gold,   
         the work of human hands.   
[5]   They have mouths, but do not speak;   
         eyes, but do not see.   
[6]   They have ears, but do not hear;   
         noses, but do not smell.   
[7]   They have hands, but do not feel;   
         feet, but do not walk;   
         they make no sound in their throats.   
[8]   Those who make them are like them;   
         so are all who trust in them.

[9]   O Israel, trust in the LORD!   
         He is their help and their shield.   
[10]  O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!   
         He is their help and their shield.   
[11]  You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!   
         He is their help and their shield.

[12]  The LORD has been mindful of us; he will bless us;   
         he will bless the house of Israel;   
         he will bless the house of Aaron;   
[13]  he will bless those who fear the LORD,   
         both small and great.

[14]  May the LORD give you increase,   
         both you and your children.   
[15]  May you be blessed by the LORD,   
         who made heaven and earth.

[16]  The heavens are the Lord's heavens,   
         but the earth he has given to human beings.   
[17]  The dead do not praise the LORD,   
         nor do any that go down into silence.   
[18]  But we will bless the LORD   
         from this time on and forevermore.   
    Praise the LORD!

Posts for Lent

Throughout the Season of Lent please go to www.meanderingabout.com for a devotional and activity for each of these 40 days. Enjoy.

Isaiah 58:1-12 and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Isaiah 58:1-12

[1]   Shout out, do not hold back!  
          Lift up your voice like a trumpet!  
     Announce to my people their rebellion,  
          to the house of Jacob their sins.  
[2]   Yet day after day they seek me  
          and delight to know my ways,  
     as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness  
          and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;  
     they ask of me righteous judgments,  
          they delight to draw near to God.  
[3]   "Why do we fast, but you do not see?  
          Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?"  
     Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,  
          and oppress all your workers.  
[4]   Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight  
          and to strike with a wicked fist.  
     Such fasting as you do today  
          will not make your voice heard on high.  
[5]   Is such the fast that I choose,  
          a day to humble oneself?  
     Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,  
          and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?  
     Will you call this a fast,  
          a day acceptable to the LORD?

[6]   Is not this the fast that I choose:  
          to loose the bonds of injustice,  
          to undo the thongs of the yoke,  
     to let the oppressed go free,  
          and to break every yoke?  
[7]   Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,  
          and bring the homeless poor into your house;  
     when you see the naked, to cover them,  
          and not to hide yourself from your own kin?  
[8]   Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,  
          and your healing shall spring up quickly;  
     your vindicator shall go before you,  
          the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  
[9]   Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;  
          you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

     If you remove the yoke from among you,  
          the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,  
[10]  if you offer your food to the hungry  
          and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,  
     then your light shall rise in the darkness  
          and your gloom be like the noonday.  
[11]  The LORD will guide you continually,  
          and satisfy your needs in parched places,  
          and make your bones strong;  
     and you shall be like a watered garden,  
          like a spring of water,  
          whose waters never fail.  
[12]  Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;  
          you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;  
     you shall be called the repairer of the breach,  
          the restorer of streets to live in.

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Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

[1]"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

[2]"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [3]But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4]so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

[5]"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [6]But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

[16]"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [17]But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, [18]so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

[19]"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; [20]but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21]For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33 and Psalm 102

Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33

[1]The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?
[2]Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
[3]I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
[4]Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person's name?
And what is the name of the person's child?
Surely you know!

[24]Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
[25]the ants are a people without strength,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
[26]the badgers are a people without power,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
[27]the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
[28]the lizard can be grasped in the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.

[29]Three things are stately in their stride;
four are stately in their gait:
[30]the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
and does not turn back before any;
[31]the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
and a king striding before his people.

[32]If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
[33]For as pressing milk produces curds,
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger produces strife.

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Psalm 102

[1]   Hear my prayer, O LORD;  

          let my cry come to you.  

[2]   Do not hide your face from me  

          in the day of my distress.  

     Incline your ear to me;  

          answer me speedily in the day when I call.

[3]   For my days pass away like smoke,  

          and my bones burn like a furnace.  

[4]   My heart is stricken and withered like grass;  

          I am too wasted to eat my bread.  

[5]   Because of my loud groaning  

          my bones cling to my skin.  

[6]   I am like an owl of the wilderness,  

          like a little owl of the waste places.  

[7]   I lie awake;  

          I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.  

[8]   All day long my enemies taunt me;  

          those who deride me use my name for a curse.  

[9]   For I eat ashes like bread,  

          and mingle tears with my drink,  

[10]  because of your indignation and anger;  

          for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.  

[11]  My days are like an evening shadow;  

          I wither away like grass.

[12]  But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;  

          your name endures to all generations.  

[13]  You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,  

          for it is time to favor it;  

          the appointed time has come.  

[14]  For your servants hold its stones dear,  

          and have pity on its dust.  

[15]  The nations will fear the name of the LORD,  

          and all the kings of the earth your glory.  

[16]  For the LORD will build up Zion;  

          he will appear in his glory.  

[17]  He will regard the prayer of the destitute,  

          and will not despise their prayer.  

[18]  Let this be recorded for a generation to come,  

          so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:  

[19]  that he looked down from his holy height,  

          from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,  

[20]  to hear the groans of the prisoners,  

          to set free those who were doomed to die;  

[21]  so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,  

          and his praise in Jerusalem,  

[22]  when peoples gather together,  

          and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

[23]  He has broken my strength in midcourse;  

          he has shortened my days.  

[24]  "O my God," I say, "do not take me away  

          at the mid-point of my life,  

     you whose years endure  

          throughout all generations."

[25]  Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,  

          and the heavens are the work of your hands.  

[26]  They will perish, but you endure;  

          they will all wear out like a garment.  

     You change them like clothing, and they pass away;  

[27]       but you are the same, and your years have no end.  

[28]  The children of your servants shall live secure;  

          their offspring shall be established in your presence.

Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12 and Philippians 2:1-13

Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12

[1]Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
[2]Let another praise you, and not your own mouth —
a stranger, and not your own lips.
[3]A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
[4]Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
[5]Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
[6]Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

[10]Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.
[11]Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
[12]The clever see danger and hide;
but the simple go on, and suffer for it.

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Philippians 2:1-13

[1]If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, [2]make my joy
complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3]Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. [4]Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. [5]Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, [6]who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, [7]but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, [8]he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. [9]Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, [10]so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11]and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

[12]Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; [13]for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.