"This is the day the Lord has made; He calls the hours His own. Let heav'n rejoice, let earth be glad and praise surround the throne.

"Today He rose and left the dead, and Satan's empire fell; Today the saints His triumphs spread and all His wonders tell."

"This is the day the Lord has made." The Lord makes every day; every hour is His own. In the beginning God separated light from darkness and created time, placing the sun, moon, and stars in the sky to mark the days and nights. Days and hours belong to the Lord who makes them, but He gives them to us as a gift. We use the precious days for work, for family and, on the most important day of the week, for worship.

This hymn, which borrows words from Psalm 118, recalls the day above all days, the day on which Jesus "rose and left the dead and Satan's empire fell." The psalmist foretold what would happen on that great day: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (Psalm 118:22). Jesus was that stone, rejected by those He came to save. He was betrayed, condemned, and crucified. The Savior hung on the cross during long hours that were God's own. On that day made by the Lord, the day we call Good Friday, Jesus took onto Himself the penalty of death for our sins and for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus' body was taken down from the cross and sealed in a tomb, but then came the greatest of all days made by God. On the third day after His death, on the first day of the week, on a Sunday, Jesus rose "rose and left the dead." The living Savior, the rejected Stone, was exalted to be the Cornerstone of His church. Remembering the events of that glorious morning, we rejoice with the psalmist, "This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23). But that joy, as great as it is, is not limited to Easter morning. Every Sunday we gather to worship and celebrate the greatest day made by God, the day of resurrection.

Year after year, we enjoy many days given to us by the hand of the Lord: birthdays, weddings, Baptisms, and anniversaries, and the festivals that mark the history of our salvation—Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and all the rest. But at the beginning of every week, on Sunday, the saints on earth join the timeless praise of heaven to rejoice in Jesus' triumph over death "and all His wonders tell." It is the day the Lord made, and every week we rejoice in it!

WE PRAY: My Lord and Savior, there are never enough days and hours to rejoice in the wonders of Your love. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "This Is the Day the Lord Has Made," which is number 903 in the Lutheran Service Book.

Reflection Questions:

1. What do you like most about starting a new day?

2. If each hour of our life is a gift from God, is there then a responsibility to use them wisely?

3. How is Easter the greatest day ever made for us by God?

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 53, 55, 58    John 13:1-20

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