Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
From the Cradle to the Empty Grave
The season of Lent is one of thoughtful reflection. During this time of the church calendar, Christians ponder the unfolding events that led to Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion: His triumphal march into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; His firm words of warning about the events to come; His sham trial, brutal scourging, and horrific crucifixion. No day could be any darker; no travesty more calamitous than the slaying of God’s own Beloved Son. And yet, that’s what we find on Golgotha: our sins demanding His death on a cross to satisfy the Father’s righteous judgment.
Taken from the cross, the lifeless form of Christ was placed in another man’s tomb. With that action the world thought the ordeal complete, the savagery it had witnessed something it could now put behind it. But God’s work wasn’t quite done. Three days later, out of a sealed tomb—guarded to prevent theft—Jesus rose from the dead. And with that thunderous crescendo, mankind’s disgrace and ruin, which had destined it for eternal slaughter, is forgiven through the blood of Christ.
Lent is when we turn our eyes to the cross. It is there where Jesus, the sinless Son of God, suffered the indignity and shame of dying for our sins. And it is there where God’s wrath was satisfied by His Beloved Son’s supreme sacrifice, winning salvation for all who call Him their Savior.
Available to read online or as a podcast beginning March 1 2017, From the Cradle to the Empty Grave can also be received as an e-mail subscription throughout the Lenten season. Churches can also download, personalize and print them to give to congregation members or use as an outreach tool with guests and visitors. The audio version will begin March 1st, 2017.