Lenten Devotion

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The 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. Matthew 6:9-13

Old Testament: Exodus 13:17-14:9

¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
¹⁸ But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”
²⁰ And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
²¹ And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
²² The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
¹ Then the LORD said to Moses,
² “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.
³ For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’
⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
⁶ So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him,
⁷ and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
⁸ And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.
⁹ The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. (ESV)

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New Testament: Hebrews 7:1-22; Matthew 27:57-66

¹ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
² and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.
³ He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
⁴ See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!
⁵ And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham.
⁶ But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
⁷ It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.
⁸ In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.
⁹ One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,
¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
¹¹ Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
¹² For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
¹³ For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.
¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
¹⁵ This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,
¹⁶ who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.
¹⁷ For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
¹⁸ For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness
¹⁹ (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
²⁰ And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,
²¹ but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’”
²² This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

⁵⁷ When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.
⁵⁸ He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud
⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
⁶² The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
⁶⁴ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”
⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”
⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. (ESV)

Christ rests from His work of redemption in the quiet of the tomb. He has descended into hell to proclaim His victory over the powers of darkness. We wait in the silence, remembering our Baptism-the watery grave where we died with Christ so that we might also rise with Him. The pillar of cloud and fire guides us through the night of death toward the dawn of the new creation.

Prayer of the Day

O God, who enlightened this most holy night with the glory of the Lord's Resurrection: Preserve in all Your people the spirit of adoption which You have given, so that renewed in body and soul they may perform to You a pure service. Amen.

Closing Prayer

O God, who desires not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his way and live, graciously accept the repentance of Your people, and grant them Your forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.