... Risen!

Step #1: Lectio / Read

Click the link below or open your Bible to the passage and read through the reading at least once, paying attention to what is happening in the text. 

John 20:1-9

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Step #2: Meditatio / Meditate

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

Happy Easter, friends. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. 

Today is the day of great promise, of great hope, and of unending joy, for today is the day of life. On this day our Savior rose from the dead, no longer leaving us bound by the chains of sin and death but breaking those chains and bringing us total and everlasting freedom. 

No matter where you are in life coming into Easter, this Good News is for you. Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Logos, the Word of God who became flesh has walked through His earthly journey, gone to the grave, defeated death and risen to new and eternal life.

This is the very heart of the Good News: when we were separated from the Father by our own sin, Jesus became like us in all things but sin. When our sin punished us with the death we had earned, Jesus defeated death so that we no longer suffer its consequences. In the very midst of our sin and our brokenness, God loved us enough to enter our mess and pull us out of it. The Eternal Word, the God who made all things, sees you and I, knows everything we have done or will do, and chooses to die for us so that, with Him, we might rise to new life. 

Whether you're experiencing the joy of new life this day, or limping towards Easter after a rough Lent, the Good News is for you. Whether you're closer to God than you've ever been or farther than you even realized, this Easter is for you. 

When Peter and John heard from Mary that Jesus had risen, they ran to the tomb. They weren't running because they had it all together or knew what it all meant; they were running because Jesus was their Savior and He had defeated death! With the joy of those Apostles who have just heard that their friend, their teacher, their Lord, is alive, let's run together to Jesus' empty tomb. Today, let's run with everything we have to the Lord, knowing that we don't need to have it all together but we just need to give Him our hearts. And, if we really run and really give Him everything we've got, He will fill us with the greatest joy and cause for rejoicing we could have ever imagined. 

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Step #3: Oratio / Pray

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

Where are you today, Easter 2019? Are you close to God, far from Him, or somewhere in between?

What is your response to hearing that Jesus is risen? Do you dare to run to the tomb like Peter and John?

How can you live your life in light of the Easter joy we celebrate today?

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Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"He is risen!"

"Alleluia."

​"Thank you Jesus."

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Step #5: Actio / Act

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?

Find joy today. Jesus has risen and because of that, there is joy and hope in this world. Cling to that today, and be filled with Easter joy.

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Smartphone Lock Screen

The following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.

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Today's prayer was prepared by Jason Theobald, Executive Director of Carpe Verbum.

If you have anything you'd like our team to pray for, please go to the page of our website called "Prayers" and let us know how we can pray for you today.