When Lent comes, since we post the writings of the Lenten Devotional on the Web site, I usually do not write any blogs.  The reason is that I do not want to interupt the flow of the Lenten Devotionals.
 But getting back into writing a Notion Devotion has been, well, it seems like no one reads them and I have been dealing with health things.  For those who have been praying, I want to thank you for your prayers.  It was so freeing to know I was being prayed over.
 Friday, July 22, Dr. Hurley's office called and told me there were no cancerous polyps, no masses, and no diverticulitis.  As a result, I do not have to have another colonoscopy until 2016 before my 61st birthday due to family history.
 But I wonder why not me?  Especially when we have a prayer request for a 2 year old full of untreatable tumors whose only hope is God.  I don't even want to imagine what the family is going through.  I remember the mourning and anguish of King David over his first child with Bathsheba...
 I remember God is LOVE and God is SOVEREIGN.  I admit these two attributes are hard for my mind to reconcile.  The US culture doesn't help.  They treat these virtues and qualities as irreconcilable in any being, putting them on a two dimensional line at opposing ends.  And let's not get into the myriad of other characteristics not even recognized in God.
 So I look to Jesus, not just in what he says and does, but in what he doesn't say or do.  And I am in awe.
 I leave you with this question:
Can you trust and obey someone you cannot describe or even understand? 

Rest Easy in Jesus, barbara 

“Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” —Luke 23:56

What do you do after you’ve lost something great? You mourn of course. But what happens after that? Usually you’re tired; mourning is exhausting. It often brings tears, sometimes confusion, and difficult conversations. Inevitably at some point, you must rest so that you can mourn some more when you’re refreshed. This is how the body operates when it experiences profound loss—it is the way we were created. I imagine this is also what happened with the women who mourned the loss of their friend and savior, Jesus. We don’t always remember that the Sabbath day in the Old Testament is on Saturday—but here it is, in Luke’s retelling of Jesus’ death:

On Good Friday, Jesus breathed his last. Crowds went home beating their breasts in repentance, but his friends watched from a distance. Joseph of the Council asked Pilate for Jesus’ body, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in an unused tomb. Then the women came, since they were following at a distance, and brought spices and ointments, as was the custom for burial. By then it was getting close to sundown. Then Luke tells us: “On the Sabbath they rested, according to the commandment.”

The third commandment demands that the Sabbath be kept holy. For Jews this means doing no work. This practice has its benefits, yet Jesus taught the Sabbath in a new way; Jesus taught holiness in a new way. Luther picks up on this in his explanation of the third commandment in the Small Catechism: “What does this mean? We are to fear and love God, so that we do not despise preaching or God’s Word, but instead keep that Word holy and gladly hear and learn it.” Not only does keeping the Sabbath have new light shed on it, but so does the whole notion of resting. Now the Sabbath and hence rest cannot be complete without hearing the Gospel—resting in God’s Word above all else. Now, even mourning our greatest losses, is not complete until the Word of Christ is heard.

And what a Word that would be for those friends of Jesus. “On the first day of the week [Easter Sunday], at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen’?” (Luke 24:1–5). What a jolting surprise for those poor women who had come to continue their mourning. Yet what a beautiful jolt! And this is how the gospel comes: Life out of death. This is the work of Christ alone—and it is his work for you today. He has risen, so that you too, will rise in new life, along with all who are in Christ. Now, rest on that!

Pastor Jason Burggraff

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your Mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” —John 19:26–30

These scripture verses on the crucifixion and death of Jesus have always stayed with me.

When is our work on earth ever finished? We live this life taking on responsibilities and obligations, establishing goals, taking part in a host of other opportunities that satisfy our own desires and maybe even contributing to church and community. In our younger years, it’s the raising of our children, keeping house, supporting our husbands in their careers and maybe even establishing one of our own! In our stages of life, we look back and say, “What did I accomplish? Did I do all I needed to do? And in what manner did I do it?”

As we age, these questions become even more serious, and the big question is, “What do I need to finish before I die?” And, “Is there a right way to do it?” Who doesn’t want to leave a legacy of a life that makes it easier for our children, our grandchildren, the next generations?

Jesus Christ, hanging on the Cross of Calvary, knew he had accomplished all that was prophesied. He had met all his responsibilities before his death, fed the poor, ministered to the weak and heavy hearted, performed miracles, gathered all who would listen to his message of salvation, and even watched out for his mother before his final words, “It is finished.” I am reminded that Christ showed me the way to live, that if I profess to be a Christian, then I need to constantly ask myself, “What can I do? How can I think of others?” Can this become a daily routine, to be kind, to help others, to be sensitive to the needs of all of God’s children? To willingly offer a helping hand? I know that if I cannot do great things, I can do good things. My mind can search for answers and prayerfully consider ways to be Christ’s disciple in whatever small way that may be, in life as long as I am able. No, I guess my work is not finished!

Dear Lord, Thank you for your life, crucifixion and resurrection. Thank you for giving me grace and all the blessings of this life. Amen.

Arlene Bich