A Prayer about the Surprise of a Risen Lord
A Prayer about the Surprise of a Risen Lord
Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ John 20:15
Gracious, Powerful, Startling, Risen Lord,
It is almost funny to think of how your unbelieving enemies
might have scurried around on that first Resurrection Day,
making last-ditch attempts to cover up the truth about the one who covers our sins.
We confess, we could have been them,
or we could have been Peter, who denied you three times,
or we could have mistaken you for the gardener,
or we might have had a long theological discussion
with you and not realized
you were the King of theology,
the walking, breathing, theology we always need.
Help us, we pray, to humble ourselves,
to be willing to ride on a donkey or in a thirty-year-old Datsun,
for love of our risen Savior.
Teach us the difference
between your righteous anger and our often self-righteous anger.
Free us to worship you with abandon,
anointing you with precious perfume or lavishing you with unending praise.
Work in us so that we may work for you,
washing dirty feet or changing smelly diapers.
Draw us daily nearer and nearer to you that we might live boldly,
as a resurrected people raised from the death of our sins
by the Savior who descended to the dead
to put them to death.
May we shout with triumph
on this marvelous day,
He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
In your transforming name. Amen.
Read John 20:13-29.
Note: This prayer is based on my Holy Week devotional, The Gospel Day-by-Day. Get your Holy Week devotional e-book free now. Link in profile or copy/paste link into browser: http://eepurl.com/b__teX.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
![What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
Heavenly Father,
In this world,
the focus of leaving a legacy
is often on making a name for ourselves.
We ask you,
by the mercies of Christ our Lord,
to help us “walk in the way of love,”
that we might become “models of goodness” (Titus 2:3, The MSG).
Help us to throw off the sour smell of self-centeredness,
to give ourselves up as “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to [you]” (Ephesians 5:2). Help us to live out our unique giftedness and passions
in ways that draw others to inhale the fragrance of Christ.
Draw us to repent quickly when we sin
and to live lives
characterized by seeking
and granting forgiveness.
Help us to inhale the pure, fresh air
of our righteousness in Christ
and to exhale the sweet scent of words
that build up and encourage others.
In this way, Lord,
we will live lives that matter—
to you, and to others.
In this way,
we will live the legacy we want to leave.
In Jesus’ loving name. Amen.
Read Ephesians 5:1-2; Titus 2:1-8.
If you would like to read more about living the legacy we want to leave, I wrote about this topic recently at Numbering Your Days.
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