[Membersandfriends] Saturday, October 23, 2004

Fri Oct 22 22:01:29 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Saturday, October 23, 2004

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Prepare for the Free Advent '04 Study Guide

Coming Soon: Free Advent Study Guide based on The Upper Room. The web-based study guide will be available in early November '04. To order a copy of the magazine for each participant, call 1-800-972-0433 -- at least four weeks before the sessions begin. The first session will be during the week of November 22, 2004. Watch this link (http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/) for more information.
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LIFE IN THE GRAVEYARD
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John 20:11-18 (NRSV)

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

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Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord."
-- John 20:18 (NRSV)
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AFTER a church service, a woman asked to speak to me.  We found an empty bench outside the church building, in the graveyard.  It wasn't exactly the comfortable setting of a counseling room, but it reinforced the problems she talked about.  Her marriage was dead, and she was trying to make sense of her situation and to grieve her loss.  She couldn't see a future, and she had lost her past.  Darkness was beginning to take hold of her.

When I noticed again where we were sitting, I mentioned the Easter story; and her face began to shine with understanding.  In that Bible story, Mary came near the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He had meant much to her.  He had become her friend and had given her purpose and hope for the future.  Now all that seemed to be lost.  She was confused, angry, and heartbroken.  She might have felt betrayed.  But then Jesus gently called her name and brought her life and renewed hope.  Suddenly in that graveyard, life became worth living again because Christ still cared for her.

As my friend and I sat on a bench in the graveyard, I offered her the comfort of Christ and resurrection.  Mary's story calls us through our grief into living again.

Prayer:  Christ Jesus, come to those who know the anguish of grief and need to know your resurrection.  Call their names and restore their faith so that they can live anew.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Jesus Christ offers us life in times of death and loss.

-- Frances Ballantyne (Leichestershire, England)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those in troubled marriages

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RELATED READING ...

LOVE NEVER ENDS: Growing Together in Marriage and Faith is a biblical guide to ways to strengthen both your relationship with God and with your spouse.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=99333

PLEASE SHARE THIS MINISTRY with a friend. Invite them to sign up for the free E-Mail Devotional by visiting: http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/.

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.