Monday prior to Easter 3

 On the road to Emmaus Jesus revealed Himself to two disciples in the breaking of bread. They returned to Jerusalem to report to the disciples that they had an experience with the risen Lord. While they are making their report, they risen Christ enters the room. When He appeared, they thought they saw a ghost, but Jesus demonstrates that He is flesh and blood to the point they could touch Him and see Him eat fish. After this report, Jesus explains His death and resurrection in terms of the Scriptures: the law, the prophets, and the Psalms.

The written words Word indicates that Jesus was to suffer and rise again; and repentance and forgiveness were to be preached to all people. Before they could do this, they needed to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit.

 – Psalm 30:1-5; Antiphon, Psalm 16:11b – In Psalm 30, David exuberantly worships the Lord, who lifted him out of the depths, healed him, and brought him up from the grave. He calls upon all saints – including us – to sing to the Lord and praise His holy Name, for we too have been delivered from sin, death, and the power of the devil by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.

This portion of Scripture was used during the Vespers service in Lent as the Canticle hymn when we utilized The Lutheran Hymnal as our worship resource. This is a profound, intense, thoughtful prayer.

David begins his prayer with a profound cry, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! Often we are brought to cry from the depths of our soul. With longing we cry out to the LORD. In mercy he hears us. With compassion he answers our prayers.  

Collect for Psalm 30: God our Father, glorious in giving life and even more glorious in restoring it. In his last night on earth your Son knew anguish and deep sorrow. Do not turn away from us, or we shall fall back into dust; but rather turn our mourning into joy by raising us up with your Son, Christ Jesus.[1] -  12 April 2021

[1] Collect for Psalm 30, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book written for and by the Church, © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
This 1877 painting “The road to Emmaus,” Robert Zünd 1826-1909 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.