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Mark 8:31-33
[Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and after three days rise again … And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

To ponder
In God’s promise and call we find a new identity - an identity that frees us to be able to risk our very lives, because we have a secure future … We don’t know quite where we’re going … God never promises that the path will be straight, direct, or easy. It leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, but as the psalmist says, we don’t travel alone. - Dwight J. Zscheile, The Agile Church

What we know about the future
Our plans are never one hundred percent certain. What we strive to create or accomplish is easily undone by unexpected events and circumstances. Few of us had imagined a pandemic that would bring death and economic disruption on such a global scale. Plans have been changed, canceled, postponed, and completely undone by COVID-19.

Peter had plans for Jesus the Messiah that did not include suffering and dying on a cross. Given all that Peter had seen Jesus accomplish, he couldn’t imagine his remarkable ministry ending in such a way. Jesus, however, spoke with quiet confidence about rising again after three days.

God did raise Jesus from death and is at work still today to bring life out of death and hope out of despair. As we move forward into each new day, Christ’s loving presence will never leave us.

Prayer
God of truth, fill us with hope as you heal and renew us and the world. Amen.

(from: “A Story to Tell: Devotions for Lent” Bekki Lohrmann, Harvard Stephens Jr., Lydia Posselt, David L. Miller; Augsburg Fortress, 2020)