Easter Vigil
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Written by Sarah Joubert
He is Risen!! Alleluia!
Friends, I have to be honest, this Lent has been very Lent-y. I have been in the desert and it has been dry, desolate, and long. There have been moments of joy, but also moments of wondering where the Lord is and when He would come back.
The imagery of a desert is perfect for Lent — no water to quench our thirst, no vegetation to produce more oxygen — purging, carving, and making a space big enough for only the Lord to fill, reminding us of our desperate need for a Savior.
Then the Savior came and died a death of all deaths to pay a debt that we owed, to show us True Mercy; to show us the Ultimate Love. We felt the pain and loss of our Creator whom we killed. We felt the weight of the loss in our God-sized hole.
But then, the light breaks through. He leaves the empty grave, the empty tomb, to come and dwell within our hearts, risen and in full communion. He leaves what was filled to come and fill the empty holes in our hearts, made ready by the desert. “He fills the hungry with good things, and the rich He sent away empty.”
He breathes new life. As the psalm says, He sends forth springs, waters the mountains, and fills the branches with birds to sing their songs; songs of praise, thanksgiving, and alleluias that proclaim that our King has conquered death.
We have been in the desert, friends. A long, dry, desolate desert. Forty days of fasting, waiting for the Bridegroom to come - and now He’s here. He returns to the Upperroom and says “Peace be with you,” eager to give us His spirit and renew the face of the earth.
Reflect on your Lent.
How has Jesus made space for Himself in your heart?
Have you grown in intimacy with Him?
What areas of your life or heart is He showering His spirit upon to renew?
Where is He breathing new life?
What has He resurrected?
Sarah Joubert is a college student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette studying English with a minor in Human Development and Family Science. She is a musician and vocalist at three different church parishes. She has a passion for talking about a woman’s identity in the Lord - particularly as a daughter, sister, bride, and mother. Check her out on instagram. Listen to her music here.
Pray with today’s psalm.