44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. Luke 23:44-49
Growing up as a child, did your parents ever do bedtime prayers with you? As a teenager in confirmation class, did you ever learn Luther’s Evening Prayer? As an adult, do you say a small prayer before dozing off to sleep? Bedtime prayers are a common form of Christian piety. Bedtime prayers can be a great way to end our days and a way to submit ourselves to the Lord for our care while we sleep.
For our Lenten midweek services, we have focused on the words of Jesus from the cross. There are seven words from the cross, five Lenten midweek services, and one of them will also be covered on Good Friday. That means one is “left out” – the sixth one! “Father, into your hands I commit My spirit!”
The sixth word of Jesus from the cross is actually a Jewish bedtime prayer. It comes from Psalm 31:5. As Jesus takes His last breath and completes His mission of saving us, He entrusts Himself completely to His Father. Even in the midst of agony, abandonment, and crucifixion, Jesus’ trust in God is unwavering! His use of the psalm is an expression of confident faith and rejoicing in God’s salvation.
As we continue our Lenten journey, we rejoice in the salvation that God has won for us and for the faith that He has given us. We pray that He would increase our trust in Him, and cement us in the hope and victory of our risen Savior. We look forward to the day when we sing and shout with joy: “Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed, Alleluia!”
In Christ,
Pastor Nick Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXVI No. 9 – April 2025.)