What does it say about the King of Kings that he was buried in a borrowed tomb? What can we learn from the example of those who find courage to serve only after his death? Let us not miss our chance to serve Jesus today. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us agree to rejoice in this day. I invite you to get a Bible – in print or electronic – and start working through all or part of the prayers, scripture reading, questions, and devotional reading below. May the Lord bless you as you do so. And may the Spirit of God work in each of us to shape us to be a little more like Jesus, today.

— Praise God with Me: (1)
God of Creation, God of Mercy, God Who Sustains Us, we praise you.
King of Glory, we adore you, our Savior and Lord.
You suffered on the cross and gave your life as a ransom for many.
We bless and thank you for the outpouring of your love
and offer our worship today out of unspeakable gratitude. Amen.

— Let us read and reflect on Scripture:
Come Holy Spirit, help us to hear your still, small voice as we read your word:
John 19:38-42 – 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[a] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

— Answer these four questions:
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about people?
As a result of this reading, what is one step God is inviting you to take?
Who is one person you will tell about that step today?

— With a Heart of Prayer, Let us Respond: (2)
Let us remember Jesus, who, though rich, became poor and dwelt among us.
Let us remember Jesus, who prayed for the forgiveness of those who rejected him
and for the perfecting of those who received him.
Let us remember Jesus, who humbled himself and became of obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Let us remember Jesus, whom God has exalted.
Let us remember Jesus, who has redeemed us from the bondage of sin and given us new life and freedom.
May we ever be grateful for Jesus Christ and what he has done, what he will do, and for what he is doing for us. Amen.

— Let’s Gather Wisdom from One Who Walked with Christ before us: (3)
More than any other single way, the grace of humility is worked into our lives through the discipline of service. Humility, as we all know, is one of those virtues that is never gained by seeking it. The more we pursue it the more distant it becomes. To think we have it is sure evidence that we don’t. Therefore, most of us assume there is nothing we can do to gain this prized Christian virtue, and so we do nothing.
But there is something we can do. We do not need to go through life faintly hoping that someday humility may fall upon our heads. Of all the classical Spiritual Disciplines, service is the most conducive to the growth of humility. When we set out on a consciously chosen course of action that accents the good of others and is, for the most part, a hidden work, a deep change occurs in our spirits.
Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness.

— Receive this blessing as we begin this day: (4)
May God, who gives us a new vision of life through the cross,
enlighten our understanding, inflame our affections,
and enable us to walk the way of the cross.
And may the love of God—the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit—
surround us as we seek to discern that love. Amen.

Sources:
(1) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(2) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources, edited.
(3) From Celebration of Discipline, Richard J. Foster
(4) From The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources.