Father, into Thy hands, I commit my spirit.”
When Jesus came to the very end, he was confident of his Father's acceptance.
Though he had experienced forsakenness in bearing our sins, at the very end
he knew the holy and just One would receive his spirit.
At the end of everyone's life, all illusions of self sufficiency
are breathless in the face of the overwhelming reality of death.
In his death, Jesus shows us the peace of a life
that was surrendered to doing the Father's will.
There is a Father, into whose hands,
we may securely release our spirit.
Our earthly fathers may not have been gentle or trustworthy.
But the Father of our spirits,
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, is.
At the end of unspeakable pain and forsakenness,
Jesus was secure to commit his spirit to his Father.
Here we foretaste the victory that overcomes the world.
We hear the final words of the one who holds our destiny,
as his spirit flies away out of the grasp of all evil.
Father
we praise You for your faithful Son who suffered for us.
we thank You that he left nothing for us to pay.
the body that bore the curse finally released its spirit to You.
lead us to think of him more and more.
may his beauty carry our spirits far away from all that is dying.
The blood was drained away, and there was no strength to draw another breath.
The worst had been done to the sinless One, but Atonement had been made.
The Father had seen the travail of his soul and was Satisfied.
The death that darkened the sun,
was soon to be changed,
into the Hope of every burial .
Father forgive us all our wasted moments.
forgive us all our foolish thoughts.
forgive us all of our evil.
while we yet live,
rule over our spirits,
that at our end,
we may follow Jesus in entrusting ourselves to You.