01/04/2026
Good evening,
When the risen Jesus showed His disciples His hands and His side, He was not merely proving that He was alive—He was revealing the everlasting assurance of their redemption (John 20:20). Those wounds speak. From His pierced hands and opened side flows the blood that cleanses us from all sin, a better word than Abel’s blood ever spoke—not a cry for vengeance, but a proclamation of pardon, peace, and acceptance before the Father (Hebrews 12:24; 1 John 1:7). In showing His wounds, Christ declares, “Here is the proof of your salvation, here is the cost of your forgiveness, here is the ground of your confidence.” Even more, He invites His people to see in those wounds an open heart—an invitation to bring every burden, every plea, every fear, knowing that He Himself bears our cause before the Father with perfect love and faithfulness (Romans 8:34). This is not a moment meant only for the first disciples, but a living reality for the whole church in every age. In the quiet of the evening, and in the silence of the night, faith is strengthened as we behold again the wounded and risen Christ, learning day by day to rest all our hope in His finished work, until faith gives way to sight and we behold Him forever as the Lamb who was slain, reigning in glory and leading His redeemed to living waters where every tear is wiped away (Revelation 5:6; 7:17).
Adapted from Robert Hawker’s A Poor Man’s Morning and Evening, Modernized 2026
https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/hawker/The%20Poor%20Man’s%20Morning%20and%20Evening%20Porti%20-%20Robert%20Hawker.pdf