Waiting for Jesus....Good Friday to Easter Sunday
Lately I have read many understandings of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and even Easter. However, I am struck that so few are talking about the in between, what about Holy Saturday?
(also known as (Latin: Sabbatum Sanctum), Easter Eve or Black Saturday, or among the Coptic Christians as "Joyous Saturday" or "the Saturday of Light" is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter.)
Christianity has done a great job at celebrating Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and even having powerful Good Friday worship services. (Or the other popular rolling all three together into Passion Sunday, although I am not a fan of this but that is for another blog post.) The church has even done a great job of promoting the Easter story. It is after all why Christians are called Christian. If you need further proof, look at how the candy companies are attempting to commercialize such a large holiday in such a way that becomes profitable to them.
What about that Saturday? What happened during that time? As a person who says the Apostle's Creed, we hear that Jesus descended into the dead or hell. Here Jesus was proclaiming the good news to all those before he was alive.
For the disciples, they were afraid that their own fate would be that of their teacher. Even still this was a time that many still thought about Jesus, they remembered the miracles that he performed, the teachings that he gave to them and even were wondering about some of the complex things that did not make sense at the time. However for most of the disciples they worried about their very life. They were worried that someone would bring them before the Jewish leaders for being a disciple of Jesus and continue to teach the teachings of Jesus. They were more concerned about their own well being rather than what happened the previous day.
For many of us, we are living in such a time. We stand at the grave side of a loved one. We know of death's sting and even have heard the teachings of Jesus. We have been given those eye witness accounts so that we may also believe. To know that death is not the end, and yet that pain of grief, that pain of suffering and that fear of death is still with us. These cause us to wonder, along with help from the devil, where is Jesus? Didn't Jesus overcome the sin, death, and the power of the grave? Why am I burying this loved and why must I suffer too Lord?
These questions are ones that we wrestle with but also they are ones that we know simply as our own limited understanding of the work and gift that was Jesus Christ. How is it possible that one man's death on a cross could make the world a better place? How could it do such great and wonderful things? For many of us these are the questions that we wrestle with on a daily basis. They are questions and ponderings and that can haunt us to. However, we hold fast as Christians, believing and trusting that God's promise and love is what conquers the grave. Not our own understanding of how. For we are left just as the disciples were, left with the lessons, teachings and the very word of God. We are longing for the words to be true and be right in front of us. Jesus never said to the disciples that it would be easy to understand or that life would be so much easier following Jesus. And yet, that is the very thing of faith, even in our wondering. That is the miracle of the empty tomb, it is not our doing but something that God does for us, perfectly and fully.
Jesus breaks in to our lives not as a present that we must unwrap or decide to receive but by opening the tomb and entering into our lives and announcing the glory and honor that is bestowed upon you. Jesus becomes the one who turns us around and allows us to see the world in the way that we should be living in it. When Jesus returns to the disciples, he finds them in a locked room still fearing but knowing that the tomb was empty. Much like Thomas, we want to see Jesus with our own eyes, we want to see the nail holes and the side that was pierced by the spear so that we can believe and know it to be true.
When something or someone is right in front of you, it is easy to understand or believe. However, it is not the reality that we live in because the Kingdom of God is still breaking into the world. We are still waiting for the return of Christ. We are waiting in our churches, in our locked rooms, and in places that we feel are safe. We wait for Jesus to break into our lives and deliver to us the word of God so we may dwell in God's presence for all eternity. So we live out each day trusting and knowing that soon and very soon, we shall see the promises fulfilled and that promise will become our reality.
Yet we as Christians understand and know that it is on the cross that Jesus Christ has done the work for us. So we gather at the cross to give thanks and praise for that gift and remember all the work that has been done for us. Death is over. The grave is not our final place. Life and love continue as we are with God. Thanks be God that we receive and hear of Easter before Jesus ascends to the right hand of God.
Living between these two days are not easy. However, this is where we are. This is the mission of the church to share the teachings, love, and promises that God has given to us through Jesus Christ. Come bear witness to the victory and joy that we share on Easter and every Sunday.
(also known as (Latin: Sabbatum Sanctum), Easter Eve or Black Saturday, or among the Coptic Christians as "Joyous Saturday" or "the Saturday of Light" is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter.)
Christianity has done a great job at celebrating Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and even having powerful Good Friday worship services. (Or the other popular rolling all three together into Passion Sunday, although I am not a fan of this but that is for another blog post.) The church has even done a great job of promoting the Easter story. It is after all why Christians are called Christian. If you need further proof, look at how the candy companies are attempting to commercialize such a large holiday in such a way that becomes profitable to them.
What about that Saturday? What happened during that time? As a person who says the Apostle's Creed, we hear that Jesus descended into the dead or hell. Here Jesus was proclaiming the good news to all those before he was alive.
For the disciples, they were afraid that their own fate would be that of their teacher. Even still this was a time that many still thought about Jesus, they remembered the miracles that he performed, the teachings that he gave to them and even were wondering about some of the complex things that did not make sense at the time. However for most of the disciples they worried about their very life. They were worried that someone would bring them before the Jewish leaders for being a disciple of Jesus and continue to teach the teachings of Jesus. They were more concerned about their own well being rather than what happened the previous day.
For many of us, we are living in such a time. We stand at the grave side of a loved one. We know of death's sting and even have heard the teachings of Jesus. We have been given those eye witness accounts so that we may also believe. To know that death is not the end, and yet that pain of grief, that pain of suffering and that fear of death is still with us. These cause us to wonder, along with help from the devil, where is Jesus? Didn't Jesus overcome the sin, death, and the power of the grave? Why am I burying this loved and why must I suffer too Lord?
These questions are ones that we wrestle with but also they are ones that we know simply as our own limited understanding of the work and gift that was Jesus Christ. How is it possible that one man's death on a cross could make the world a better place? How could it do such great and wonderful things? For many of us these are the questions that we wrestle with on a daily basis. They are questions and ponderings and that can haunt us to. However, we hold fast as Christians, believing and trusting that God's promise and love is what conquers the grave. Not our own understanding of how. For we are left just as the disciples were, left with the lessons, teachings and the very word of God. We are longing for the words to be true and be right in front of us. Jesus never said to the disciples that it would be easy to understand or that life would be so much easier following Jesus. And yet, that is the very thing of faith, even in our wondering. That is the miracle of the empty tomb, it is not our doing but something that God does for us, perfectly and fully.
Jesus breaks in to our lives not as a present that we must unwrap or decide to receive but by opening the tomb and entering into our lives and announcing the glory and honor that is bestowed upon you. Jesus becomes the one who turns us around and allows us to see the world in the way that we should be living in it. When Jesus returns to the disciples, he finds them in a locked room still fearing but knowing that the tomb was empty. Much like Thomas, we want to see Jesus with our own eyes, we want to see the nail holes and the side that was pierced by the spear so that we can believe and know it to be true.
When something or someone is right in front of you, it is easy to understand or believe. However, it is not the reality that we live in because the Kingdom of God is still breaking into the world. We are still waiting for the return of Christ. We are waiting in our churches, in our locked rooms, and in places that we feel are safe. We wait for Jesus to break into our lives and deliver to us the word of God so we may dwell in God's presence for all eternity. So we live out each day trusting and knowing that soon and very soon, we shall see the promises fulfilled and that promise will become our reality.
Yet we as Christians understand and know that it is on the cross that Jesus Christ has done the work for us. So we gather at the cross to give thanks and praise for that gift and remember all the work that has been done for us. Death is over. The grave is not our final place. Life and love continue as we are with God. Thanks be God that we receive and hear of Easter before Jesus ascends to the right hand of God.
Living between these two days are not easy. However, this is where we are. This is the mission of the church to share the teachings, love, and promises that God has given to us through Jesus Christ. Come bear witness to the victory and joy that we share on Easter and every Sunday.
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