April 3, 2021
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HOLY SATURDAY REFLECTION
Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19:41-42 Dear Lake B Family and Friends, The Christian calendar recognizes Holy Saturday as the day between Good Friday and Resurrection morning. It’s a day where everything in the drama of Holy Week falls silent. Jesus is in the tomb. What an interesting time. I’ve recently wondered, Why the insertion of this day? Why this space between death and life? I’ve picked up some new phrases from the generation behind me, and one that was new to me this year is “holding space.” What does it actually mean? In the context of my work and ministry, it has come to mean being quiet. It also means realizing that sometimes I host spaces where others are free to come as they are, bringing whatever they might be holding or carrying at that time. Sometimes I am hosted by others – to come as I am, with whatever I am holding or carrying at the time. It’s not an “inactive” time; rather it is a space in which intention, noticing, breathing, and being present are all active. I think Holy Saturday is a little bit of that. It is holding space between death and life. God may appear to have “gone quiet,” but was not necessarily inactive. We saw a lot of activity during our last six weeks of tracking Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem…and especially culminating on Friday. Maybe God was resting (an image I actually like). Silence is a gift, especially in a world that is 1,000% always on with noise. Sometimes in that silence, as I have experienced with my friends, there is space between “what is no longer” and “what is coming.“ Sometimes that space is a time for discerning; sometimes it is for quiet and rest. There is nothing on Holy Saturday. Jesus is silent. God is silent. Saturday is silent. How do we hold space between what was and what is coming? Or maybe that’s not the right question. Maybe we don’t need to hold space this Saturday. Maybe God is the One hosting us; and quiet is sometimes God’s preferred way. Don’t be tormented by God’s silence in your moments of wondering. God has nothing but love for you. God will speak. God will act. We know that because we already know what comes tomorrow. But today, rest. Allow yourself to be held by God’s tenderness and mercy. Let silence do its work in you. Max Lucado writes You do what Jesus did. Lie still. Stay silent. Trust God. Jesus died with this conviction: “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” (Acts 2:27 NIV) Have a beautiful, quiet, Holy Saturday. Lina |