Holy Saturday is oh, so different. The time now is too early for the Vigil of Easter and it is way too early for the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord.
We are caught in the “in between time.” We are stuck.
It has been said, that “when one door closes another door usually opens.”
But what about “the time in between,” I wonder. Where does that leave us?
Supposing there is a delay. Supposing the door sticks? Supposing the doors is not automatic? Supposing they jam? What then?
It is not easy waiting in the hallway.
That’s where we find ourselves today. Waiting. We are in a hallway – somewhere. The door of Good Friday closed last night when three stars appeared in the night’s sky. The stone was rolled into place and stopped. It was one big huge stone…seemingly immovable.
Jesus is dead. He lies in the tomb. He is wrapped in a burial shroud, burial clothing…and his body lies decomposing.
The door of Easter has not swung open. I see no flowers. I hear no trumpet music. There is no fanfare. The church is drab and dark.
The tomb remains sealed and guarded. The soldiers they are on watch.
Today is Holy Saturday – it is the time in between. According to the law, it is still the Sabbath Day.
Everyone must refrain from working. There can be no excessive steps. No journey’s, no business transacted. No nothing. You may sit and ponder the law and the prophets that is it. There will be no cooking on this day and no preparation.
You must wait for the first day of the week. If there is any good news, that is it. A new day will be coming. There is hope, there is always hope. But the clock moves ever so slowly. It crawls along at its own pace…looking at it, staring at it, does not make it move any faster.
It is tempting on Holy Saturday to want to go directly to Easter. To avoid the waiting. To avoid the pain… …To avoid our own thoughts and thinking…
But that door sticks. It will not open. Do not go there, yet. We are the people who desire instant gratification. We do not want to wait for anything. We want everything now. We expect everything now. Immediately. At our fingers tips. Quicker. Faster. And we are more than willing to pay for the expediency of it all.
But you cannot hurry the resurrection. You cannot hurry Easter.
The tomb, after all is the birthplace of Easter…and it is the workshop of the resurrection.
We should know better.
Tragedy, sorrow and death do not simply go away or get replaced. They are transformed. Slowly. Over time.
Holy Saturday teaches one to be patient. You cannot have everything when you want it. That is reality. That is life.
In that “holy workshop” called a “tomb” God is transforming “tragedy into triumph.” He is changing “sorrow into joy.” He is turning “death into life.” And he will ultimately turn “tears into laughter.” But it takes time.
It takes time and cannot be hurried. We cannot wish it would speed up. It is what it is…
Holy Saturday is about more than just waiting or passing our time. A large part of it – is about trusting. Perhaps you prefer the word “faith.”
It is about our willingness to trust or to believe that there is more going on – than we can either see, comprehend or understand. There usually is.
The ancient psalmists referred to it as “waiting on the Lord.” Trusting in him, that he will act… Having faith in him and in his promises… Knowing and believing that with our God nothing is impossible.
It is reminding ourselves that the “steadfast love of the Lord never ceases and that his mercies will never come to an end.”
It is about remaining present in the moment and watching and waiting with the Lord, knowing full well that he will indeed act.
Holy Saturday is a day of silence and stillness…a day of waiting and wondering…a day of hoping and remembering. It is a good day to be a person of faith. And perhaps this is even what faith is all about.
It is about waiting and praying and wondering and a hoping and a time of remembering and a time of looking forward to…knowing in your heart of hearts, that surely another door is going to open soon. After all, Sunday is coming…
Amen.