Holy Saturday

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Holy Saturday is weird.  Now we know about Easter Sunday but, at the time, his friends had no clue.  Their friend and teacher was dead and the mob from Friday might have been looking for them.  Nuts.

Tonight, we’ll have The Great Vigil of Easter when we share our common stories since the beginning, then welcome the resurrection with Alleluias then Eucharist. We share the common mystery of death into life.  As Christians, we know about resurrection, we do this every year.  We know it’s coming so, in a very real way, Holy Week doesn’t have the same sting.  Jesus’ followers and friends knew the Resurrection was coming in a theoretical way but they also knew that their best friend was just murdered and they were frightened that they’d be next.

Pray: O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Read: Matthew 27:57-66 NRSV

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, `After three days I will rise again.' Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, `He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Be: Be still, imagine yourself a friend of Jesus and the world without him.  Sit in that imagining.

Do: There’s no do today.  Be.