The Saturday of Holy Week – Holy Saturday
Matthew 27:57-61 (GNT)
The Burial of Jesus
57 When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea arrived; his name was Joseph, and he also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be given to Joseph. 59 So Joseph took it, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, 60 and placed it in his own tomb, which he had just recently dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.
Gone, But Not Forgotten
I wanted to do this for him,
it was something I could do,
possibly the last thing.
He meant something to me.
Now was the time to come out of the shadows,
be bold,
make a stand
and do what I can.
What do I have to offer to Jesus now,
but my tomb,
my place of death?
After all,
he gave his death
for mine.
We prepared his body,
laid it to rest.
Watching and Waiting
And now we wait
for what next,
in our pain,
our questions,
our anger,
our frustration.
What next Lord?
You have brought us on this journey,
now we are left here.
Where now?
What now?
How now?
What do I have to offer you?
What can I give?
What place do I have
where you can rest?
What can I do?
Where will we go?
What now,
in you,
for you
Lord?
Holy Saturday. A day of waiting and wondering. A feeling of hopelessness, despair, a time of questioning and hopelessness, when things haven’t panned out as expected. A day of sitting with the pain, not knowing.
The days we all have. The kind of time we’re living through at the moment, when all seems disturbed, unusual heartbreaking and frightening.
A day for acknowledging the frustration and fear. Knowing that God sits with us in the pain and anguish and shares those feelings. There will be these days, they are real – but they are not the end of the story.
Pam's Perambulation 