Tag Archives: Holy Saturday

Gone, But Not Forgotten

bible, faith, God, Jesus, Religion, theology,

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.

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?

John 19:38-42 (CEV)

Jesus Is Buried

38 Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus’ disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross.

39 Nicodemus also came with about seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night. 40 The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead. 41 In the place where Jesus had been nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used. 42 The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus’ body there.

Life Poured Out vii

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John 19:38-42  (CEV)

Jesus Is Buried

38 Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus’ disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross.

39 Nicodemus also came with about seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night. 40 The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead. 41 In the place where Jesus had been nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used. 42 The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus’ body there.

Your life poured out.
You are gone.
Gone from this world,
Gone from our lives.

What can I do now?
What is left?

All I can offer
is to take your body,
lovingly tend it
and prepare it,
in the way you tended to us.

To offer
all that I have
and wait

 

Just waiting…

God, hope, ,

Today is an inbetween day.  Waiting and wondering.

For the disciples, they have just watched the one who they thought was the Messiah, the one who had come to rescue them, be killed.  They saw him die in agony and humiliation.  Stretched out on a cross, taunted and abused he had breathed his last.

As far as they know that is it.  They did not have the benefit of knowing what was coming next.  They must have been feeling confused, let down, deserted, all alone.  What were they to do now?  What was going to happen to them?  What had they done?  They had trusted Jesus and followed his ways…  and now it seemed like they had got it all wrong.  Had this Jesus been just one more weird and wacky prophet thinking he was the Messiah?  Had they misunderstood, been carried away by wanting to believe what he said?  It must have been an awful day.

We know what is coming.  We know there will be victory after defeat, joy after sorrow, life after death; but today is that pause.  We live with death a while longer.  Sunday is coming – but today is Saturday.  But God is with us in the waiting in the pain and anguish.  God is the God of Resurrection, but he is the God who waits with us too.  It is his son who has died, he is in the pain and despair – today or any day.

We do not have a remote God, but one who understands, and is with us in despair and pain, and in the hope of what is to come.  We can always share our pain, our questioning, our grief, our feelings of stupidity with God.  For he is there with us, shares our burdens, and bring that promise of a new day.