Holy Saturday - Reflection and Devotional

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for taking a moment today to reflect on what Holy Saturday means.

Not much is really said about Holy Saturday with Good Friday and Easter taking up most of what is written in the Bible. Let's take a moment just to ask: What was happening on Holy Saturday?

Jesus body laid wrapped in cloths lying in a tomb.

The disciples experienced another day of complete shock, sadness, despair and grief.

They had put all their hopes in Jesus. They had left all they had to follow him, and it ended this way. The story felt like it was over.

The only scripture reference we have to what happened on this day is this:

Matthew 27:62-66

The Guard at the Tomb

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

You know the temptation to create a narrative? To convince ourselves that it'll be ok? To embellish how we're doing so it doesn't sound so bad? To just be positive?

The only reference we have of this day is that it would be impossible to lie, embellish, make it sound better than it is. Jesus is dead. There are guards at his tomb. There is no spin. The story is over. Go home and come to terms, grieve, and try to find a way to keep going.

I don't know if you've had a hope that was crushed. If you saw there was no spin on this one, it just sucks. If you simply just had to cry, grieve, be angry, or numb.

The story is over.

As we enter into this Saturday, we hold these stories in our hands. We look at them. We feel them again. we think about all we've lost, all that didn't work out, all that left us feeling disillusioned.

And we remember this: Every disciple lost hope this day. Every. Single. One.

Yet, to God, there was still a plan. There was still more to come. The story was in fact not over yet.

So, today I invite you to write it out. Remember the things in your lives that just didn't work out, the things that left you lost and alone, the things you would've given anything to turn out differently.

And remember that you are not alone.

And remember that the story only seems like it is over.

But God hasn't said the final words of the story yet.

No one expected what was coming...