As a Church, we may do well in remembering the sacrifice of our Lord. As we meet together for Good Friday, we are aware that the death of Christ resulted in forgiveness and new life which we will celebrate this coming Sunday.
But what about the day in between?
That is what we call Holy Saturday.
Believers may traditionally spend this day in fasting and silence to observe the death of Christ, His burial and "descent into Hell" as the Apostle's Creed describes it (the moment He took upon the sins of the world).
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Although we now live in a time where we know the ending of that three day long story, there were once people who were caught up in the middle of it.
Jesus' followers had just seen Him die. They had grown up being told the Messiah would come in victory over His enemies - and this was not the outcome they'd hoped for.
Not much is told to us about the time between Jesus' death and resurrection - except that the women who had followed Him were preparing to anoint His body (Luke 24:1), and the disciples were in hiding for fear of the Jews (John 20:19).
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I do believe there are several of us facing our own "in between time".
Maybe there's been a dream or a plan you've yearned for that either isn't coming together, or has entirely unraveled at your feet.
Perhaps this Holy Saturday finds you observing in silence, hiding away in your own corner of the world like the disciples.
There is no shame in letting ourselves ache - in housing pain and carrying it with us for a time. Our souls, minds... and even our bodies need time to process the darkness or difficulties we may face.
At the same time, we see the women who followed Christ journeying to face the reality of their situation. They sought to put their skills to work, honoring Him with their devotion as they came to terms with what seemed to be their harsh new reality.
We know how His story ends, though we may not yet understand our own. Whether it takes some time to get back into the field or not, I pray you may find encouragement through the words of a song I recently discovered:
"On the day I met the artist like medium that speaks to man,
I said please reveal your glory as the paint drips from your hand;
Use the brightest of the pigments, the most beautiful of hues.
But the first stroke was a dark shade, a blue.
"So I begged and then I pleaded, "I do not understand the means.
Why would you put the hope inside me if you would not paint the dream?"
He said, "Don't let glory's reflection distract you from glory.
Remember that all good things come from me"
"With each stroke, his hand was steady and I found myself in awe.
For as I stood back from the painting it was not of me at all.
But the darker shades he painted, the ones that I had asked for not,
Had put me in the shadow of a cross."
("The Artist" - Sarah Sparks)
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