Holy Saturday

Lamentations 3:1-9,19-24; Psalm 31:1-4,15-16; 1 Peter 4:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66 or John 19:38-42

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.  (Book of Common Prayer)

This is my favorite day of Holy Week.  Joseph’s love, Nicodemus coming out of the closet to be a follower, the women preparing spices.  So much tender love.

On that first day after the crucifixion observant Jews would be doing only the minimum, but I imagine that Jesus’ disciples were not so rigorous.  Discussions had to be held and decisions made: where do we go?  what do we do?  And grieving hung around them.  They were busy.

But Jesus is resting.  Maybe.

What happened during that day?  Some have said that Jesus went to hell and freed the captives that day, including Judas, Adam and Eve, and the whole world.  But really, we don’t know.  From outside the tomb, it looks like the end of the story.

If we first saw a cocoon hanging on a branch and had never learned about moths and butterflies, we would think this bag is just a growth.  We might want to pull it open.  If we do, we’re likely to find a mass of goo without form.  We might think that’s all it is.  But if we knew enough to wait, the cocoon becomes a birthplace for the transformed caterpillar.  What comes out looks nothing like what went in, or what we would see in the middle stages.

If we open an egg before it’s ready to hatch, we behold a yolk surrounded by goo.  We would never know that a chicken, or duck, or peacock was there.  We have to wait for it to show us in its time.

During this Lent we have followed a path of transformation.  But transformation into what?

For those who will be baptized tonight or tomorrow, the path has involved classes and reflection to prepare to be marked as Christ’s own forever.  But for the rest of us, the path may not have been so clear.

Spend some time on this busy day of waiting to reflect.  What has your journey been?  Where were you at the beginning, and where are you now?  Who are you now?  Has anything opened up or closed down or shifted in your life?  Are you ready to hatch, or are you still in the cocoon?

Pray that the crazy goo and muck of our world will take new form this Easter season, that we will be able to see the signs of new life in ourselves and one another.  God is with us.  The steadfast love of God never ceases.