Most Christians observe and celebrate the events of Holy Week--the remembrance of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the first day (Palm Sunday), the command he gives to his disciples in the Upper Room to "love each other" four days later (Maundy Thursday), and the offering of his life for the sins of the world by crucifixion on the following day (Good Friday). All of these prominent days of Holy Week are venerated and honored by Christian churches all over the world during the spring. But before the Church opens wide the doors of its heart to shout loudly that "Christ is risen--He is risen indeed" on Easter morning, we mustn't ignore the valuable, often underrated gift of the day in between Good Friday and Resurrection morning: Holy Saturday.
Historically, the days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday make up what's called Holy Triduum (three days). They are days that the Church respectfully acknowledges as set apart for confession, worship and prayer. Sources tell us that, in particular, Holy Saturday represents the end of the Lenten season. It is the final day of the Jewish week, a day when we remember that Jesus' body was entombed (thanks to the generosity of a wealthy, God-fearing man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea). Holy Saturday is a day when there is no congregational gathering, no music, no corporate meeting and no fanfare. The reminders of Jesus' mandate to love followed by the expression of that love on Calvary's cross have come and gone by the time Holy Saturday arrives. Holy Saturday is marked by an eerie silence, a quietness that would've served to deepen the pain, grief and confusion of Jesus' disciples, family and friends. As one scholar notes, Holy Saturday is a day of learning how to wait--patiently--for God to act. And Holy Saturday is a day to mourn our waywardness and to allow the stillness of the day to cause us, too, to "be still and know that [Jesus] is God" (Ps. 46:10).
Cally Logan, a writer at crosswalk.com, provides us with the biblical and theological reasons for why Holy Saturday is so vital to our spiritual health as Christ-followers (excerpt from https://tinyurl.com/holysaturdayinfo):quiet qquiet
Just as Jesus’ followers waited the tedious hours of that Saturday to see what would occur Sunday, so we wait to see the hand of the Lord in our own lives. The prayers that are yet to be answered and the hopes left lingering still can all be placed at the throne of God as we rest and abide in His presence. Exodus 14:14 shared to, “be still and wait for the Lord” as the Israelites stood at the banks of the Red Sea waiting for the Lord to act, and so in that they yielded their fears, their worries, and their own actions to the Father for movement. When it was time to move, the Lord made it clear to them, but there came a time of trusting in being still before He revealed what was next.
Holy Saturday is a time for us to lean into being present in the Lord, placing our own agendas at the door, and coming before Him to simply be with Him. The Lord desires a relationship with us, and a requirement of a relationship is time together. Holy Saturday is a great day not to ask for anything, but to simply spend time within the Spirit of the Lord.
Friends, as you can see, Holy Saturday is indeed a most underrated gift the Lord gives us during Holy Week. Instead of meeting together to offer a service of worship, Holy Saturday offers us a chance, in our solitude and in our silence, to be alone with God, to hear His voice and to simply spend time in His presence. What will you do with this knowledge about Holy Saturday? Will you commit to taking dedicated time to just being still with God? Will you honor the Lord with moments of total silence, not thinking about what to say or how to act but simply just "to be"? Will you allow the gravity of Jesus' death compel you to stop and rest, truly honoring Holy Saturday as a true Sabbath day to the Creator?
And what if Holy Saturday became the metaphor for how we are to go about our days as Christians? This day could be honored as so much more than just a day of Holy Week. Instead, it could be a reminder to spend dedicated, intentional time with God, knowing that God is not so concerned with
what devotional guide you use,
or how much scripture you read,
or what kinds of prayers to say,
but by simply being silent--just you and your Heavenly Father--
together. Holy Parent and child...
enjoying the blessing of loving, enduring, holy friendship.
Church family, we will meet together for Palm Sunday worship on the morning of April 2nd. We will meet again, four days later, on the evening of Maundy Thursday, April 6th and remember the call "to love each other" as we recall Jesus' ultimate act of lovingkindness. But we will not meet together on Holy Saturday--and now we can honor this day on purpose. After all, the Saturday of Holy Week is consecrated to the Lord, as the Jewish Sabbath, and our gift to God can be the freewill offering of our rest, our stillness, our patience, and our presence with our God who reminds us in Christ Jesus, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:7, NIV).
I hope you will join me, during the Holy Week of 2023, to dignify our Lord Jesus by observing Holy Saturday just as seriously and as devotedly as the holy days that surround it. And who knows? Maybe Holy Saturday, this underrated gift we have before us, might be a blessing to incorporate not only in our individual prayer lives, but also as the collective body of Christ at United Baptist.
So this Holy Week, let's all remember to "keep the Saturday Holy" (Ex. 20:8), to the glory of the Lord in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, "...Who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29)..
Amen.
Keeping Holy Saturday holy with my church family,
Pastor Will
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