4-3-2021

            Good Morning All, 

      Luke 23:56; “Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.  On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”

    It must have been a horrible Sabbath for the disciples and the followers of Jesus.  The last memory Peter had was of denying Jesus and the getting “the look”.  Mary watched as her oldest son died a horrible death and now, she is left wondering with a “sword piercing her own soul”.  They thought everything was in place and now; now what?  Most think the disciples were once again in the upper room where they celebrated the Passover and the institution of the Lord’s Supper.  That was just Thursday but felt like a lifetime ago and now; what?

   There are days and times when it feels like we are living on the Sabbath day.  Everything seems so hopeless; everything seems so empty.  Perhaps it is missing a cherished loved one that is now gone.  Perhaps it is the frustration of the continuing pandemic or the financial struggles that accompanied it.  Perhaps it is the shortage of things that still frustrate you.  Perhaps you and a friend are at odds and no longer speaking.  Perhaps your health or a family members health is declining, and the struggle is difficult.  The list just goes on and on and points to a horrible Sabbath Day.  It is supposed to be a day of rest but there is no rest; there is only an uneasy disquiet that pervades your soul, your heart, your spirit, even your whole existence.  Days like that slowly erode our hope and diminish our zest for life.

    But we know something that the disciples did not know that first Saturday after the first Good Friday.  We know that tomorrow is Easter!!  Tomorrow, all the promises of Jesus make sense!!  Tomorrow we see Christ risen from the dead, we see the empty tomb, the wound marks in His hands and side and feet.  Tomorrow we see Jesus glorified and alive and well.  We have hope because tomorrow is Easter and the promise of eternal life in God’s perfect kingdom is ours!!

    So, we still struggle with those Saturdays.  We are part of what some theologians call the “now but not yet” existence.  We have eternal life right now, we have God’s promise to eternity in His kingdom right now, we have everything right now; we just do not have it fully yet.  We possess it; it is ours, just not totally complete yet.  We hold the gift from God, but we have not opened it yet.  So, we will have Saturdays that are tough to handle but never forget and never take your eyes off of Easter.  Never look anywhere but to Easter and to the risen Savior who gives you life and gives it to you in abundance!  Saturdays occur but Easter will always win out and give to you the certainty of hope everlasting.

    Today maybe one of those Saturdays.  Today maybe one of those days that simply destroy us.  Tomorrow is Easter.  Tomorrow our hope is renewed, and our fears are relieved.  No matter what this world throws at you; hold on to Easter.  Hold onto the love of Jesus, his atoning sacrifice which brings us back into God’s holy family, hold onto his mercy and return to Him that you may know comfort, peace, joy, and hope.

Gracious Father, give us your peace that we may always know your mercy.  Keep us in the shelter of your wings.  Be with those who are experiencing the depths and sorrow and lift them up by Your Spirit.  Deliver us we pray, in the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret