Holy Saturday
A little later this morning, the church building will be abuzz with activity -- as the worship space is bedecked for the celebration of Easter -- silver polishing, pew dusting, flower arranging.
But before all of the hum and hubbub gets underway, a few of us will gather in the Chapel to observe the Liturgy for Holy Saturday...an often overlooked page in the Book of Common Prayer. The prayer for this service firmly locates us on the timeline of the Holy Week drama:
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 lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, p. 283)
Holy Saturday reminds us not to race ahead...beckons us to remember that those first followers of Jesus didn't know what would happen next (so they couldn't busily distract themselves from the grief and horror of his death). Those first disciples sat in their uncertainty and took refuge from their confusion in each other's company.
Holy Saturday challenges us to BE STILL...to sit with the graveness and grayness of living when our pretenses of certainty are stripped away.
Holy Saturday beckons us to live in hope even as we squarely face the powers of death.
A little later this morning, the church building will be abuzz with activity -- as the worship space is bedecked for the celebration of Easter -- silver polishing, pew dusting, flower arranging.
But before all of the hum and hubbub gets underway, a few of us will gather in the Chapel to observe the Liturgy for Holy Saturday...an often overlooked page in the Book of Common Prayer. The prayer for this service firmly locates us on the timeline of the Holy Week drama:
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 lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, p. 283)
Holy Saturday reminds us not to race ahead...beckons us to remember that those first followers of Jesus didn't know what would happen next (so they couldn't busily distract themselves from the grief and horror of his death). Those first disciples sat in their uncertainty and took refuge from their confusion in each other's company.
Holy Saturday challenges us to BE STILL...to sit with the graveness and grayness of living when our pretenses of certainty are stripped away.
Holy Saturday beckons us to live in hope even as we squarely face the powers of death.
posted by FrGaryB | 5:41 AM
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