And Now We Wait
And now, we wait…
I’m curious how you answer this question: Which days of Holy Week have special names? I imagine most of us will say Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. But did you know that Saturday has a special name too? I grew up knowing it as “Holy Saturday” but in some Christian traditions, it is called “Black Saturday.” A day when the world went still. Jesus has died and his body has been laid in the tomb. His followers are mourning him. The world feels quieter than it has in past weeks, months, or years.
This past Sunday in children’s (virtual) Sunday School, we talked about the different days of Holy Week and what happened on those days. I had symbols that represented each of the days- palms for Sunday, coins for Tuesday (to represent the moneychangers in the temple), cup and plate for Thursday, cross for Friday.
When we got to the symbol for Saturday, I asked the kids what the symbol represented. In my adult brain, I was thinking it looking like a clock, and my explanation was that time was just passing by but people weren’t really paying attention to it. We tossed out different options, but when one child said “It looks like the loading symbol on a computer screen” I had to chuckle. Of course, that’s what this looks like. What a great symbol for this day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
For us, we know that Sunday is coming. But for the people of God who were following Jesus, they didn’t know what would happen on Sunday morning. All they knew was that everything was different. And all they knew to do, at least for this moment, was to sit and wait. Maybe they thought about the life Jesus lived and shared their favorite stories. Maybe they were able to laugh about some of the funny things that happened while he was alive and the things they would miss most about their time together. I imagine they spent most of the day remembering Jesus’ life, celebrating what he did, and waiting to see what was next.
So on this Holy Saturday, I invite you to do the same. What are some of your favorite moments from Jesus’ life? What are the stories he shared that mean the most to you? Could you create or imagine a moment that was probably filled with laughter amongst Jesus and the disciples? What do you think Jesus would have to say to you in this time?
I hope you spend some time today reflecting on the incredible person Jesus was and the amazing life he lived; find a way to honor that today in your own way; and prepare for tomorrow- when we can celebrate the Risen Christ!
Kristen Koger
Pastor for Children and Families
First Baptist Church Decatur