The In Between Time

John 19:38-42

Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Our journey through the events of Holy Week have lead us to this day. Holy Saturday, the day in between the death and sorrow of Good Friday and the great joy of resurrection. While the gospels provide much detail on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, they are silent on this day. The mood is one of mourning and grief. Today, while God feels so absent, we are invited to enter into the emptiness and silence of the day as we await Easter. In this liminal space, we are acutely aware that on the way to the resurrection there is no way around the tomb. “They laid Jesus there,” is how our gospel reading ends. The grave is a lifeless place.

Growing up as the child of an Altar Guild directress, I spent many hours at church on Holy Saturday. While there is a short service for the morning, much of the day is filled functionally with preparation and decoration for the Easter celebration. Time spent at the tomb is only momentary and I have often felt that Holy Saturday is the day of the Triduum most overlooked.

Perhaps it is hard for us to stay in this moment. After all we have the knowledge and hope of the resurrection. During the original pause between death and resurrection, the disciples were apprehensive about what the future might bring. They were wondering whether they could continue to have faith in the man they had been following who was now dead and buried in a tomb. Like the disciples, we too, find ourselves at this threshold. However, the temptation is great for us to move quickly on to the Great Vigil’s Alleluias.

We are called to remember the importance of Holy Saturday. It teaches us that God works in the silence. God works within us even when all seems empty and hopeless. Today we live between Friday and Sunday, living in faith, between death and resurrection. Yes, we will welcome the happy morning of the Easter, but just for now, may we reside here in this in between time to reflect.

Yours faithfully,
Rose+

prayer

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, 1979, p.170)

Daily Lenten meditations each have a companion morning prayer video offered by the same clergy.  View the YouTube playlist to find this meditation’s companion video, or to watch others.