Pausing on the Way to Easter
Today is that awkward space between Good Friday and Easter Sunday when, if we’re paying attention at all to the rhythm of Holy Week, we remain sorrowful and pensive because Jesus has just died, and yet, we anticipate the joy that will come with tomorrow’s sunrise. It is called Great Sabbath, this commemoration of the timeframe when Jesus rested in the grave. When observed, the tone of the day is subdued. Reflective.
To be honest, though, I have typically used this day for making frantic preparations: assembling goodies in Easter baskets; baking a cake or a batch of cheesy potatoes for the impending family Easter gathering; arranging cascades of potted Easter flowers in the church sanctuary; obsessing about the settings on my alarm clock so as to not oversleep and be late for the Easter Dawn service… In the era of The Virus, though, these usual tasks have evaporated from my to do list. With far fewer distractions, contemplation becomes a simpler goal.
In Luke’s description of what happened immediately following Jesus’ death by crucifixion we learn that Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.
On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. (Luke 23: 52-56, NRSV)
In the early hours of this morning, a remarkable line was crossed. A half-million people in our country have been proven to be infected with Covid-19. The most recent tally says 18,777 have died. It is appropriate on this Holy Saturday to be fazed by the numbers. It is appropriate to pause and pray for those who grieve. And it is appropriate to pause and pray for all who live in fear.
In the early hours of tomorrow morning, we will be reminded that hope is never lost! We will be reminded that Christ lives, and that New Life is abundant in beautiful ways we may never have recognized had we not been so very aware of Death.
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Sunday’s sunrise will take place at 6:27 a.m. I encourage you to wake up to watch it from your porch or your patio. (You can go back to sleep afterwards if you’d like!) To accompany the sunrise, the pastors of the Moravian Churches in Bethlehem have prepared a brief video message for you. Please use this youtube link to play it:
Beginning at 6:00 a.m., Home Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, NC will offer a webcast you might be interested in. All sunrise worship info is posted here:
At 8:00 a.m., the Moravian Churches in Bethlehem will ring bells to celebrate the Resurrection.
At 11:00 a.m., the Moravian Church Without Walls will broadcast its Zoom worship gathering:
From wherever you will be celebrating Easter, let it be joyful! Maybe I’ll “see” you virtually. That would be special!
Waiting,
Pastor Chris
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