2017 Belmont University Lenten Devotional GuideSample

Today is Holy Saturday—the in-between day. The gospel reading in Matthew lays out the events of Saturday: Joseph of Arimathea giving his grave for Jesus’ burial and tending to his body, the placing of his body in the tomb, the concern from the critics that his followers might steal his body therefore placing a guard at the tomb and sealing the stone. And then the passage ends. And…we wait.

This day is a liminal space situated between the tragic, mystical drama of Good Friday that we honored yesterday and the miraculous joy of resurrection day in which we will rejoice tomorrow. What an inexplicable time. Many of us have the urge to move on to Sunday, to avoid this uncomfortable day of sadness and waiting. We know what Sunday brings, that joy comes in the morning.

But in our lives we often have these seasons of “Holy Saturday” where, while we know intellectually that ultimate redemption will come, we have to wait. We achingly stay in the discomfort and loneliness of the in-between. The sitting in the solitude of this space between the pain of our current reality and what we hope for is like dissonance sometimes.

The psalm for today is a beautiful reminder that though we walk through pain, shame, disappointment and experience the vulnerability of life, we have the promise of God who is our Refuge and Deliverer. Our heartache and sorrows are so tangible, and yet, the Lord is our righteousness and fortress. He inclines His ear toward us. He is our Rock. His steadfast love can save us.

Henri Nouwen wrote about “Holy Saturdays” as a time of resting in Walk With Jesus. “It is the rest of faith that allows us to live on with a peaceful and joyful heart even when things are not getting better, even when painful situations are not resolved, even when revolutions and wars continue to disrupt the rhythm of our daily lives…We need always to remain connected with the rest of the Holy Saturday when Jesus lay buried in the tomb and the whole of creation waited for all things to be made new.”

We are called to rest in this day, experiencing the weight of Good Friday, yet breathing deeply of the hope and truth that this is not the final word.

JULIE HUNT
Associate Professor of Social Work
College of Nursing & Health Sciences