Today is Saturday . . .

It is almost time to go to bed.  We've had a quiet day.  Mark was at the farm until around 3:00.  The girls and I went to Sapphire Nails this morning and we all have pretty feet now.  I cooked/prepared my portion of the food for tomorrow.  Mark and I went to see the baby and while we were visiting with them, Glenn grilled chicken for all of us.  Today is Saturday.  A simple Saturday. Yesterday was Good Friday - the day we killed our Lord.  We left our sanctuary in darkness and silence last night in memory of that Friday so many years ago. 

For Lent, we studied "Who Is This Man?" by John Ortberg.  He writes in his book, "Jesus died on the cross on Friday. Then came Saturday- the only day in the last two thousand years when literally not one person in the world believed that Jesus was alive." A not so simple Saturday for Mary and the disciples.

Those are powerful words. The only day in the last two thousand years when literally not one person in the world believed that Jesus was alive.

I'm actually sad tonight.  I know tomorrow is coming.  I know it!  But I'm still sad.

I just reread this scripture from Luke chapter 24:
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared.   And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,   but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel;   and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise.”   And they remembered his words,   and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.   Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles; but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

Here are a few pictures from the Garden Tomb in Israel.  I can imagine weeping nearby.  I can imagine that feeling you get in your chest when something is not going well . . .that physical hurt that happens when someone you love dies.

 

I know that Sunday is coming - that a day filled with hope is coming.  The disciples - Mary - other friends and family of Jesus . . they didn't know.   They were experiencing a very sad Saturday.  I think that if they were able to sleep at all on that night, it was the sleep of the sad - the sleep of not knowing what tomorrow will bring.  We all have those nights at some point in our lives.

The disciples and the women were in for a surprise on Sunday morning.  Thank God for that surprise!!