Holy Saturday - Holy Waiting

We witness as Joseph and Nicodemus bury the body of Jesus as we sit in vigil for Easter in song, prayer, and reflection during this special devotional-style episode of Facets of Faith.

Music:
Jesus, Remember Me
Text: Luke 23:42 Taize Community
Music: Jacques Berthier (1923-1994)
Text and music copyright 1981 Les Presses de Taize. Admin GIA Publications, Inc  (Used under One License # A-724822)

We Remember
Text and Music: Marty Haugen (b. 1950) copyright 1980 GIA Publications, Inc (Used under One License # A-724822)

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Scripture quotations from the COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE. © Copyright 2011 COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Welcome to Holy Saturday, a day that has often sat in vigil, a day of mourning, as we sit with the disciples in that space, that liminal space, where Jesus has died and yet not yet risen, where we remember the time that existed after they put Jesus in the tomb, and before they returned to the tomb to find it empty. And in this space we see a return of Nicodemus and the introduction of a new disciple, as we consider the ways that even in waiting we can show loving, lavish discipleship.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

After this, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus. Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one, because he feared the Jewish authorities. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took the body away. Nicodemus, the one who at first had come to Jesus at night, was there too. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloe, nearly seventy-five pounds in all. Following Jewish burial customs, they took Jesus' body and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths. There was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish preparation day, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in it. Here ends the reading. So as you recall, the this to which is being referred at the beginning of this reading, after this, is after the death of Jesus. After Jesus said, It is finished and breathed his last, after the bodies were removed from the crosses. After this, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came to care for Jesus' body and to offer it a burial full of love and respect. And in having both Joseph and Nicodemus come to bury the body, it shows the truth of the matter, the reality of Jesus' death. And this is Joseph's first entry into the entire gospel story. It says that he had been a secret disciple for fear of the Jewish leadership, which recalls the response of the parents of the man born blind in their own fear of being expelled from the community. And it reminds us again that the disciples are also afraid and locked up after Jesus' crucifixion. And as Joseph and Nicodemus come to bury the body of Jesus, they come with 75 pounds of myrrh and aloe. And this lavish abundance that Joseph and Nicodemus have at hand is reminiscent of the abundance we heard when Mary anointed Jesus' feet with oil, so much oil that she had to mop it up with her hair. But even in this moment of lavish abundance and love and care and respect, we still hear hints of uncertainty and doubt as they come to bury Jesus, indicating that maybe they did not truly believe that resurrection was coming. Or perhaps they were just afraid to let themselves believe such good news of resurrection in the face of the death and horror of the crucifixion. Perhaps for the first listeners and hearers of this gospel story, perhaps they heard this as an invitation that they too can still meet Jesus with abundance, even in their own fears of the sociopolitical scene in which they found themselves. And all of this takes place in the garden. Jesus' arrest, crucifixion, burial, and ultimately his resurrection, as Mary meets Jesus for the first time after the resurrection in the same garden, bringing this garden scene to be the place that brings all of it together. For the garden is a scene of new creation and new life, even in the face of death and fear and uncertainty. This holy Saturday, as we sit in vigil, as we sit in waiting, as we sit with the weight of the crucifixion on our shoulders, let us not forget what is before us, for what is before us is new life, is resurrection, and Easter joy. For there is no good Friday without Easter, and no Easter without Good Friday. Let us pray. Hold us in your embrace as we wait for Easter's dawn. Comfort us with the promise that no power on earth, not even death itself, can separate us from your love. Strengthen us to wait until you are revealed to us in all your risen glory. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

We remember how you loved us to your time, and still we celebrate for you with us.