Jesus died, yes, really died. That's our focus on the Saturday that lies between the crucifixion on Friday and resurrection on Sunday morning. Jesus died.
Matthew gives us detail so that we can understand and believe. Fred Craddock in Preaching through the Christian Year C lists the questions that Matthew's account is answering: What happened to the body? Who prepared it? Where was it entombed? He reminds us of more evidence that Matthew gives: the body was put in a tomb, the tomb was sealed with a large stone, two women witnessed this, Roman guards kept watch.
We can't accept resurrection unless we accept death.
Since I am rereading Ann Weems' Kneeling in Jerusalem again this year in Lent, I am again posting these two poems appropriate for the Saturday vigil:
No Dances
There are no dances for dark days.
There is no music to bellow the pain.
The best we can do is to remain
still and silent
and try to remember the face of God...
and how to kneel
and how to pray.
Saturday Silence
The shadows shift and fly.
The
whole
long
day
the air trembles,
thick with silence,
until, finally,
the footsteps are heard
and the noise
of the voice of God
is upon us.
The Holy One
is not afraid
to walk
on unholy ground.
The Holy Work is done,
and the world awaits
the dawn of light.
No comments:
Post a Comment