It seems like today – Easter Saturday, the day between death and new life – is so relevant for where we are right now in the world in 2020, living in isolation alone, or in our families, in an attempt to survive this Coronavirus which seeks to kill and destroy.
And now, like then, we are in shock, we stare in disbelief at the sealed tomb, at the TV, and say “How can this be?”
And we think back to our old life, just a few days ago when we seemed to glide through life – albeit with its pains and trials – but nothing on this scale! Now this event has changed life as we knew it…we had put our hope in our successful businesses and careers, we had put our hope in our own efforts to support our families through life, making 5 year plans and 10 year plans and feeling smug when we achieved them or even surpassed them!
The followers of Jesus had put their hope in Him, to bring in a new reign, when their idea of life would not involve the Romans being in control – surely Jesus was the one to break them –
He had spoken about a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of God coming to reign, and even though they didn’t know and couldn’t imagine how and what that would look like, they had hope in it for their future.
But now – all that hope is gone! All we had depended on, rested on, been confident in – is gone!!!!
But Easter Sunday is just around the corner!! When new life in all its fullness bursts onto the scene and changes the rest of history – “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.””
1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
https://www.bible.com/bible/116/1co.2.9.nlt
So rather than sink into despair, to think this is the end of our life, of our security, of our comfort (if we had it)…now – this Easter Saturday – a day of resting between the old and the new, of death and new life – let’s rest on the promises of God, who says “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13 v 5b), who says “I will be with you to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28 v 20b), who we are assured has gone before us to prepare a place for us (John 14 v 2-3), let’s embrace this enforced pause in life, take stock of what has happened, of how life was, of how we used to yearn for more – we knew there was more, we used to sing “there must be more…” and now maybe that “more” is just around the corner?
Let’s pause this Easter Saturday, knowing that Easter Sunday – a day of resurrection and new life and a new way of living it – is just a moment away.
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”