A bit late.
I know I’m late to the Easter posts, but it took me some time to process what Resurrection Day meant to me this year.
A few weeks ago someone at church said they felt like they were always behind. I was quick to tell them that if they are on God’s timeline for them, they weren’t behind. So I’m taking my own advise and I’m writing about Silent Saturday after all the Easter posts have been written. :)
Silent Saturday.
The day after Good Friday and the day before the resurrection. It’s been called Silent Saturday because in the gospels there’s nothing written about this day.
I got up early, well early for a Saturday. In a couple of hours our house would be loud and buzzing with activity.
Instead of the usual Easter meal being on Sunday, all our kids and grand kids were joining us for brunch on Saturday. This worked best with everyone’s other Easter celebrations. We usually don’t feel the pressure to celebrate on the special day,- Easter, Christmas, Birthdays - the important thing is that we are all together.
But this celebration date landed different for me as I was spending time with Jesus on Silent Saturday. How could I celebrate on this day? A day Jesus’s disciples were mourning? It just didn’t feel right.
The weight of His death.
The price that was paid for my sin.
So humbling.
Sabbath.
Remembering that on the Jewish calendar this was the Sabbath during Passover, I began to marvel at the gift this was to the Jewish people. They couldn’t keep themselves busy with work. They couldn’t distract themselves. All work ceased for the day. Even meal preparation had been done the days before. They had to sit with their grief.
They waited. They mourned. They remembered. They worshiped. They RESTED.
Sabbath is a command. One of the top 10. Crazy- right up there with Do Not Murder. I’d like to think that if I don’t practice Sabbath it’s murder to my soul.
Sabbath isn’t just a command; it’s a gift. It’s not just going to church on Sunday. It’s delighting in the Lord all day long. It’s rest for our bodies; it’s refreshing for our souls.
Jesus, teach me to rest. Help me to not busy myself and ignore what you want to do in me. Teach me to mourn well; to lament. Take my worship in the waiting as an offering to you. Thank you for the gift of Sabbath.
You may wonder how our “celebration” unfolded. Yes, we celebrated. Yes, we were loud. But we also cried, and were quiet. It was a beautiful day!
Aaron and I try to end our Saturday busyness by 4pm and enjoy Sabbath rest til our church gathering on Sunday evenings. Saturday evenings and Sundays look different every week, but we do like to drink our coffee slower, spend more time reading, journaling, praying. We like to take walks; hammock when it’s nice. Napping, watercolor painting, and learning to play guitar are just a few things that refresh our souls.
We don’t get it right every week; it’s been a learning curve. This spiritual disciple reminds me that God has things for me to accomplish, but He holds all things together (Col. 1:17 ) and I can rest.
I’d love to hear from you. Do you take a day to rest? If not, what’s stopping you? If so, what do you do that’s restful to your soul?
You’re an inspiration!
Thanks Dad.