Holy Saturday
Hebrews 9:8-17
Every Word of God Brings Love and Hope, to see and know God is at Work Today. For you.
8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened
as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age).
According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
11 Yet when Christ appeared
as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant,
so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
Holy Saturday.
On earth as it is in Heaven, Thy Will be done. Is there a DAY where this change was more auspicious?
We are so familiar with the Disciples part of Holy Saturday. Holy Saturday has an odd and yet searingly true portion of Mary and Martha. The Disciples had chosen to be busy with the details to live a life they imagined they needed. Even more than Jesus. Huddled in fear.
Mary had chosen the Better Portion. To sit with Jesus.
Judea had portions of 3 Legions. And in the portions, an equivalency of one and a half Legions of the Roman Empire. This meant they had 3 Tribunes and 6 Centurions. We know the names of two of the Tribunes thanks to the details of the Roman Empire. Never did God make the soldiers famous to earn them a death. The unnamed soldiers on Good Friday were placed oddly in Scripture as men, signing on for 20 years as military to the Roman Empire, who obey orders. And then ... gave witness to their prisoner, condemned to die, as the Son of God.
Luke 19:40
And He answered and said unto them,
“I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Jesus told us if we did not give praise, the rocks would cry out.
And the earthquake ripped rocks apart.
And the witness came not from infants, but from men dressed and armed, who were guarded heavily against death. Men who knew, well, how men die in bloody violence.
We call History, according to Believers, His Story.
We Believe the Book of Life has every day of our lives written until God hears prayer and interweaves The Book of Life. God arranges History and these men are placed to guard duty for God's Only Son after their Bold and Brave Witness.
Power.
On Holy Saturday, God The Father, Gave His Beloved Son a guard detail. Now we could say Pontius Pilate gave the orders. However God said. Jesus told Pilate he had no power, no power, but what God had Placed into the hands of Pilate.
Were you there when they Crucified My Lord?
If you had to endure witnessing the Suffering of Jesus Christ, Messiah, and then God was going to ask you where you'd spend Holy Saturday. At home or near the body of God's Only Son. Can we imagine Jesus' body would not be 'Of God'. Holy Saturday has the Holiness, as always, centered upon Jesus.
Immediately
The New Covenant is God saving the world. So many times in the Gospels, Jesus is part of "Immediately," Jesus begins the New Covenant; Good Friday doesn't have the praise of His Chosen Disciples, but of Legions we know knew bloody and violent battle and violent death. Immediately - the weakened and broken body of Jesus has the strong and the militant living in a sudden understanding and becoming bold, past the fear of the Roman Empire, to be in awe and proclaim Jesus as Pilate said, "Jesus the King of the Jews, Messiah."
Were you there when they Crucified My Lord?
What would it look like to be at the Tomb on Holy Saturday?
We probably know the conversations of the soldiers standing at the Tomb of Jesus Christ, God's Son:
the first section is still standing...
of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect
Jesus, not of this creation.
He entered once for all into the holy places,
not by means of the blood of goats and calves
but by means of his own blood
securing an eternal redemption
and
regulations for the body imposed
until the time of reformation
Do we know if they knew the Next was going to happen?
Something was in God's Plan. These Soldiers were not killed for suddenly abandoning the Tomb.
With the Letter History records Pilate wrote to Emperor Claudius (it's a lost letter, the one floating around is a fake now), with tombs opening up, with "all of Israel knows", with multitudes and multitudes showing up after Easter Sunday at the Temple - God was in His Glory!
Psalm 8
Psalm of David
1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
And God places His Plan to make sure His Word is fulfilled.
The Sign of Pilate on the Cross of our wonderful Jesus. The placing of the Soldiers at the Tomb. The worthiness the Body of Jesus wasn't stolen. God interweaves all things to work for Good.
On Holy Saturday, God was "Working"!!!
Faith is unseen, and yet we see the Mercy of God on these Roman men. An incredible Mercy.
Abba,
This time has been so unbelievable.
And the mercy mankind has shown to one another.
Our Holy Week has seen Hope.
It's no coincidence Holy Week is the first week Hope has been glimpsed.
God is still at work. Love your elderly parents. Love your elderly aunts and uncles. Use the phone in your hand, uplinking to satellites, to phone those who are living alone.
Tell of the Good News of Holy Week - we see Glimpses of Hope. God is Working. Speak of the Hospital beds that are empty. Tell of the doctors, nurses, hospital staff, EMT, Schools providing food to the students. Police. USPS, Amazon, Grocery who would risk their lives to provide for us all.
Speak of the Nation led to be empowered to Hope Health to us all. Speak of a jaded world providing such Bravery.
And realize like the oil absorbed in the BP Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we have seen a wonder of God from prayers of worried people.
Easter is almost Here! Encourage the people you know are sad. You have Good News.
Jesus is alive and Working with His Father.
To the Glory of God, in Jesus Christ, Our Wonderful Jesus, Amen!
Matins (during the night, at about 2 a.m.); also called Vigil
The Nature of our Father God is Vast.
We all have a different seat at His Table.
Abba,
We Pray for The Heart of Valor, with so much on the Plate.
We Pray for the Nurturer, who is filled in filling others,
We Pray for the Brave, who is really quite worried.
We Pray for the Angry, who would really like to weep.
We pray for the Young, trying to figure this out.
We pray for the Unconcerned, we don't envy them too much.
We pray for the Lonely, to rest in Jesus Christ.
We pray for the Filled, to actually overflow.
We pray for those who have Years in them, they will not be discouraged!
We pray for us all, to Have Love in us
and be Hopeful and Loved in Jesus Christ Wonderful.
Because
Jesus is the Light of mankind.
Live in us, Father God, and Shine.
Amen.
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