Don't Get Stuck on Saturday
Normally, I’d be writing this for delivery at a chapel service at the Ogden Rescue Mission. Things are not normal today. They’re never going to go back to what normal was, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Still, I had a word to share,
We live in a world where God has been marginalized. What God calls sin, the world defines it as a lifestyle choice. It’s almost as if the whole world is upside down and quite honestly we don’t know which way to turn. Where is God when we need Him most? Those might be some of the thoughts you might have today, whether or not you're a believer.
Today is a good day to think about those things and what we can learn from God’s word about them. We’re not alone in wondering that and we can, through His word, look back to a time when another very small group of people were wondering the very same things, albeit for much different reasons.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus was heralded a king! Shouts of Hosanna! Greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, but a lot changed in that city in five days.
On Friday, they saw Jesus killed on a cross. He was beaten and scourged first. He was publicly humiliated in ways we can’t really fathom in today’s society. He was spat upon. His clothes were divvied up in a game of chance. His followers were helpless to save Him. Peter denied him thrice before the sun came up on Friday morning. Friday was the worst day in human history. The sun went down on Friday twice. Once in the afternoon, when it was blocked out as the Son of God was physically dying on a cross. Then in the evening as usual, when it was time to observe the Sabbath.
Saturday, the early church was in the dark. They didn’t know that Sunday would be a day that would change the world. In their very much real Saturday, there was darkness, doubt, and an unsure future for those that had openly followed Jesus. The fear that they’d face the same retribution from the religious rulers in Jerusalem was real. And they were alone.
Their hope had been dashed the day before when Jesus didn’t take an earthly throne. The cross was the end of the story for them.
On Saturday.
Our world is very much upside down these days. Nothing is as it was; nothing is as it should be. And on that Saturday, nothing was as it was expected to be for the disciples. The Bible mostly accounts for the women. They wanted to be preparing the burial spices and care for Jesus’ body. It had been hastily placed in a tomb. The stone covering the tomb had been sealed and was guarded by Roman soldiers. And then everyone had to go home to observe the laws of the Sabbath, which prohibited work.
Think about them for a minute, and think about how you can relate to them in our present circumstances. We’re kind of caught in our own Saturday. Tomorrow, we know the tomb is empty, and no matter where we are, we will exchange these greetings:
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
It’s church speak, but it heralds a truth the world doesn’t want to hear sometimes. Peter didn't know that on Saturday, though. Peter had a rough Thursday night and Friday morningWe know from Scripture that Peter denied Jesus three times before the sun came up on Friday. The Gospel of Luke records the event this way (Luke 22:54-62 ESV):
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Can you imagine what Peter was thinking about on Saturday? Have you ever fallen so far that you wonder if God would take you back? I wonder what was going through Peter’s mind after Jesus died on Friday.
John was there at the cross. John was given care of Mary, Jesus’ earthly mother. While Scripture doesn’t tell us what their Saturday was like, I wonder if John was with Mary and her family that day. Or if he was with the other women who were present at the cross when Jesus died. Can you imagine the despair they felt?
Is any of this striking a chord with you today? Can you see similarities in our “Saturday”? We, too, are having to endure. For too long, we’ve seen a world where Christ isn’t king of most act in ways that are not Christlike. And us, we’re as guilty as the next guy. I mean that. I got reminded of that Monday morning when I remembered with help of the Holy Spirit that I needed to get the beam out of my own eye before I started trying to get cinders out of others’ eyes.
We should be thinking of our behavior over the last year. How many times did we refuse the prompting of the Spirit? How many times did we murmur? How many times did we make excuses instead of efforts? How many times did we not make time for someone? Or put our selfishness ahead of other people’s needs.
I’ve seen a lot of this the last 40 days of lent. I also stand among the guilty. I can be very selfish at times. I’ve had to fight off that urge more than once. I’ve had to use the delete key on Facebook countless times. I don’t always get it right, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, I get better.
Normally this message would include comments to the audience it would be intended for to remind them that Jesus does in fact still save. The sign out front doesn’t lie (the big cross at the ORM). I would remind them that God loves them and He provides for their needs by feeding and sheltering His own and by raising up people who support the Mission and it’s programs. I’d also remind them that He sends people like me to tell them about Jesus, about that free gift of Salvation.
I won’t have that chance, but they’re on my mind because a lot of them I think, are stuck in a perpetual Saturday; someplace where hope seems lost and the good days of life might be a fleeting memory. I think a lot of the world is like that right now….Stuck in that perpetual Saturday where we’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of our countrymen who have died this week, where hope seems dim, where everything is changed. It’s a Saturday before Easter that none of us have ever experienced before.
I never know what brought each person to a chapel service at the Mission, any more than I understand why you’re reading this. I do know though, that it’s a place where a lot of broken people gather that are looking for something. God uses that place to give them something more than they might have been wanting. I think it’s a lot like what Pastor Steve says about our church. It’s a hospital for sinners. Sometimes I think the mission and places like that are the Emergency Room and what this virus has shown us is that not only are churches not immune to the effects of this thing; it’s that stark reality we’re all just a couple of steps away from needing the Spiritual Emergency Room as much as the folks who show up at the Mission on any given night.
We can’t get stuck on Saturday. It’s not a place that believers were ever meant to stay. Our Saturday once a year is a reminder day, Silent Saturday, as Max Lucedo called it on a program I streamed online for Good Friday. It’s a place of silence for a day to reflect and think back on the silence of God between Friday and Sunday. A place to reflect on our lives and the difference Jesus makes in them. Things will change. This won’t defeat the Church. The gates of hell won’t prevail against her; Coronavirus doesn’t have a chance. The big C Church is going to move forward. We’re doing what we can now. We can and will do more later on.
My heart hurts that the time people need the church the most, the buildings aren’t open. While it’s true the buildings aren’t open, the church is ALWAYS open. It never was the building. It was Mary Magdalene running to tell the disciples “He is risen! He is not there!”. It’s the two on the road to Emmaus who Jesus joined on their journey and explained it all, then revealed Himself to them after He broke the bread. It was Peter, who Jesus redeemed after asking him three times, “Peter, do you love me?” It was Matthew, who Jesus appeared to and showed him the holes in his Resurrected body. It’s Saul who persecuted Christians becoming Paul who endured many hardships and in the process wrote much of the New Testament. And it is us.
We live in a world where God has been marginalized. What God calls sin, the world defines it as a lifestyle choice. It’s almost as if the whole world is upside down and quite honestly we don’t know which way to turn. Where is God when we need Him most? Those might be some of the thoughts you might have today, whether or not you're a believer.
Today is a good day to think about those things and what we can learn from God’s word about them. We’re not alone in wondering that and we can, through His word, look back to a time when another very small group of people were wondering the very same things, albeit for much different reasons.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus was heralded a king! Shouts of Hosanna! Greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, but a lot changed in that city in five days.
On Friday, they saw Jesus killed on a cross. He was beaten and scourged first. He was publicly humiliated in ways we can’t really fathom in today’s society. He was spat upon. His clothes were divvied up in a game of chance. His followers were helpless to save Him. Peter denied him thrice before the sun came up on Friday morning. Friday was the worst day in human history. The sun went down on Friday twice. Once in the afternoon, when it was blocked out as the Son of God was physically dying on a cross. Then in the evening as usual, when it was time to observe the Sabbath.
Saturday, the early church was in the dark. They didn’t know that Sunday would be a day that would change the world. In their very much real Saturday, there was darkness, doubt, and an unsure future for those that had openly followed Jesus. The fear that they’d face the same retribution from the religious rulers in Jerusalem was real. And they were alone.
Their hope had been dashed the day before when Jesus didn’t take an earthly throne. The cross was the end of the story for them.
On Saturday.
Our world is very much upside down these days. Nothing is as it was; nothing is as it should be. And on that Saturday, nothing was as it was expected to be for the disciples. The Bible mostly accounts for the women. They wanted to be preparing the burial spices and care for Jesus’ body. It had been hastily placed in a tomb. The stone covering the tomb had been sealed and was guarded by Roman soldiers. And then everyone had to go home to observe the laws of the Sabbath, which prohibited work.
Think about them for a minute, and think about how you can relate to them in our present circumstances. We’re kind of caught in our own Saturday. Tomorrow, we know the tomb is empty, and no matter where we are, we will exchange these greetings:
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
It’s church speak, but it heralds a truth the world doesn’t want to hear sometimes. Peter didn't know that on Saturday, though. Peter had a rough Thursday night and Friday morningWe know from Scripture that Peter denied Jesus three times before the sun came up on Friday. The Gospel of Luke records the event this way (Luke 22:54-62 ESV):
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Can you imagine what Peter was thinking about on Saturday? Have you ever fallen so far that you wonder if God would take you back? I wonder what was going through Peter’s mind after Jesus died on Friday.
John was there at the cross. John was given care of Mary, Jesus’ earthly mother. While Scripture doesn’t tell us what their Saturday was like, I wonder if John was with Mary and her family that day. Or if he was with the other women who were present at the cross when Jesus died. Can you imagine the despair they felt?
Is any of this striking a chord with you today? Can you see similarities in our “Saturday”? We, too, are having to endure. For too long, we’ve seen a world where Christ isn’t king of most act in ways that are not Christlike. And us, we’re as guilty as the next guy. I mean that. I got reminded of that Monday morning when I remembered with help of the Holy Spirit that I needed to get the beam out of my own eye before I started trying to get cinders out of others’ eyes.
We should be thinking of our behavior over the last year. How many times did we refuse the prompting of the Spirit? How many times did we murmur? How many times did we make excuses instead of efforts? How many times did we not make time for someone? Or put our selfishness ahead of other people’s needs.
I’ve seen a lot of this the last 40 days of lent. I also stand among the guilty. I can be very selfish at times. I’ve had to fight off that urge more than once. I’ve had to use the delete key on Facebook countless times. I don’t always get it right, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, I get better.
Normally this message would include comments to the audience it would be intended for to remind them that Jesus does in fact still save. The sign out front doesn’t lie (the big cross at the ORM). I would remind them that God loves them and He provides for their needs by feeding and sheltering His own and by raising up people who support the Mission and it’s programs. I’d also remind them that He sends people like me to tell them about Jesus, about that free gift of Salvation.
I won’t have that chance, but they’re on my mind because a lot of them I think, are stuck in a perpetual Saturday; someplace where hope seems lost and the good days of life might be a fleeting memory. I think a lot of the world is like that right now….Stuck in that perpetual Saturday where we’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of our countrymen who have died this week, where hope seems dim, where everything is changed. It’s a Saturday before Easter that none of us have ever experienced before.
I never know what brought each person to a chapel service at the Mission, any more than I understand why you’re reading this. I do know though, that it’s a place where a lot of broken people gather that are looking for something. God uses that place to give them something more than they might have been wanting. I think it’s a lot like what Pastor Steve says about our church. It’s a hospital for sinners. Sometimes I think the mission and places like that are the Emergency Room and what this virus has shown us is that not only are churches not immune to the effects of this thing; it’s that stark reality we’re all just a couple of steps away from needing the Spiritual Emergency Room as much as the folks who show up at the Mission on any given night.
We can’t get stuck on Saturday. It’s not a place that believers were ever meant to stay. Our Saturday once a year is a reminder day, Silent Saturday, as Max Lucedo called it on a program I streamed online for Good Friday. It’s a place of silence for a day to reflect and think back on the silence of God between Friday and Sunday. A place to reflect on our lives and the difference Jesus makes in them. Things will change. This won’t defeat the Church. The gates of hell won’t prevail against her; Coronavirus doesn’t have a chance. The big C Church is going to move forward. We’re doing what we can now. We can and will do more later on.
My heart hurts that the time people need the church the most, the buildings aren’t open. While it’s true the buildings aren’t open, the church is ALWAYS open. It never was the building. It was Mary Magdalene running to tell the disciples “He is risen! He is not there!”. It’s the two on the road to Emmaus who Jesus joined on their journey and explained it all, then revealed Himself to them after He broke the bread. It was Peter, who Jesus redeemed after asking him three times, “Peter, do you love me?” It was Matthew, who Jesus appeared to and showed him the holes in his Resurrected body. It’s Saul who persecuted Christians becoming Paul who endured many hardships and in the process wrote much of the New Testament. And it is us.
So don't get stuck on Saturday my brothers and sisters. he church buildings might be empty, but the best news ever is this: SO IS THE TOMB! People need to hear that message. We're the ones that need to tell them.
And if you're one who needs to hear that message, the Bible explains is beautifully in the Gospel of John 3:16-17:
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
That's the story of Easter. You could never save yourself. Only Jesus can. Become a whosoever today. And if you don't think you're good enough, think of Peter, who denied Jesus 3 times in a night and was forgiven, restored, and did mighty things to build Christ's church.
Or maybe you've taken the wrong turns in life and you're looking for a way back. It's as simple as turning around today. End your silent Saturday and come back home to Jesus. I know the building isn't open, but the Church is. He's there, just a step away. Come home. Come home today. Whatever it costs you in a worldly sense, it'll never cost you more than Jesus paid for you. However difficult, come home. It'll be worth it, and you won't be alone.
Lastly, for my Brothers and Sisters in Christ; keep the faith. I know it's hard right now, and I miss the fellowship we share face-to-face, but I remember too that our Lord reminds us in John 16:33
I have told you these things, so in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Don't get stuck on Saturday. Keep the faith and remember:
Sunday's Comin'!
Comments
Post a Comment