I’ve written before about two things, one is about the tendency to use a meme about Friday being about darkness, tragedy and defeat but “Sunday is coming.” I’ve highlighted this as an example of how not to preach at Easter in this video.
The other thing I’ve picked up on from time to time is the recent tendency to a bit of maudlin over Easter Saturday. This places a big emphasis on imagining how it felt like for the first followers of Jesus living between Friday and Sunday. This is associated with living with tension and uncertainty. Some, in our postmodern age seem to like the idea of that.
Now don’t get me wrong. I think there is something to be said for working through the story, of marking the days experientially. So, often with our Good Friday service at Bearwood, we would finish simply with a final reading that left us with the body placed in the tomb, the stone rolled in place and then silence kept. I do find it helpful to pace myself through the story. I also appreciate the liberal use of Alleluias in Anglican liturgy on Easter Sunday, perhaps then there is something to be said for the restraint beforehand through Lent.
Furthermore, perhaps it does help us to think a little bit about what it means to live between one day in the past and one day to come. Just as the disciples were living between Friday and Sunday, we live between the two Lord’s Days, the day of Jesus’ resurrection and the day of his return. Perhaps there is a sermon or a blog article in that. However, although we live between the Now and the Not Yet, there is a huge difference. We can look back to that day past and know with certainty what it was about, we can look forward to that day coming with certain hope.
For that reason, I’m not waiting for Sunday on Easter Saturday. I am anything but stuck in uncertainty. I already have certain hope. I already have resurrection power living in me through Jesus.
Faithroots 