Our familiarity with the Easter story is so ingrained inside our heads that everything from Good Friday to Sunday Morning's discovery of the resurrection blends into the same narrative. Consequently, we don't pause to fully understand the in-between-day. It isn't as though Saturday was insignificant, but we seldom pause to think about what that was like for the disciples, family, and followers of Jesus.
Of course, but the time you've reached adulthood, most of us discover that life can change in an instant. The communication of news that emotionally knocks one to their knees and forever changes their world may come from any number of sources. It may begin with the ringing of the telephone in the middle of the night. It could follow the sound of the doorbell and discovery of a stranger on the other side of the door. Sometimes it is the flashing lights of an ambulance parked in the drive. The circumstances all differ, but the results are the same. Suddenly and abruptly, the overwhelming sense of loss and emotional pain make it difficult to catch one's breath or even want to take the next step or face a new day.
I was recently asked by a reporter if I remembered where I was, or how I learned that my twin brother was missing in action? The person asking the question wanted to know how I responded to the news and what it felt like? He asked the same question of my parents.
Let me state the obvious. There are some things I will never forget, and the memory is woven into the fabric of the most painful experiences of my life. Isn't it true of all of us? I can promise you that it is true of all the family members who recently learned of death of their loved one with the collapsing of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Hearing the news is closely akin to someone knocking the breath out of you. You gasp for air and find it difficult to breathe. You know you must breathe, but breathing represents one painful difficulty after another.
Saturday, the in-between-day following Christ's crucifixion and the discovery of his Sunday morning resurrection was the catalyst of indescribable pain for the disciples of Christ. Not only were they overcome with a sense of loss, but they also feared for their own safety.
Christ was crucified by Rome with the accusation that he was trying to overthrow the government. Didn't it stand to reason that being part of that close knit group of disciples placed them as also being a RABBLE-ROUSER?
In addition, what were any of them going to do with their life going forward? They had spent three years 24/7 involved in Christ's ministry and teaching. What were the supposed to do now? That had to add a whole new concept to Saturday morning confusion.
The good news for all of us is that we serve a risen savior that paved the way to eternal life in the presence of God for all of us. If today, you find yourself in the "in-between-day" and you are overcome with grief, a sense of loss, or circumstances that make life painful, remember his words: "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [John 10: 10-11 ESV]
All My Best!
Don
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