A Daily Lent

Rejoicing in Difficulties Holy Saturday – April 11, 2020 What does it mean to “rejoice in difficulties,” as Brother Lawrence suggests below? That may sound like good counsel in normal times – theologizing when life is more or less ordinary is much different than when we are actually in the midst of the storm! – but in days when we are forced to endure the disruption of daily routines, threats to our relationships, and uncertainty about the future, rejoicing sounds like a long-shot (thank you, coronavirus!). To be sure, it is not our first reaction to our situation. But rejoicing takes a longer view, sees through the immediacy of the current reality, notices the nuances and opportunities that arise when times are tough, and is not limited to what the world looks like in the current moment. Brother Lawrence says we should “ rejoice in our difficulties. ” The Apostle Paul says, “ Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, ‘Rejoice! ’” Today is Holy Saturday. It is a day of ...

Holy Saturday Daily Reading : Luke 23:50 – 56 Focus Passage : Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. (Lk. 23:50 – 56) Holy Saturday rests silently, darkly between Good Friday and Easter. Nestled between the crucifixion of Christ and the Resurrection, it is a somber day which remembers the hours Jesus spent in the tomb. ...

Holy Saturday Matthew 27:57 – 66 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “...

Matthew 27:57 - 66 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tom...

Luke 23:50 – 56 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. For a long, long time I took a very “literal” approach to Lent and Holy Week. Thus, for years the season tended to be pretty flat for me. Over the last decade or so I’ve been especially drawn to the more sensory expressions of the season, reflected in the symbols of Lent and Holy Week. The so...