04/11/2020
EWay Family--
Today is Holy Saturday. Today we wait in darkness between the horror of Good Friday and the hope of Easter Sunday. It is the time we are invited, told even, to stay awake to what has unfolded around us. As my fellow Alliance of Baptist, Rev. Greg Jarrell, remarks, “What happens on the other side of that night, improbably, is the remaking of the world... But the Good News cannot be rushed. Between Gethsemane and the empty tomb stand the darkness of Good Friday and the bleak silence of Holy Saturday. In other words, there is still a long night to remain awake through.”
For the past twenty-five weeks, I’ve been straining to remain awake for the remaking of the world. Sitting smack dab in the midst of an elongated Holy Saturday, I’m desperately waiting for Easter Sunday. I’m longing for Love, for Light, for Life, for Resurrection, to break into and break apart all the darkness, all the uncertainty, all the pain, all the grief, all the question, all the despair I’ve felt internally throughout this pregnancy that’s held lupus, Turner Syndrome, a congenital heart defect, and now pandemic. As I sit in this place of Holy Saturday, I’ve watched many of you also carry deep burdens from life unfolding in unexpected ways. From this spot, we’ve also collectively watched inequities and evils in a city and a world of inadequate, broken systems create a greater chasm between the haves and the have nots; inequities being exasperated even more in the midst of this pandemic.
Yet over the past twenty-five weeks, in this chasm and silence, in this watching and staying awake for love, light and resurrection to break forth most fully in the darkness of night, I’ve come to encounter a God who still draws near on Holy Saturdays. But the goodness of Easter Sunday is God most fully and extravagantly drawing near. Tomorrow, right where we are, God draws near in ways we can’t fully imagine on Holy Saturday, inviting us to be about a remaking of the world alongside a resurrected Christ.
Tomorrow, in two ways, we will come together right where we are to celebrate a God who draws near most fully as love, light, life, and resurrection hope:
1. You can engage in a meaningful Easter sunrise time (really, whenever you rise) of prayer and practice tomorrow morning. The family friendly prayers and practices of resurrection can be found below.
2. At noon we will have an Emmaus Way Zoom gathering filled with song, communal reflection, the liturgy of Light, and the Open Table.
Over these past twenty-five weeks, the thought of celebrating Easter Sunday with you all has kept my spirits bolstered on the darkest, hardest days—and there have been plenty. I know I’m not alone in living through dark, hard days nor am I alone in the deep desire to move past the silence of Holy Saturday and proclaim Christ, “Risen, Risen, Risen,” with this community we hold dear. I do hope you’ll engage with your Emmaus Way community tomorrow, in one way or another, as we remember and celebrate the Risen Christ.
With love for each of you and a God who draws near, even now, Molly
Today’s Easter Sunrise Prayers/Practices parts I-IV have been adapted from A Sanctified Art and was originally written by Rev. Sarah Are. Used with permission. I. Light a Candle As you start your morning, head outside! Find a comfortable place to settle in and watch the sunrise. Watch from a ...
