Holy Saturday Meditation
Daily Scripture Passage: Hebrews 4:1-16
‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.’ And again in this place it says, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience.
— Hebrews 4:4-6
There is nothing we can do.
We are always supposed to be doing something. Productivity serves as a cardinal virtue. Taking a break can feel like a sin. There’s even a book called Four Thousand Weeks that charts the average lifetime. The message: Time is slipping away. We have to do something—and do something important. I absolutely fall prey to this mindset.
It is Holy Saturday. Today reminds us, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. There is no time management system that assures our salvation.
This day represents the moment between. God’s terrible wonderful self-offering of Good Friday is done. It is complete. The majestic paschal pageantry of Easter is not yet.
Today, we wait.
Hebrews gives us a beautiful homily about the gift that we receive in Jesus Christ. This week centers us once more on the story of that gift. This passage recalls the rhythm of creation and the good news of our redemption, covenant promises that give us the chance to know peace within God’s grace.
Hebrews notes, we often are not ready to receive God’s own graceful rest. We wander away. We keep ourselves busy and distracted from the presence of God that is all around us— even today, with the quiet of the tomb. We have received the gift of the work of God’s salvation. There is nothing we can do. It is complete.
We might take this moment—this time in between—to rest in faith that the most important work has been done. We are granted peace, if we are willing to receive it.