For Now...

Holy Saturday St. Paul’s, Smithfield, NC 4/4/2015

Jim Melnyk: “In Silence My Soul Waits”

Bahrooch ahtah Ahdonai

elohanoo melech hah-olahm

You abound in blessings Eternal, our God

 source of all creation.

           

“So begins the morning of shabbat, the Sabbath, a day of rest commanded by God from the beginning of time.  So begins a day for which one is to give joyful thanks and to praise the Eternal God for the gift of Sabbath and for the blessings of life” (Lorraine Ljunggren).

But this is no ordinary Sabbath morning, and those gathered in the Upper Room behind locked doors find themselves overwhelmed by their grief, recalling the horror of the previous day – overwhelmed by the execution of Jesus – their teacher and Lord – their friend and companion along the way.

Throughout the night they have talked with one another and prayed with one another.  They have remembered their friend, and as the morning sky begins to show the promise of a new day, they look to the one place they have known to sustain them throughout their lives –

they look to the one place their friend Jesus had directed them throughout their journey together.  They look to God.

They recall the words of the psalmist: “In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Incline your ear to me; make haste to deliver me. Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and my stronghold; for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me” (31:1-3).

Perhaps they begin to recall some of what Jesus has told them regarding what is yet to unfold.  Perhaps they want to hope, but dare not.  They have known struggle all their lives, having lived under Roman occupation. 

Their collective memory recalls a time when they as a part of their whole people, had been slaves in Egypt.  As Passover unfolds around them they recall when they, along with their ancestors, had passed through the Red Sea to freedom.  Perhaps a glimmer of hope presses upon them, looking for a crack in their despair – looking for a pathway to gain a hold in their hearts.

And then, in the quiet just before dawn, another thread from the Psalter comes to Mary’s lips: “For God alone my soul in silence waits; from the Holy One comes my salvation.  God alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken….For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope is in the Holy One of Israel” (62:1-2, 6).

Bahrooch ahtah Ahdonai

            elohanoo melech hah-olahm

            You abound in blessings Eternal our God

            source of all creation.

For now, there is no resolution.  For now, their teacher – their Lord – their friend, still rests entombed in a garden outside the city.  For now, their hope is in keeping alive the memories and the teachings of their friend.  For now, their resolve is to find a way to trust in God as their people always have in the midst of incredible suffering.

For now, “alone, our souls in silence wait.”  For now, the quiet of Sabbath rest.  For now, the waiting and the hoping.  For now, the struggle to trust.  For now.  For now.  For now.