There are days on the calendar that we happen to forget. As watchful as we in the Christian year tradition might be, Easter weekend falls into that category. Although church services must necessarily worship in online fashion, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday gatherings still occur in cyberspace. But there is one day that tends to fall by the wayside.
Today. Holy Saturday.
It's somewhat understandable because, outside of a lot of disciple-and-other-Christ-follower mourning, nothing much significantly happened on the first Holy Saturday. It remains as the trudging bridge between Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. How do you, one might ask, pull together worship resources to dwell on Jesus lying in the tomb?
It looks like nothing much is going on. And that is exactly the point. That's what it looks like from a close angle. But widen the redemptive lens, and we might see a whole lot more, if we stick with the John 19 passage about Jesus' burial.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus have gone public with their allegiance to Christ by preparing him for the burial, with loads of spices and all. And that's where we get the most amazing news!
John 19:41-42 says "Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there."
There. In the tomb. In the garden. In a garden!
Why so special, you ask? Isn't Jesus still dead?
Yes, but that's one frame on the continuing film of God's story of redemption. There's so much more. This fits with everything else.
Genesis 2: God initiates creation with a garden.
Genesis 3: The fall into sin occurs in the same garden, and then God--unwilling to give up on humanity--makes the covenant of grace in that same garden.
John 19: Jesus' purchases redemption on a cross in a garden, is buried in that garden, and breaks sin's power with his resurrection in the same garden.
Revelation 22: End of human history. Standing in the New Jerusalem of the new heavens and new earth is the tree of life, in a garden of other trees, where all is restored.
God, it seems, loves gardens. They are arenas for his grace and mercy.
Jesus is buried in a garden? That is no defeat, but rather the next chapter in a glorious story entitled Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration.
God has not let go of us. That is the message of Holy Saturday.
May we never forget.
