Where Is Jesus When We Need Him?

Because there were many who wished to pay tribute, my talk came at the end of the funeral service. When I got up to speak, I could see Denise and Katie and David seated in front of me. During my message I remarked on the significance of the middle day of Easter weekend. In Christian tradition, it is often called Holy Saturday. It is the day when Christ’s body lay in the tomb. It is a day for contemplation and preparation. There are solemn services on Good Friday and joyful celebrations on Easter Sunday, but we don’t have Holy Saturday services. We rest, we wait, we pray, we contemplate the sufferings of the day before and the joy that will come tomorrow. I commented that if you have to die, the best week of the year to die is Holy Week because it always ends in a resurrection. It seemed significant that we were burying Keith on Holy Saturday--the day of preparation that comes between Good Friday and Easter. The message of Holy Saturday is, “Get ready. Something is about to happen. But it hasn’t happened yet.” I said to Denise, who was seated right in front of me, “The problem is, Saturday seems so long. It feels like Sunday will never get here." Then I told the congregation that I had checked and even though it was Saturday in Texas, it was already Sunday on the other side of the world. Way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Easter has already arrived. And it’s coming in our direction. Thank God, we’re not moving back toward the crucifixion. It may be Saturday but we’re moving toward Easter. Sunday’s coming. All we’ve got to do is hold on a little while longer and Sunday will soon be here.

When I got Denise’s email a few days ago, I wrote back with a few words of encouragement. Then I closed with this sentence: "Blessed Easter--It’s been a long Saturday but thank God, we’re still moving toward Sunday." She wrote back and said, "Ray, thanks, for the reminder that it’s Saturday...but we are still moving toward Sunday. I needed that."

It’s been four years since we buried Keith. Four years of waiting. There is no doubt about where Keith is. He is with the Lord. But oh, how long Saturday seems when you are waiting for Sunday to come.

We all live somewhere between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We are on the long Emmaus Road journey together. There are times when we feel alone and overwhelmed and doubts creep in and our heart gives way and we feel like we can’t go on. Then Jesus comes to us and says, "You are not alone. You never were alone. Even when you thought were alone, I was with you every step of the way."

We still make that long walk from the grave. We still weep and remember and wonder why. But everything is changed now. It may be Saturday for many of us, but thank God, Easter has already dawned across the universe. A bright light shines from the garden tomb. The light slowly chases the darkness away until one day, the darkness will be gone forever.

Child of God, behold the risen Christ! You can never be alone again.

We are Easter people marching from Good Friday through Holy Saturday on our way to Easter Sunday. We’re not quite there but we’re moving in the right direction.