HOLY SATURDAY (4/3/21)

I’m Marcie and I’m part of the new Unnamed Home Group. I recently
moved to South Bend from Michigan when my husband Andrew joined
the sta” at Riverside.

  • The passage you are going to read today is Matthew 27: 45-61.

I have not invested much of my time in superhero movies, but I live
in a house with several fans. Recently, after viewing a newer release
and showing some interest, my family then showed me several older
movies, fast forwarding to each of the pivotal scenes of each movie in an
attempt to get me caught up on the background knowledge that would
help me understand what was happening in the newest release. As I sat
on the couch watching action-packed, climactic scenes, my youngest son
sat at my side, reciting the lines of the heroes. He had memorized all the
important lines; words that were changing the course of the fate of the
world as heroes and villains battled it out in front of us on screen.

Reading today’s passage reminds me of my recent crash course in
superheroes. If you were giving someone a crash course in the good
news of the Gospel story, this would be one of the passages you would
fast forward to, the pivotal scene, the place where the audience, new
to the story, would hold their breath and bow their head at their hero’s
defeat. Emotions running in overdrive as those present at the death
of Jesus begin to understand what they have witnessed. Confusion,
sadness, some were even terrified at the realization that Jesus was,
“truly the Son of God”.

That night I sat in our living room watching the important scenes in
Marvel history, my son kept whispering in my ear, “Don’t worry Mom,
Ironman is going to snap and save them all.”

With each, twist and turn, when it looked like the end for the heroes, my
son reminded me that Ironman would come through in the end.

We are a people who, like my son, know the story! We know what
happens next. We can be the people who whisper in the ears of
others, “Don’t worry, He will rise again!” But our knowledge is sweeter
because we know the whole story, and today we reflect on that hard
part. Do not fast forward through this part of the story. The death. The
deflated expectations of the disciples. The hurting hearts of those there
witnessing Jesus’ last breath. The service of Joseph and the women
who took care of Jesus’ broken body. We sit in the tension that grief and
our expected joy need to mingle together in these days.

As you reflect on today’s reading ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are you grieving today? How is Jesus showing up in your grief?
  • What joy are you holding onto today? How is Jesus showing up in that joy?