As the sun set the evening before, Jesus, the one who was crucified, was laid in the tomb. For so many, grief was the only thing they would know as the sun rose again the day after. It was the Sabbath. There was no work to be done. It was a time for prayer and fasting. For those who followed Jesus, the Sabbath would bring anything but peaceful rest.
Who could know the content of their prayers? Who could understand the pain felt deep in the hearts of the women who accompanied Jesus along the way? And what of the remaining eleven disciples of our Lord? Surely, the unfolding of such tragedy must have been impossible for them to bear. Yet, they found one another, and banded together is a safe place.
Still, this Sabbath day could be like no other. The events of the day before, the torture of the one called Christ, the nailing of innocent flesh to the cross, and the quaking of the earth at the moment of his death would cast a long shadow as the dawning sun rose the day after. All their could be…is grief.
Prayer: Console us, dear Lord, as we reflect upon the guilt of our sinfulness. Comfort us, as we await the dawning of the Easter sun, and the rising of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
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In the Beginning 