Saturday 30 March 2024

Psalm 4

Background

Yesterday we read how Jesus was crucified and today we learn how his body was wrapped in linen cloths and laid in a tomb.

This reading causes me to pause and reflect on a number of things. One is the role of mortuary attendants, undertakers and others who lovingly prepare bodies in accordance with various religious or secular traditions. It causes me to give thanks for Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

This reading also makes me think of those who have not had the body of a deceased loved one to view. They have no finality, no comfort or peace in their grief.

This reading also causes me to pause and think of the beautiful 'Stations of the Cross' that I have observed in Roman Catholic and Anglo-Catholic churches; they are referred to as 'stopping places' and give people time to reflect.

For the disciples, wrecked by the grief of losing their beloved leader, things must have seemed to have come to a full stop today. Would Jesus rise to new life just as he promised? It’s easy for us, as Christians in the 21st century: we know the story and know Jesus rises from the dead on Easter Day. But the disciples at the time must have been very downcast.

Today is called Holy Saturday or Low Saturday. It may be for some a day of quiet contemplation; a day when churches are adorned with beautiful flower arrangements in preparation for the Easter vigil which begins after sunset.

To Ponder:

• On this somber day, you might like to think what your last wishes might be.
• Hold in your prayers those who prepare the dead for burial or cremation.
• What does the joy and hope of Jesus' resurrection mean to you and how could you share that with others? You could attend an Easter Vigil Service at your local church or read it through here.

Prayer

"Almighty God, whose servant St Joseph of Arimathea went in boldly to Pilate and craved the body of Jesus: Grant us, according to thy Son’s own promise, to receive his most holy Body, not unto burial and a tomb, but as the Living Bread that came down from heaven, and now reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end." From 'A Procession of Passion Prayers' by the Revd Eric Milner-White (2010, Landor Press)

Bible notes author: Deacon Richard Goldstraw

Richard Goldstraw has been a member of the Methodist Diaconal Order for 30 years. His ministry is in the south of England but he is originally from Calder Valley in West Yorkshire. Charity shops, shopping, royalty, classical music and cats warm his heart among many other interests.