As the watchman waits for sun’s first rays And a bridegroom turns when the music plays Hope stands outside our door
As before the flower a bud first swells And the Robin comes as the snow still melts Spring breathes and longs for more
At the sunset hour when the grave was sealed In that silent night when no church bells pealed Who knew what lay in store?
In grief Mary trudged to the tomb that day Before the dawn turned black to gray To that terrible place Where her Lord had died Till He came Called her name Now forever alive!
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 NIV
It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. Luke 23:55-56 ESV
Now usually the phrase is, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.” but it is no less true on our Saturdays. Fridays are the time of suffering, but Saturday is more final still. The dead body of Jesus lay in the tomb. A stone was rolled across the entrance and two Roman guards stood outside. Do you ever wonder what the disciples were thinking, or how Mary the mother of Jesus as well as Mary Magdalene and the other faithful women were coping with the crushing weight of grief?
There are few audiences in America that may appreciate the depth of despair in which our faith is challenged to the max than people in long-term care. We were blessed yesterday to have Pastor Joe deliver this message to us, and the highpoint wasn’t his yelling, pounding on the podium or shouting (because none of that happened!). The highpoint was hearing the dear voices of residents echoing back to him, “But Sunday is coming!” Some have lost roommates, are suffering physically and feel forgotten by everyone. So, when they dan say with assurance, “But Sunday is Coming!”, their faith gets me excited, and I do hope that this sweet, simple message will also be a blessing to you on this Easter Saturday morning. No matter your situation, how big the stone lies across the entrance to the door of hope or how big the powers are that guard it: it may be Saturday in your life: “But Sunday is Coming!”
Dawn would be too nice of a description for the gray morning light gradually brightening today’s cloudy sky. But one dove welcomes our morning, sunny or not, with her gentle cooing. Then a mockingbird wipes sleep from his eyes and begins running through his seemingly limitless repertoire of borrowed songs. Not to be outdone one far less glamorous crow, perches on the crown of our roof and loudly proclaims that morning is here: it’s time to wake up and get going for the day! All these members of God’s choir know something about rejoicing in the moment that I too easily forget.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,Psalm 92:1-2 NKJV
I confess that with the multiplying of aches and pains, the complications of family issues and the sadness of unfulfilled dreams, that mornings often come with their own chilly spiritual fog. But God has not left Himself without a witness, and when I sit quietly and listen, He sends messengers to wake my heart up again and hope in Him. In the words of the carol, by Longfellow:
“Then pealed the bells More rich and deep God is not dead nor doth He sleep,” Christmas Bells
There is a hope we may find far better than doves, mockingbirds, and crows. A song deeper still than church bells and a dawn that breaks behind any gray sky, because though the darkness of the cross lies ahead, Easter is coming. Jesus watches us through our night seasons, and the depth of His love brightens our grayest morning and shines through even our darkest night!
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