19th April 2025
A time to lament
The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:19-24 (NRSVUE)
Holy Saturday is the day that lies between. It is a time of waiting. On the day before – Good Friday – we remember the horrors of Jesus’ crucifixion and mourn his death. We consider the part we played in this: it is our sin that necessitated Christ’s death. The day after – Easter Sunday – we rejoice with such gladness in his resurrection and the resultant hope that we too are raised with him. Death has been conquered, and we have been given the gift of eternal life. We can now live in the hope of a bright future despite our present circumstances.
Our emotions swing from deep despair and grief to exuberant joy! But what about the day in between? The day that Christ also waited, as his body lay in the tomb.
Some might be tempted to rush through this day and focus only on the joy that lies ahead. Others may use it as a time for quiet reflection as well as anticipation.
Whatever you choose to do, it is interesting to note that the lectionary reading for today can be found in the book of Lamentations. A lament can take different forms: a prayer, a psalm (hymn) or a poem that expresses deep sorrow, pain, or confusion, and this can be a healthy way for Christians to process grief in God’s presence. While we consider the grief experienced by those who loved Jesus and witnessed his traumatic death – his mother, his disciples and friends – we can truthfully acknowledge the dark places we too have experienced. Our Saviour is with us in our grief and sorrow. We should not pretend that we do not feel what we feel. Instead, we know that Jesus has experienced the depth of our pain, and this is so beautifully expressed in the words of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. His tears come from a broken place. A place we can relate to, a place where ‘bones are broken’, where ‘flesh and skin waste away’, and where we are ‘besieged and enveloped with bitterness and tribulation’, ‘We sit in darkness like the dead of long ago and although we cry out for help it seems as if God has shut out our prayers’ (Lamentations 3:4-8).
Holy Saturday is a day to sit with grief, either ours or someone else’s, and give ourselves time to feel its texture, weight, and shape. God does not expect us to diminish our pain and pretend everything is okay. We can balance on that knife edge of lament, and yet still have a fragile sense of hope. Lament is not a sign of weak faith: hope and lament can coexist. We lament Jesus’ violent crucifixion and death, but not without hope. Jesus joins us where we are, in the middle of the consequences of our sin and disobedience, or in the results of the sins of others.
No matter what, whether the end is near or far, we are not without hope. God is faithful and his steadfast love never ceases. This is the powerful message of Holy Saturday.
Prayer
Holy Father, we thank you that you give us time to process all our emotions, whether they are good or bad, healthy or otherwise. We know you are with us in all that we go through, never abandoning us. Instead, you show us the truth and the way forward, always with the sense of hope that comes from your steadfast love. We thank you in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Study by: Jackie Mill About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Central Glasgow
Garnethill Room
Conference Suite
St Andrews West
260 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4JP
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:15 am
Local congregational contact:
GCI, Glasgow. glasgow@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church