In the Midst of Darkness

Please prepare a 1-5 min spoken word. Silent Saturday is centered on the day after the Crucifixion of Jesus. We want to remember the anticipation, anguish, and/or the waiting before his Resurrection. How did people feel during the day? How is Silent Saturday applied in today's world? If desired, feel free to share any personal experiences related to Silent Saturday. As I sit back and think about this day 2000 years ago, I’ve come to the conclusion that today and yesterday have got to go down as the darkest days in history. For centuries the scriptures talk about a Messiah and a savior. The people believe that Jesus is the Christ and they look to Him as their beacon of light, their savior. However, these people just witnessed who they believed to be the Messiah beaten to a pulp, scourged, mocked, spit on, given a crown of thorns that were gushed into his head, and finally, crucified. I can only imagine the anguish and the agony that they felt as they witnessed the one they put their hope in die on the cross, feeling defeated, lost, and hopeless. In Luke 24:21 2 of Jesus’ followers are talking and they say “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.” But then I can picture them holding onto the tiniest sliver of hope as they’re reminded that the earth began to shake, the sky was filled with darkness, and the veil in the temple was torn at his death. This can’t happen for no reason, this gives them reason to expect something even on the silence of this day. They had no idea of the glory that what was to come but they were in hopeful anticipation!

We find ourselves just like the people on this day at times in our lives, defeated and hopeless. We feel like God is silent and we are in a season of stillness waiting for God to move, waiting for breakthrough in our life. Waiting for the job opportunity, waiting for that person you’ve been praying for to finally come around, waiting to be delivered, waiting for the positive pregnancy test, waiting for the partner you’ve been desperately praying for, waiting for God to come through somehow. Sometimes we grow weary and lose hope. But God calls us to remain faithful and to trust Him. Jesus’ followers had no idea that Jesus was preparing a way for them, that death wasn’t the end of the story. They had no idea that He was about to have victory over death and the grave but they were anticipating something. This is how we ought to be brothers and sisters, expecting God to move even when we feel like He is silent. To trust Him in the midst of darkness and to trust Him when we have no idea what He is doing. I believe this verse is the perfect example to describe this day, Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” We know how this story ends and that’s in victory. And if we are in Him we can claim victory also! My brothers and sisters, I don't know how long the night will be in your story, days, weeks, months, or even years but God’s word tells us that joy will come! Rejoice in His promises! And even if it’s not in this life it will surely be in the next as Revelation 21:4 tell us, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Sometimes we are like people on that day waiting for God to move, in anticipation of something hopeful, for something big to happen. When it seems like He is silent and He isnt doing anything, He is preparing a way for us, He was preparing a way for us to be reunited through Him! Through the Lord Jesus Christ! He is the way maker, we know He has the victory because we know how the story ends!!

joy come in the morning verse, epitome