Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ~ Matthew 27:59–60
For some of us, Easter can be summed up as planning outfits for the family, working extra hard on a fancy meal, forcing family pictures, and cleaning the kitchen for hours after hosting a big lunch.
Preparing for Easter can be a handful.
But Easter is supposed to be the greatest celebration of the year, right?! It’s like the most important day in a Christian’s life. But for some of us, it feels more like a hard day of work than a celebration!
Well, it may be too late this year to do something different for tomorrow, but there may be a simple thing we can do today, to help Easter mean a little more this year. Enter “Holy Saturday.”
The word “holy” means set apart as special, and Holy Saturday is traditionally a day of rest (just like Jesus rested in the tomb). It’s a day to spend more time in prayer. And also an invitation to dream about the day when Christ will return and finally make all things right.
So what if you took a few extra minutes to pray today, in preparation for tomorrow? If you’re up for it, here’s a passage of Scripture and a prayer that captures the heart behind Holy Saturday:
A Holy Saturday Prayer
Weeping God, who cries over the brokenness of the world, and whose tears lead to action, help me feel the weight of this Holy Saturday as I remember Jesus buried in the tomb. Lord of lament, who feels the weight of sin and death, help me not move too quickly past the emotion in my heart. As I wait to celebrate tomorrow’s glorious resurrection—where Jesus defeated death and sin—help me eagerly anticipate that final day when all will be made right. Amen.
A simple prayer like this can be all we need to get started connecting with God in our Lent journeys. To follow more of our journey through Lent and check out our other Lent devotions click here!
Original content by Reclaim Today. Reshared with permission.