by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Hope

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut.”
Revelation 3:8 English Standard Version

It’s Holy Saturday. Holy Saturday is like passing through the Dakotas. People pass through the Dakotas but rarely stop. Holy Saturday is a day we move from Good Friday to Easter but rarely stop to reflect on its importance.

The tomb is shut. The stone is rolled over the grave. Jesus’ disciples are hiding. The women are waiting. Jesus’ body is in its grave. Holy Saturday is a gut-wrenchingly painful day.

Today we pause to remember our loved ones who have died in the faith, those whose tombs have been sealed. Today I think about my dad and mom, my sisters Jeannine and Lois. Today I remember standing at the graves of people that I have buried, people who played a significant roll in my life.

Their tombs are sealed, but not forever.

Today is a day that we realize how life has changed by the shut tombs of people we love, but it is also a day we live in hope.

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
1 Corinthians 15:20 English Standard Version

Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have an open door in front of us that no one can shut. It is the open door to the resurrection and the promise that all who die in Christ will also rise from the dead. The firstfruits were the guarantee that more was coming. Because of Jesus’ victory over death, the more that’s coming is the resurrection of all flesh.

But we wait. It’s not Easter yet. So instead of spending today only focused on getting ready for our Easter celebration, how about we spend some time thinking about our loved ones who are waiting to be called from their graves.

Let’s cry. Let’s rejoice. The door is about to open.

Copyright Hoy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado