{"id":217,"date":"2020-04-11T12:04:57","date_gmt":"2020-04-11T12:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/?p=217"},"modified":"2020-04-11T12:04:57","modified_gmt":"2020-04-11T12:04:57","slug":"holy-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/11\/holy-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n

HOLY WEEK SERVICES<\/p>\n\n\n

Our shift online in the midst of crisis allows us to embrace the tradition of Holy Week services. From Holy Monday to Holy Saturday, we will share a short service each day\u2014as we prepare for the resurrection of our Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

SCRIPTURE SENTENCES<\/p>\n\n\n

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
\n his mercies never come to an end;
\nthey are new every morning;
\n great is your faithfulness.
\nThe LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
\n “therefore I will hope in him.” \u2014Lamentations 3.22-24<\/p>\n\n\n

PRAYER:<\/p>\n\n\n

You are with us, Lord,
even in the waiting place\u2014
particularly in the waiting place
where cross, tomb, and glory meet.
Hold us fast, God, and wait with us
speak words of comfort
as we inhabit the uncertainty of this time.
We know you are ever near. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n

READING: Matthew 27.62-66<\/p>\n\n\n

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.”
\nPilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.<\/p>\n\n\n

REFLECTION<\/p>\n\n\n

The creeds of the Christian Church agree that Jesus descended into hell on Holy Saturday. Remarkably, they are not clear on what he was doing in hell\u2014but there are some clues. In 1 Peter 4 we learn that Jesus \u201cpreached even to the dead\u201d and in Ephesians 4 we get this curious reference to descending: \u201che made captivity itself a captive.\u201d Obviously the doctrine of descending into hell stood, but the meaning remained unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n

Enter \u00c6lfric of Eynsham, abbot of a small monastery in Oxfordshire. Abbot \u00c6lfric was a noted preacher and writer, born in the latter part of the Anglo-Saxon golden age. It was \u00c6lfric who coined the phrase, the \u201charrowing of hell,\u201d describing the process of releasing souls from hell. Wonderfully, harrowing has two meanings: it can mean \u201ctormenting\u201d (tormenting the tormentor) and it also means \u201cthe process of breaking up the earth with a harrow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

Both meanings work for me. Jesus descended into hell to \u201cmake captivity itself a captive,\u201d underling that death is defeated by going to the very place where forgiveness is needed most. In my view, this is the end of hell itself, cleared by the atoning work of God in Jesus. And I love the idea of \u201cbreaking up the earth\u201d to plant the seeds of salvation wherever sin exists. Thanks be to God.<\/p>\n\n\n

HYMN: My song is love unknown (verse 4)<\/p>\n\n\n