A day of rest-lessness

It was meant to be a day of rest. For years and years, the Jewish people had celebrated the Sabbath. On the seventh day of Creation, God rested. And when God handed down the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, there it was...
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 NIV)
But for many of them on this particular Sabbath, it didn't feel blessed, or holy. For several years, they had followed their Teacher. The one that Peter had called the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
The healer.
The one who loved those that no one else would love.
The one who raised Lazarus from the dead and sent demons into a herd of pigs.
But today, today he was dead. In a tomb.
Hope turned to hopelessness. Their dreams of salvation nailed to a cross, one painful swing of a mallet at a time.
They watched their leader, their rabbi, their friend, die the death of a common criminal.
I wonder what they did on that day between Good Friday and Easter. Did they really rest at all on this day meant for rest. Were they able to sleep or find peace?
Fast forward two thousand years...
How many of us live in that same place?
Between Good Friday and Easter.
Dreams that have been dashed.
Hopes that have been crushed.
Futures that look hopeless and bleak.
Sometimes in the midst of restlessness and hopelessness, we forget that Easter is coming.
There will come a day when the Son will rise again. When all will be made new. When hope will live and love will reign.
But between Good Friday and Easter, things don't always feel right. The world isn't as it should be. We often feel lost and confused. Like the disciples, we find it hard to believe that hope can still live after we watched it die.
There is only one who has died and been raised to eternal life. He went before us to make the way. He overcame all that Satan had to throw at him and stands victorious.
As we live in the dark place between death and life, the reality of this world, remember that in Christ, life wins! Even in the midst of pain and darkness, there is hope. Wherever you find yourself today, remember that in God's Kingdom, there is always hope, even when you can't see it. Even in the restlessness of the Sabbath between Good Friday and Easter, God is working to make all things new.

shine!
Jason