In the past the Church would not have been waiting or
quiet today. It would have been busy, a marvellous flurry of activity; with beautiful
lilies and flowers cut and arranged by all our great flower arrangers, the Lent
cross would be prepared for people’s flowers tomorrow, the bare Easter garden set up, the organist
passionately practising the finale for the Easter service, the cleaning team scrubbing,
polishing and vacuuming, the sacristy team putting back all the altar frontals,
silverware and the fresh linen and amidst all the flowers’ scent there would be
the smell of coffee and hotcross buns and the lively chatter of the workers!
But today the church lies silent. And today, we too can
find silence, we can use this time of waiting this time of suspense between two
worlds, that of the darkness of Jesus’ death and the glorious light of resurrection; to be silent, calm
and still, a time to be slow, reflecting
on our fears and anxieties, and then letting them go into the quiet space of
prayer and the presence of God. Isaiah said:
I will wait for the Lord, and I will hope in
him.
They who wait for the Lord shall renew their
strength, they shall mount up with wings like the eagles, they shall run and
not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 8:17 and 40:31
Christ,
our Lord,
Your
love is poured out for us,
Hold
us in your embrace
As we
wait for the dawn of Easter, comfort us with the promise,
That
nothing can separate us from your love,
And strengthen
us to wait in stillness and calm
Until
you are revealed to us in all your risen glory. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment