Set apart 10-30 minutes at some point on Saturday to work through this meditation slowly as an individual or household. Have a timer handy for moments of silence.

Read

John 19:38-42

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Reflect

Holy Saturday. A day we often miss entirely. In our flurry and hurry of preparation to ready ourselves for the celebration of Easter morning, we forget that there was an entire 24-hour day in between the horrors of Good Friday and the joys of Easter. More than a full day between death and life. Between the last exhale and the next inhale. A full day between the darkness of despair and the dawn of new hope.

We already know the full story, so it’s easy enough for us to skip straight to the “happy ending.” That feels more comfortable and much less awkward to us, especially in this day and age. And, if we’re honest, this is what we’re tempted to do with all of our problems, griefs and “little deaths” we experience during our time on earth. We tell ourselves, “everything will be fine in the end!” We push down our discomfort and sadness, jumping straight to an optimistic perspective. We find silver linings. We sugar-coat. We strive to turn our situation around as quickly as possible, and if that doesn’t succeed, we often try to escape, or medicate, or numb ourselves from feeling the pain. These are considered normal reactions in our broken world.

But is it how God intended us to live?

Why would God allow for an entire day between Good Friday and Easter? Is it “productive?” What good does it do us? What good did it do the disciples? Couldn’t Jesus have risen on Holy Saturday? Or, for that matter, immediately after being crucified? Why did He make the disciples wait till the third day?

It seems that, through some great mystery, God chose to use the waiting and silence of Holy Saturday for some deeper meaning and purpose. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways, and His timing is not our timing. It wasn’t Abraham’s timing, waiting for a promised child. It wasn’t Job’s timing, waiting for his family to be restored. And it wasn’t the disciples’ timing, waiting for the coming Kingdom and the resurrection.

So how do we approach these “confusing in-betweens” with appropriate health and faith? Have you ever considered how Jesus, the only perfect human to ever live, wept over the death of His friend Lazarus? He took real time to feel sadness and grief even though He knew He would resurrect Lazarus from the dead within a few hours! Jesus models time and time again that we are made as humans to slow down, to allow ourselves to feel emotions before God, and to wait for God to move in His timing.

On Holy Saturday we remember this most painfully confusing “in-between” that the disciples faced millenia ago. But we also recognize that each of us are facing our own “in-betweens” right now, as we wait for God to answer our prayers and ultimately redeem all things. We might be waiting for God to heal a disease or an emotional grief. We might be waiting for reconciliation with a friend or family member. We might be struggling with the recent loss of a life, a home, or a career. We may deeply desire a new relationship or a new chapter in life. We may be waiting for God to pull us out of a “dark night of the soul.” When we slow down, we may even simply feel the weight of the world’s brokenness and our longing for Christ to make all things new.

Yet, through each of these Holy Saturdays we live through, we are not alone. We find ourselves in the company of all who walked with Jesus before us, and even more preciously, we find ourselves in the very presence of our kind Savior who gave up His life for you and me. He who once lay still and breathless in the belly of a cold tomb now sits with us here in this moment.

SILENCE & STILLNESS

Right now, take a few moments to think about one or two “in-betweens” you’re experiencing, whether great or small. As they come to mind, allow yourself to feel sadness over your unmet longings. Silently ask God to fulfill these longings, even if you’ve asked countless times before.

Then, if possible, set a timer for 2-5 minutes to sit in silence and stillness before God. Remember that He is with you. Recognize that He also weeps with you over the “in-betweens.” Allow His presence with you now to bring comfort.

READ

“Holy Saturday” Written by Brent Summers, 2021

A threshold, and an open door,
A pause in sacred time,
Remembering what came before,
To know a plan sublime;
Suspended now ‘tween darkest day
And brightest dawn e’er known,
Our thoughts, unsettled as we pray,
Come to the heav’nly throne.
Today we wait expectantly,
In stillness look again
For patience and humility
As we trust alone in Him.
And in reflections through the day
Our hearts remain steadfast,
For Jesus is our hope and stay,
His love is unsurpassed.

So now we rest and contemplate
The fearful price He paid,
Too soon to join and celebrate;
A tension must be weighed;
To feel the somber gravity,
The solemn call is heard,
With rumors rustling in the breeze,
Profound in ev’ry word.
These liminal reflections bring
A wisdom as we pray,
Will deepen life in everything,
Give meaning to the day.
Oh God, give us the wherewithal
To wait and trust and cope
With passing time that sometimes crawls
Please fill our hearts with hope.

DISCUSS & REFLECT

• What stood out to you from these readings?
• What is God stirring in your heart today?

PRAY

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. -Book of Common Prayer

END IN SILENCE

Again, set a timer for 2-5 minutes, then sit in silence and stillness before God.

WHAT IS MAUNDY THURSDAY?

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Good Friday. It marks the final night that Jesus gathered with His disciples before His crucifixion. On that night He explained the meaning of His death through a modified passover feast, He gave some of his final teachings, and He washed the feet of His disciples teaching them a “new commandment”—to love one another just as He has loved us.

Traditionally, the church has gathered on this night to remember the Lord’s Last Supper and His commandment (latin: mandatum) to “love one another.” We do this by reading Scripture, praying, sharing a meal, and celebrating communion. This is a night of both remembrance and preparation. We slow down on Thursday night to remember the love of Jesus our Suffering Servant, and we prepare our hearts to feel both the sorrow and the gratitude that should particularly mark Good Friday.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

READ & PRAY

Prior to the meal, read aloud John 13:1-20 and 33-35. Then take a few minutes to pray around these themes:

• Give thanks for the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the real life community borne in this death and resurrection and seen gathered.
• Ask for help to remember and give weight to the events that this weekend memorializes.
• Ask for help to believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus really grants all that the New Testament claims (forgiveness, adoption, union with Jesus, and new life).
• Pray that God would move through our time together on Friday night and Sunday to help us believe and celebrate all that God has given us in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

EAT & DISCUSS

Share a meal together, discussing the importance of Holy Week. Here are some questions that may help spur on conversation:

• What is the significance of Jesus’ triumphal entry (Palm Sunday)? How was the way in which Jesus the king presented himself surprising to people? How is it surprising and/or difficult to accept for you?
• What took place during the Last Supper? What do we learn about the character of Jesus from that evening? How does this bring joy to you? How is it challenging?
• Why were the events of Good Friday necessary? For what reasons do you think it is hard for us to consider sin and its consequences? How do we see the glory of God in the crucifixion?
• What might prevent us from deep and full celebration on Easter Sunday? In what ways does Easter inspire joy, comfort, and hope? What are ways you can prepare your heart for Good Friday and Easter Sunday?


CELEBRATE THE LORD’S SUPPER

On the night before His death, Jesus taught His disciples the meaning of His death through a modified passover meal that He instituted as a perpetual reminder for all who would follow Him. While celebrating Communion weekly in our gathered worship is a vital practice for our church, celebrating in homes with smaller communities can also be a powerful practice that can help us remember and celebrate what Jesus did for us on the cross. Here are the basic elements involved in celebrating Communion with your community:

• Prepare: To celebrate Communion, you will need wine, grape juice, and bread.
• Remind: Remind your community that we are truly grateful for everyone who is present, but that Communion is a covenant meal that is intended for followers of Jesus.
• Read: Ask someone read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
• Serve: Ask two people to serve Communion by offering the bread and the cup, saying:
  • “The Body of Christ, broken for you.”
  • “The Blood of Christ, shed for you.”
• Sing (Optional): You can sing a simple and well-known hymn like The Doxology.
• Pray: Ask someone close in prayer, thanking Jesus for the love that He has shown us through His sacrificial death on the cross.

PREPARE FOR GOOD FRIDAY

Give some instructions in preparation for Good Friday. Our Good Friday service is very different from what many people have experienced. Encourage your community to arrive early. The service is very dark and is a service of remembrance and mourning. We will read together through the last hours of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. We will sing about the cross. At the end, we will – in silence and darkness – receive the Lord’s Supper and leave.

For many the service is a disorienting one. It is designed to break us from the banality of much of our lives, immerse us in the gravity and sadness that marks Good Friday, and stir in us a longing to see the fruit of this night on Easter. The closing silence is particularly poignant for people as we ask that the whole congregation leave the building and parking lot in silence. Pray for this night. Pray that the Gospel would be clear. Pray that non-Christians, on Good Friday and Easter, would be given faith to believe.

Adapted from Advent 2019.

“Fasting.” Just hearing the word can make us tighten up. Some of us feel guilt. Others become defensive or even angry. It’s a practice many of us have heard is probably a good thing and yet few of us engage it with any regularity.

Why is this practice so foreign? Why is it so difficult? Why do we run from it and then justify our avoidance of it? Why can’t we see the gift behind this discipline?

Richard Foster, in The Celebration of Discipline, reflects, “Why has the giving of money, for example, been unquestionably recognized as an element in Christian devotion and fasting so disputed? Certainly we have as much, if not more, evidence from the Bible for fasting as we have for giving. Perhaps in our affluent society fasting involves a far larger sacrifice than the giving of money.”

While there may be no direct command in the New Testament for the Church to fast, the words of Jesus in Matthew 6 appear to imply that all of His disciples will engage in this practice. “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (verse 16). Notice He says, when you fast. His assumption is that his followers will fast.

Following this assumption, Jesus is teaching us that our motives are what’s really important when practicing fasting. If we’re looking for praise or some kind of religious trophy, we might receive that—but it’s all we’ll receive. Jesus offers a better way: “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (verses 17-18). He is not saying we must avoid others’ knowledge of our fasting at all costs. The Bible is full of examples of corporate fasting (Acts 13 and 14, Esther 4, 2 Samuel 1, etc.). He is, however, concerned with why we’re fasting.

He wants our hearts. He wants us to be focused on Him above all else. He wants to give us a reward that can’t fade or be stolen from us.

So, despite our potentially-mixed bag of motives, we go together before God to engage with this practice. We want to put God first. Or, we want to want to put God first. We deny ourselves food to discipline our body, soul, and spirit and say that God is more important to us than food—than anything.

Below are a few ideas for best-practices and questions to consider for individuals, households, and Gospel Communities:

INDIVIDUALS

We’re inviting everyone in the church body to practice fasting on Wednesdays during Lent (February 17-March 31). Set a reminder for this upcoming Wednesday (or Tuesday evening) to join us because it’s so easy to forget!.

What exactly is fasting? David Mathis defines fasting as “voluntarily going without food—or any other regularly enjoyed, good gift from God–for the sake of some spiritual purpose.” Some people, for medical reasons or otherwise*, can’t fast from physical food but that doesn’t mean they’re excluded. Many have found that fasting from social media, Netflix, particular activities or foods has shown itself to be a helpful way of intentionally engaging with God. Fasting ultimately is about refraining from one thing that we might engage more intentionally with another, namely God.

Sam Storms comments: “The ironic thing about fasting is that it really isn’t about not eating food. It’s about feeding on the fullness of every divine blessing secured for us in Christ. Fasting tenderizes our hearts to experience the presence of God. It expands the capacity of our souls to hear his voice and be assured of his love and be filled with the fullness of his joy. Let me say it again: Fasting is not primarily about not eating food. It is primarily about feasting on God.”

Take a moment before Wednesday to prayerfully consider how you might engage well with God through this practice. Many will choose to go without food for breakfast and lunch. Others will skip one meal or go the entire 24-hours only consuming water (or maybe a cup of coffee). There isn’t a hard and fast rule here; the end goal is to increase relationship with God and ask Him to increase our desire for Him.

One healthy practice is to use the time you would’ve spent preparing and eating food to actually stop and pray! We can miss the point if we simply work through the lunch hour to keep our minds distracted from our hunger. Use the questions below to guide your time in prayer.

Many of us will feel some negative emotions and attitudes rise when we go without the food that our bodies are used to. This is normal and can actually be a gift from God. It is often being revealed what is inside us all along – weakness, dependence, anger, greed, etc. We often use good gifts like food to cope and cover up our inadequacies without even realizing it. Take these emotions before God in prayer, and give yourself grace for these feelings that certainly don’t seem very “spiritual.”

A note to those who choose to abstain from something other than food: You may decide that fasting from food is not a good idea because of a medical condition or because you are pregnant or nursing. Others may have an eating disorder or unhealthy relationship with food or body image, and this may not be a practice to try at this time. That’s okay! We’d encourage you to ask yourself before God, “What’s a good gift that I could give up temporarily in order to help train my heart to long for God more than His gifts?” Otherwise, perhaps now is a time to pursue healing and hunger for God in some other way. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your Gospel Community Leaders or a staff member if you need help walking through this.

Questions for individuals to consider or journal about:

• What are some things I hunger for or look forward to more than God?
• Why am I hesitant or resistant to fasting?
• How might my relationship to food or other good gifts be an indicator of what I long for?
• What do I long for God to do in my heart through fasting?
• What do I long for God to do in my community and my church through fasting?
• What are some negative emotions, attitudes, and feelings that rise in me while fasting? Bring those before God, asking for forgiveness, healing, and dependence on Him.
• Pray through this week’s confession of sin here.

HOUSEHOLDS

For families with small children, this practice may not be possible to engage with all together. Depending on the ages of your children, you may be able to choose one thing to give up together on Wednesdays like dessert or screen-time. Read through the “Individuals” category above and decide if you may be able to cast vision for your whole family to practice a form of fasting together. You may phrase it something like, “We wish we wanted God more than dessert, but usually we don’t. Tonight, we’re choosing to pray and ask Him to be happy with His presence instead of eating dessert, and thank Him that many days we do get to enjoy it.” Again, if possible, spend time praying together in the same time-slot you would have been engaging in whatever activity you’re abstaining from. Use the questions below to guide discussion or prayer time together.

For spouses and housemates, read through the “Individuals” category above and decide if you want to practice fasting together in the same manner. You may choose to keep each other accountable to practicing it (regardless of whether you practice it in the same way). Again, if possible, spend time praying together in the same time-slot you would have been preparing and eating food. Use the questions below to guide discussion or prayer time together.

Questions for kids and families to consider:

• What is fasting?
• Why does it sound hard?
• Why could fasting a good thing?
• What is a good thing we could give up for one day (or half-day) to spend time with God and ask Him to help us love Him more than anything else?
• Pray that God would help us want Him more than anything else. He is the best thing for us!

Questions for housemates or spouses to consider:

• What are some things we hunger for or look forward to more than God?
• Why are we hesitant or resistant to fasting?
• How might our relationship to food or other good gifts be an indicator of what we long for?
• How might fasting actually be a good gift for us?
• How can we help each other engage in fasting during Advent?
• What do we want God to do in ourselves, our families, or our households through fasting? Take these answers to God in prayer.
• Pray that God would increase our hunger, dependence, and desire for Him in this season.

Thank you for signing up to pray for a shift during our remote 24-hour prayer event! Haven’t signed up yet? Click Choose a shift below. Choose a Shift Pete Greig, founder of the 24-7 prayer movement writes, “99% of prayer is just showing up; making the effort to become consciously present to the God who is constantly present to us.”  We believe in a God who hears our prayers and acts on what he hears. It can be difficult to prioritize prayer, but this is one way we can put our money where our mouth is, even if we’re lacking faith or motivation. We’re the salt and light of this world. Let’s show up in prayer on behalf of our church, our city, and our world – praying for healing, racial reconciliation, and real systemic change. We encourage you to pray with your housemates, family, GC, or a friend (when possible), but you’re also welcome to spend this time alone with God.

How can I pray for 30 or 60 minutes?

It may be intimidating to think of praying for a half hour or entire hour; many of us struggle to pray for five consecutive minutes. Below are a number of suggestions on how you might spend your time with God. Further down are two optional minute-by-minute guides, if that’s your style. Here are a number of suggestions for types of prayer you might engage in:

• Time in silence. Sit before God in a posture of reverence and love.
• Pray through Psalm 101. You might take one line at a time, praying anything and everything it brings to mind. David is honest, and we can be too – even with our emotions, struggles, and shortcomings. Pray for holiness, healing, and righteousness in our world.
• Lament. Spend time in sorrowful reflection over the brokenness in our hearts and world. It’s okay to sit in pain over the centuries of racial oppression, and also over recent events in particular, longing for God to move and heal our world.
• Confession & repentance. Humble yourself before God, confessing ways you’ve wandered from His good & holy ways. Receive His forgiveness (and in doing so, forgive yourself!).
• Reflect and rejoice. Thank God for His provision, goodness, justice, mercy and love. Reflect on your life and your salvation. Praise God with words or with a song!
• Petition and intercession. Ask God for specific movement or provision. Ask for His Kingdom and Spirit to come in power to our city and world. Ask for specific needs to be met among family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Bring anything and everything before him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
• Breath prayers. Spend a few minutes repeating the same prayer as you breathe in and out. A few examples: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner,” “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done” or “Abba, I belong to you.”
• Listening Prayer. Spend time in silence, asking God to speak to you. Pay attention to where your mind goes – it may need to be redirected toward the presence of God, or it may start wandering toward something God is stirring.
• Prayer Walk. Get out of your home and go for a walk in the neighborhood. As you notice people, places, landmarks, homes, and nature, turn to God in prayer. Ask for righteousness in your neighborhood, salvation for neighbors, healing for the community, etc.!

We’d love to hear your stories, prayers, encouragement, or struggles during your time in prayer. Please share by emailing John@parkchurchdenver.org.

Hour of Prayer Minute-by-Minute Guide (optional):

Right Beforehand: Find a quiet space and remove distractions. Turn off your phone if possible. 0-5 minutes: Settle in a comfortable position but with good posture. Remember Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God.” Spend a few minutes in complete silence and stillness, remembering and enjoying His presence with you. 5-15 minutes: Read Psalm 101:1 – “I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.” If possible, sing a song about God’s love. You may use a song like “King of My Heart” or “Steadfast” by Sandra McCracken, played on an instrument, on YouTube, or singing a capella. If you don’t want to use music, spend these minutes thanking God for his steadfast and personal love toward you and toward those you know. Thank Him for His justice and His mercy. 15-40 minutes: Read through the rest of Psalm 101 slowly. Ask God to illuminate specific phrases or concepts. Re-read it again, slowly. Spend time praying for things that are stirred up because of the passage. Here are some prayer points you might use: 

• Confess ways that your heart has not always been full of integrity, that you’ve actively participated in injustice, slander, pride, lust, or greed. Ask your Father for forgiveness, knowing He offers it freely through Jesus.
• Pray for the Church. Ask God for an increase in His Global Church. Pray that Park Church would do justice, and to love kindness, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Pray that we’d be known for our love (John 13:35). Pray that we’d be a generation that seeks His face, etc.
• Pray for the city of Denver. Pray that God would bring about healing and justice, especially for those who have been oppressed, overlooked, and marginalized. They are near to God’s heart. Ask God to heal wounds and bring about racial reconciliation, beginning in your own heart. Pray that the Church would shine brightly in this city.
• Pray for our world. Pray for our world leaders to walk humbly and submit to Jesus’ reign. Pray that this season would bear Gospel fruit throughout the world. Ask the Lord to send out laborers to see many come to find joy in Jesus soon (Matthew 9:38).

40-50 minutes: Engage in “listening prayer.” Prayer should be more than a list of demands we lay at God’s feet – it can also be a two-way conversation. Ask God if there’s anything He’d like to speak to you or remind you of. Then sit in silence for at least 5 straight minutes. If your mind wanders, sometimes you’ll need to reign in your thoughts. Other times, you may want to invite God into your thoughts, asking if He wants to say something. Pray about whatever He brings to mind. If you don’t “hear” anything, that’s okay! Time in silence before God is always time well spent. 50-55 minutes: Reflect on what God may have stirred in you in the last hour. Is there something you’d like to do or change because of this time? Is there someone who may need a word of love or encouragement? Invite God into this thought process. Make a mental note (or a real note!) of what the next step may be (if there are any). 55-60 minutes: “Breath Prayer.” Choose a word, phrase, or sentence prayer from this hour and spend 2 minutes breathing slowly in and out, repeating that prayer. You may choose to use this: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” Thank Jesus for His attentiveness to you, this hour, and always. Afterward: If anything stood out from your hour, we’d love to hear your words of encouragement, prayer, or struggle. Send your thoughts to John@parkchurchdenver.org

30 Minutes of Prayer Minute-by-Minute Guide (optional):

Right Beforehand: Find a quiet space and remove distractions. Turn off your phone if possible. 0-5 minutes: Settle in a comfortable position but with good posture. Remember Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God.” Spend a few minutes in complete silence and stillness, remembering and enjoying His presence with you. 5-10 minutes: Read Psalm 101:1 – “I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.” If possible, sing a song about God’s love. You may use a song like “King of My Heart” by Sarah McMillan or “Steadfast” by Sandra McCracken, played on an instrument, on YouTube, or singing a capella. If you don’t want to use music, spend these minutes thanking God for his steadfast and personal love toward you and toward those you know. Thank Him for His justice and His mercy. 10-25 minutes: Read through the rest of Psalm 101 slowly. Ask God to illuminate specific phrases or concepts. Spend time praying for things that are stirred up because of the passage. Here are some prayer points you might use: 

• Confess ways that your heart has not always been full of integrity, that you’ve actively participated in injustice, slander, pride, lust, or greed. Ask your Father for forgiveness, knowing He offers it freely through Jesus.
• Pray for the Church. Ask God for an increase in His Global Church. Pray that Park Church would do justice, and to love kindness, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Pray that we’d be known for our love (John 13:35). Pray that we’d be a generation that seeks His face, etc.
• Pray for the city of Denver. Pray that God would bring about healing and justice, especially for those who have been oppressed, overlooked, and marginalized. They are near to God’s heart. Ask God to heal wounds and bring about racial reconciliation, beginning in your own heart. Pray that the Church would shine brightly in this city.
• Pray for our world. Pray for our world leaders to walk humbly and submit to Jesus’ reign. Pray that this season would bear Gospel fruit throughout the world. Ask the Lord to send out laborers to see many come to find joy in Jesus soon (Matthew 9:38).

25-30 minutes: Reflect on what God may have stirred in you in the last hour. Is there something you’d like to do or change because of this time? Is there someone who may need a word of encouragement? Spend another minute in silence, inviting God to speak to you. Make a mental note (or a real note!) of what a next step may be (if there are any). Thank Jesus for His attentiveness to you, this hour, and always. Afterward: If anything stood out from your hour, we’d love to hear words of encouragement, prayer, or struggle. Send your thoughts to john@parkchurchdenver.org