Theologically speaking, we all know that today, the Saturday between the Cross and the Resurrection, is the longest day of the year.
And, it pictures where we are in life. While we have a certain and fixed hope, we still wait for the return of Christ.
Nowhere is this felt more keenly than in the nursing home. I went to two different nursing homes today. The first lady I prayed with is near the end. This will most likely be her final Saturday before Easter. I read to her both the account of the crucifixion and the resurrection from Matthew’s Gospel.
But, my final visit was to a dear lady in our church who is still thinking clearly, and so wrestling with waiting in a nursing home. She tried to be positive; she told me they had a blessed Good Friday service and that the preaching was her favorite part.
She then confessed to me that she has been reading the Catholic devotional aloud to the Catholics. She said, “Pastor, they don’t have anyone who is up to reading right now, so I read it to them.” I gave her absolution for this (in a Protestant sort of way) and told her it is okay.
Still, this dear sister is very tired of being in the nursing home. I said to her, “It’s so much like waiting for Christmas when you’re young. It seems as though it will never get here. But, very soon, the resurrection will be here, and the dead in Christ will rise, and so we can be comforted with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).”
Is there someone who won’t be able to get out for Easter this year that you could encourage? Even tomorrow, it’s still Saturday in the nursing home.
Thank you for this reminder, Chris.