On Holy Saturday 2020 many people around the world found themselves under restrictions and social distancing regulations because of the Covid-19 virus. Here is a word of Hope that we shared in the Beacon of Hope that day.
How often have you heard a sermon, read a refection or stopped to think about Holy Saturday? It is the day between our Good Friday sorrow and our Easter Sunday celebration. It is the day the disciples were resting (it was their sabbath), locked in an upper room and mourning Jesus’ death. On that first Saturday they did not know what was coming on Easter Sunday.
Today many of you are locked up in your homes. You may be feeling the loss of many things in your life. You may be feeling the loss of many things in your life. You may not know what tomorrow will bring. But, WE LIVE IN RESURRECTION HOPE! Unlike the disciples on that first Holy Saturday, we DO know that Jesus rose from the dead! And we know that He comes to us, even behind locked doors, and breathes His Holy Spirit into us so that WE DO NOT NEED TO BE AFRAID.
The Apostles Creed reminds us that on Holy Saturday Jesus ‘descended into hell’. (You can read the Creed below) He didn’t do that so we could continue to live in fear of death. He went to hell and back so that we don’t have to! He battled the powers of hell and death so that we can live in the fulness of life everlasting with Him, today and every day and for ever more.
We want to share the HOPE of the resurrection with you TODAY. Wherever you are, and whatever confinement looks like for you today, we pray that you will have a new encounter with our living Lord Jesus, who went to hell and back so that you can receive the fulness of His love:
Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow —not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 37-39 NLT
