Fear Day

There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell. - Psalm 27:1-2

For many of us, Holy Saturday is a joyous day, because we know what is coming tonight with the Easter Vigil, or tomorrow with Easter Sunday service, either at sunrise or later in the morning.

But for the disciples, this was not a good day at all.  It was a day of fear.

The Roman strategy for dealing with insurrections was simple.  Strike the head and the body scatters.  And so it was at first with Jesus and his followers.  Everyone scattered, and from the crucifixion yesterday until the resurrection tomorrow, all would be living in fear.

Without the Resurrection, there would be no followers.  Perhaps by this morning some had already left Jerusalem and made their way back to their fishing boats and homes.

Imagine what that was like.

They had been away for three years, traveling with the one they thought would be king, and they would have a place in that kingdom.

Like the parable of the prodigal son, they would return with nothing to show for their time away.

And on top of it all, they lived in fear of being hunted down and murdered, just like Jesus.

This is when they need their faith most.  When all is bleak, when nothing is working out, they need to know that God is with them and Jesus will not leave them, ever.

They need what we have.  And yet, how well do we live in faith?

Holy Saturday is a day of hope.  We are filled with fear, but we know through faith that there is reason to hope for something better to come.

If only we could remember that when times are tough.

Then there would no fear days left.

More to come...