Today is known as Holy Saturday in the Christian calendar, or as some people have named it: Silent Saturday. That is because on this day, the day between the crucifixion of Good Friday and the resurrection of Easter Sunday there is stillness and silence. The grave is silent. There is no word or sound from heaven. The Sabbath is observed by the Jewish people, who cease from work and rest.
During Jesus' trial there are times when he remains silent, recorded in Matthew 26 and Mark 14. He could have called down legions of angels, he could have shouted out the truth in his defence, but he chose to remain silent in the face of the accusations and anger, to fulfil the prophecy found in Isaiah 53:7.
Many people experience the silence of heaven, not just on Silent Saturday, but many times during their lives. This can be a very painful experience and it is easy to feel abandoned or hopeless in these times. I wonder how the disciples felt on that Saturday as they observed the Sabbath. They must have been bewildered, devastated, feeling guilty and lost. It is important to acknowledge these feelings and not to brush them aside - they are a very real part of life. But it is also important to remember that Silent Saturday is not the end of the story. On Sunday, Jesus was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father as our glorious, reigning King and Lord. This is true whether we are experiencing silence or not. Silence is painful, and it can feel like it lasts for ever, but it doesn't, because the end of our story is always life and hope when we are in Christ.
On this page in Matthew 26 I used the lily stamp from Rustic Easter to stamp a wreath, masking off each stamped image so I could layer another one over the top so they created a continuous image. I coloured with watercolour and stamped the text using Skinny Minnie Alpha and Chunky Lowercase Alpha. Here are the sets I used:
I hope that if you are experiencing what feels like silence from heaven right now that you will take comfort from the truth of the resurrection and the hope that this brings. I also hope that if you know of people who feel like heaven is silent to them that you would be able to minister this truth to their hearts.
Be blessed...
x Amy x
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