Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. – Zephaniah 1:7
Do you think about all the preparations and plans you would be making if the world hadn’t turned inside out because of the pandemic? I do. I find myself thinking about the usual plans to celebrate holy week and Easter, but I’m also thinking about how do those preparations translate to this current way of living?
Some things haven’t changed, the kids decorated Easter Eggs yesterday, and will probably have the adults hide them sometime later this week. We still have the daily chores of laundry, dishes, putting away toys, dishes, dishes (goodness there are a lot of dirty dishes). I’m still working on an Easter sermon to share the joy of resurrection with you. I’m still overthink my plans, and making things more difficult on myself then they should be. But I am finding that in the midst of all of this reworking of preparations, God’s already got it planned out.
We know that God works all things to the good of those who love God, who are called to according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Yet, God is preparing even more than we realize. In the daily video meditations, I’ve been working my way through the events of Holy Week according to the gospel of Mark, and today’s lesson focuses on the preparation, and Peter.
What I find intriguing about the way the gospel tells of the preparation is that Jesus sends two disciples to find a man they have never met, carrying a jug of water, and from him, they will find a place already prepared for them. An upper room already set, ready for them to go and enjoy the Passover meal together.
Long before Jesus ever walks the earth, we know that God was preparing for that time to come, God was preparing the final sacrifice. The prophets spoke of the one who is coming often. God was making plans, and is even now, though we are unaware. I can’t wait to see what happens when the guests are invited to come out from their dwellings, and into the house of the Lord. What a day of rejoicing that will be!
Until then, we can rest assured, that God has a plan for us. We can be patient, just like the patience of flower waiting to open into full bloom. So, too, we wait to open up our doors; for when the Son calls us out, we will shine with beautiful brilliance as we celebrate life that can be shared in community once more.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
For the video mediation for Holy Wednesday please visit: https://www.stmarkknox.org/sermons
or view on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stmarkknox/