Thread by @DisabilityJ

@KtTup here, as @DisabilityJ
Hosting a time of reflection on this Holy Saturday...

Hold in mind the desolation of the disciples, family & friends of Jesus, as they watched him endure an illegal trial, torture, and execution, on Good Friday

& the isolation of suspended grief...

Grace, mercy and peace –

from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ –

be with us as we gather....

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

on this most holy night,

when our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life,

the Church invites her children throughout the world

to come together in vigil and prayer.

All who are thirsty, this is the place for water.

All who are hungry, this is the place to be fed.

God speaks, and all who will listen will have life.

from Genesis 1

First,
God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see.

Earth was a soup of nothingness,
a bottomless emptiness,
an inky blackness.

God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss....

God spoke: “Light!”

And light appeared.

Light and Dark – named and good.

Day One.

God spoke: “Sky!”

And sky appeared.

Heaven above – named and good.

Day Two.

God spoke: “Separate!”

And land appeared.

Oceans and live-giving Earth – named and good.

Day Three.

God spoke: “Lights! In Heaven’s sky.”

And there they were.

Stars, sun and moon – named and good.

Day Four.

God spoke: “Swarm!”

And they did.

Swimming and flying – named and good.

Day Five.

God spoke: “Earth, generate life!”

And it did.

Mammals, reptiles, bugs – named and good.

And humans, the stewards – named and very good.

Day Six.

Blessed are you, Lord, God of our salvation.
Your love cannot be contained
& overflows in the wonder of creation.
You formed the universe out of nothing & moulded us from the clay of the earth.
All you have made sings of your marvellous deeds,
O Lord, our maker and redeemer.

All who are thirsty, this is the place for water.

All who are hungry, this is the place to be fed.

God speaks, and all who will listen will have life.

Ezekiel 37
The hand of the Lord was on me: he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord, set me in the middle of a valley full of bones &led me among them: I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.  He asked, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

 Then he said to me,
“Prophesy to these bones and say to them,

'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.....

....
 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded.

And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 

I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them...

Then he said, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”  
So I prophesied as he commanded me, & breath entered them; they came to life

He said: “Son of man these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are cut off.’  
Prophesy: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I will open your graves, bring you up from them; bring you back to the land of Israel...

Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.  I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

Blessed are you, Lord, God of our salvation.
You bring life from the darkest valley of death.
When hope is lost &our dry bones are scattered in shame,
speak your word to your broken people,
that we may stand confidently before you,
& breathe your Spirit into us that we might live

All who are thirsty, this is the place for water.

All who are hungry, this is the place to be fed.

God speaks, and all who will listen will have life.

Romans 6

So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? ...

That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus, raised into a light-filled world by our Father in our new grace-sovereign country.

Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck &call! We believe this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we get included in his life-saving resurrection.

From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word.
You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.

God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

Therefore we pray to our heavenly Father

for people everywhere according to their needs...

Father in heaven,

your name be holy,

your kingdom come,

your will be done.

Daily bread received,

forgiveness received,

forgiveness given freely.

Temptation refused, from evil protected.

The kingdom, power, and glory are yours

now and for ever.  Amen.

Lighten our darkness,

Lord, we pray,

and in your great mercy

defend us from all perils and dangers of this night,

for the love of your only Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

John 20

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.......

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