19 April 2025

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Holy Saturday

1 Peter 4:1-8

Wait for the Lord

 

Additional Scriptures

Job 14:1-14; Matthew 27:57-66; Doctrine and Covenants 161:1a-b

 

Preparation

Set a space for multiple spiritual practice stations. There are a few approaches to consider. If participants are unfamiliar with the practices you use, make sure to take time at the beginning to explain the intention behind the practices briefly.

·       You might leave open space for participants to come and go as they desire, engaging in spiritual practice, prayer, and reflection.

·       You might structure these practices into a time of retreat, spending some time with each practice, and then creating an opportunity for small group sharing and reflection.

·       If you want to do something simple, choose the practice below that resonates the most, and spend time as a community engaging in the practice and sharing reflections together about what stirs on this day of waiting in preparation for Easter Sunday.

This document contains several hyperlinks to practices, images, and videos. Simply click on the link to access the resource being referred to.

 

Welcome

Holy Saturday is a time of waiting. After Jesus is laid in the tomb, his followers are left in a liminal space. Some say that Holy Saturday is a time to wait for Christ’s resurrection, but Jesus’s followers’ experience included despair, mourning, and uncertainty about the future. The fulfillment of scripture pointed to Christ’s return, but in the wake of Jesus’s death, there was real doubt, desolation, and disillusionment about what was next.

Holy Saturday is a time to wrestle with our own liminal spaces. Where have we lost hope? Where have we felt despair? What are we waiting and longing for, not knowing when it might come? We are invited not only to take on the life and mind of the disciples after Jesus’s death, but to acknowledge that we bear witness and presence to similar suffering and uncertainty in our own time. Consider these two essential questions to center the experience of Holy Saturday as participants engage in various spiritual practices.

 What losses and suffering are we mourning?

 As we sit in the darkness of the tomb, what do we wait and long for in our world?

 

Hymn To Invite the Presence of the Spirit

“Listen in the Silence”                Sing three times.       CCS 153

OR “Come and Find the Quiet Center”      CCS 151

Station 1: Lectio Divina/ Dwelling in the Word

Print or write passages of the scriptures below on large posters to set up at a station or print scriptures on individual handouts for each person at the station to use. Print the Lectio Divina Practice Guide linked below to be available for each participant. The scriptures listed are a variety of suggestions. Choose the scriptures that resonate most for the journey of your community. Since there are multiple options and typically Dwelling in the Word is done with one scripture, let participants know that they are invited to spend time with the scripture(s) they feel most drawn to, but don’t need to go through the full practice with each scripture.

Lectio Divina/Dwelling in the Word Practice Guide www.Missionalleaders.org/Static1.squarespace.com/static/57d21ca0f5e231551c69ac3f/t/62b5c36a4cd126212f807f05/1656079210578/Dwelling+in+the+Word.pdf

Suggested Scriptures to Consider

                        1 Peter 1:4-8

Job 14:7-14

Luke 23:50-56

Isaiah 43:18-19

Isaiah 43:1-3

Doctrine and Covenants 161: 1a-b

Psalm 31: 1-4, 15-16

 

Station 2: Visio Divina, “Divine Seeing”

Painting: “Making a Way out of No Way” by Alli Arnold with a high-resolution image at www.Dropbox.com/scl/fi/fbw1c2xezchc1olvipfdr/Making-a-Way.jpg?rlkey=4eufljn5bvwu3nis6wjg6nj5p&e=1&dl=0

Consider making a large print for viewing at this station or printing the image on handouts for individuals to use.

The Visio Divina Practice Guide from the Center for Living Water is at www.Dropbox.com/scl/fi/wfopgkjxkqy86v0uwckuw/Visio-Divina.pdf?rlkey=7uurr3mr0tna529k6gu3ws5yb&dl=0

An artist’s statement on creating the painting

is at www.Dropbox.com/scl/fi/knoiiy7k0y7kdxcgse2hi/Artist-s-Statement.pdf?rlkey=al17gfk0bye80bfxrs582xgvl&dl=0

Station 3: Centering Prayer

Set up a small circle of chairs with a lit candle on a small table in the center. The candle may be used as an image for visual focus during this practice.

A Full Centering Prayer Practice from the Center for Living Water is at

www.Dropbox.com/scl/fi/f8lpflqggam3jnlti307m/Centering-Prayer.pdf?rlkey=tkxqsy5i7qeqwa5iry07uby02&e=1&dl=0

 

Station 4: Labyrinth Walking

You might not have access to a canvas or outdoor labyrinth. Below are a few options for making this practice available with limited space and resources. Consider using the guide below to create a labyrinth on the floor using masking tape and/or print out copies of the Finger-Tracing Labyrinth. Even if you create a tape labyrinth, the finger-tracing labyrinth is a great option for those who cannot walk on one.

 

A Labyrinth Walking Practice Guide is at

www.Dropbox.com/scl/fi/sgx6adykm6saywa6zrabp/Pilot-Labyrinth-Brochure.pdf?rlkey=1rvw1yntwwwfyuxv7mnjv8fpg&e=1&dl=0

 

A video of creating a simple masking tape labyrinth is at

www.Youtu.be/oNqZjbFzvrs?si=BI_br5VGOdoiTrxJ

 

More about the finger-tracing labyrinth is found at www.Dropbox.com/scl/fi/nt7hkbn7kdkwkkuv3sqfq/Finger-Tracing-Labyrinth.pdf?rlkey=7hgfuq41djxleeft5i8ojwwbn&e=1&dl=0

                                                                             

Let the hymn introduction be a musical signal to reassemble.

Hymn of Blessing and Sending Forth                        Sing three times.

“Wait for the Lord”      CCS 399

OR “Bless the Lord”      CCS 575

OR “O God We Call”     CCS 195

Sending Forth: Go and wait for dawn.

Exit in silence.


 

SERMON AND CLASS HELPS

Year C—Letters
Holy Saturday

 

1 Peter 4:1–8

 

Exploring the Scripture

Holy Saturday follows the events of Good Friday. The pain and grief of Jesus’s crucifixion and death mark the day. Emotional events, especially those of great loss, typically include a time of stunned silence and deep mourning. Holy Saturday is such a time for Christians.

This observance during Holy Week is easy to skip. Jesus’s body is in the tomb. Many prefer to move straight from the crucifixion on Good Friday to the hallelujahs of Easter. Today, we remember the between time, when disciples wondered what would come next. The way forward was not clear.

Our scripture passage begins, “Since therefore…” (v. 1). The author’s logic points to 1 Peter 3:13–22, where we read about unjust suffering and were encouraged to be like Christ—who also suffered unjustly—so our lives can experience transformation. The opening verses connect us with Christ’s humanity—“Christ suffered in the flesh.” Suffering is part of our human experience. Because of this connection, the author suggests readers should be like—and think like—Jesus, “no longer by human desires but by the will of God” (v. 2). Although suffering is a reality, our intent should align with Christ’s intent.

The reference to Gentiles was a way to name the “us and them” divide of the time. Gentiles, to the newly formed Christian disciples, were nonbelievers. The author declares people have spent enough time “doing what the Gentiles like to do” (v. 3). A list of vices follows.

The list in verse 3 is like other lists in scripture (Galatians 5:19–21; Jude 7–16; Revelation 21). Here we learn those who stop these activities (vices) receive contempt and ridicule because of their changed lifestyle. They are now outsiders to the normal practices of society.

Jesus’s body may have died a human death, but what about his spirit? Verses 5–6 speculate about events immediately after Jesus’s death. This speculation connects with previous verses stating Jesus “was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit…he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison” (3:18–20). Verse 6 offers a possibility: “the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead…so they might live in the spirit as God does.”

Ideas about death and what happens when we die continue to capture our imagination. Some believe spirits are confined to a place where they await judgment. Using language about a prison (Sheol or Hades) was common; it described this holding space rather than a place of eternal torment some imagine as hell. Jesus experiences separation from God as he enters death. His purpose through death was to bring redemption and to include everyone in God’s salvation.

The author of 1 Peter believed the end was near. They encouraged the reader to be serious and disciplined and “maintain constant love for one another” (v. 7–8). Theologian Sheldon W. Sorge states:

This text is not just about the death…but also about the nature of the life that arises from that grave. Those who turn away from the self-seeking of the old nature are invited into a new way of living, marked first and foremost by love for the other, rather than of self.

Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary:

Year C, Volume 2, p. 322

As the passage ends on this Holy Saturday observance, “love covers a multitude of sins” (v. 8).

 

Central Ideas

1.     Holy Saturday marks a between time, when disciples mourn the death of Jesus and await his resurrection.

2.     Jesus suffered unjustly so all lives could experience transformation.

3.     Jesus died in the flesh but was made alive in the spirit.

4.     Jesus’s purpose through death was to bring redemption and to include everyone in God’s salvation.

5.     Disciples should uphold constant love for one another.

 

Questions for the Speaker

1.     How have loss, death, and separation shaped you?

2.     What does it mean that Jesus’s death includes everyone in God’s salvation?

3.     How might the world be different if disciples had “constant love for one another”?

4.     What opportunities exist for disciples to express love for one another or for those who are outsiders?

 


 

SACRED SPACE: A RESOURCE FOR SMALL-GROUP MINISTRY

Year C—Letters
Holy Saturday

 

1 Peter 4:1–8 (A, B, C)

 

Gathering

Welcome

Holy Saturday also is called Easter Vigil. It is a day when Christians prayerfully await the resurrection of Christ.

 

Prayer for Peace

Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.

Light the peace candle.

O Lord, we wait in darkness this Holy Saturday.

We are uncomfortable, impatient. Remind us that many experience the darkness of despair, illness, and poverty every day. Are they not uncomfortable? Are they not impatient?

Let us spend this time of waiting in hopeful anticipation of the celebration of new life. And may our new life as community be focused on finding ways of Abolishing Poverty, Ending Needless Suffering.

Amen.

Spiritual Practice

Body Prayer

Today our spiritual practice will be a body prayer.

Show the group members three postures they will experience for this spiritual exercise.

·       First posture: Head bowed with hands folded.

·       Second posture: Sitting or standing with arms stretched outward.

·       Third posture: Both hands clasped over the heart.

Say: A chime will signal when to move into the next posture.

You will not be offering any words of prayer but instead will focus on sensing what type of prayer wants to emerge from you as you hold each posture.

Lead the group in three deep cleansing breaths as preparation. Ring a chime

·       First posture: Head bowed with hands folded (one minute). Ring a chime.

·       Second posture: Sitting or standing with arms stretched outward (one minute). Ring a chime.

·       Third posture: Both hands clasped over the heart (one minute). Ring a chime.

Close with a spoken “Amen.”

Invite participants to share what they experienced as they engaged in the body prayer.

 

Sharing Around the Table

1 Peter 4:1–8 NRSVue

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), so as to live for the rest of your time in the flesh no longer by human desires but by the will of God. You have already spent enough time in doing what the gentiles like to do, living in debauchery, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.

The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

First Peter is a letter to Christian communities in Asia Minor in what is modern-day Turkey. Unlike some others, this letter was meant to be shared in many groups when they gathered for worship. It was written to the non-Jewish disciples who made up most of the Christian communities in this region.

These new Christians were in an uncomfortable social predicament. They no longer took part in the rituals and behaviors of their past. Their families and former friends, surprised by their new behavior, alienated and persecuted (orally abused) them. This letter is meant to uphold their faith and remind them not to relapse into old behaviors.

The counsel urges new believers to act in ways that are counter to their surrounding culture. Such is contrary to the human wish to “fit in” or “go along with the crowd.” The writer reminds the communities that this likely will cause some to mistreat them. Even so, Christians are called to live in this countercultural way of love and hospitality, just as Christ lived. Such living requires discipline, and an intentional effort to maintain loving relationships with one another.

On Holy Saturday, we wait in a loving community for the dawn of Easter morning. We have the opportunity to reflect on the persecution Christ suffered. We examine our lives and recognize that we, too, are called to live counter to the hatred, consumerism, division, and fear of our surrounding culture. In this way, we bear witness to our new life in Christ.

Questions

1.     When have you felt teased, embarrassed, or “made fun of” because you did not follow the crowd?

2.     How can you live counter to the surrounding culture?

3.     Sinful practices are more than a list of vices. They include acting in ways that are not welcoming or loving. This Holy Saturday, what is your commitment to act in a more loving and hospitable manner?

 

Sending

Generosity Statement

Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.

—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9

The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response. You also may give at CofChrist.org/give.

The offering prayer for Lent is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response.

God who waits, we share our resources as we rest in the hope of resurrection and new life. May the offerings we share bring joy, hope, love, and peace into the lives of others so they might experience your mercy and grace. Amen.

Invitation to Next Meeting

 

Closing Hymn

Community of Christ Sings 470, “Shadows Lengthen into Night”

 

Closing Prayer

 

Optional Addition Depending on Group

·       Thoughts for Children

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts for Children

Materials:

·       index cards

·       markers

Instructions:

Play charades showing all the places one might pray. First, brainstorm ideas of where participants pray: in bed at night, at a meal, in church, before taking a trip, in your private sacred place, with friends, at camp, with your parents, or others.

Participants may want to write an idea or two on index cards. Then, as in charades, have each one act out (without words) their favorite places to pray, while others guess where they are. Afterward, discuss:

·       Do you say different prayers in different places?

·       What do you pray when you are alone? With others?

·       What are some places to pray that you haven’t tried yet?

·       Name some places where people pray. (Jews at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, many legislative bodies at the beginning of a session, some people in their car.)

Share that today is Holy Saturday, and it is a day spent in prayer as we await the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning. Invite all to discover a new place to pray for Holy Saturday.

Thank the children for participating.


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