During the season of Lent,
First Church is focusing on health and recovery.
Each week we're taking one word from the beginning of the creation story in Genesis chapter 1,
As our guidance and focus for our own spiritual health and our collective recovery as a world.
Today is Holy Saturday,
And so we re-enter this day realizing that the story of creation required quite a bit of silence.
So today our word is silence.
The creation story as told in the Gospel of John hearkens back to that Genesis story.
The way that God wove,
Nurtured,
And breathed into new life all of creation.
Let me share with you these words from the Gospel of John at the very beginning of chapter 1.
In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God,
And the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him,
And without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life,
And the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness did not overcome it.
The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
Our word today is silence on this Holy Saturday.
I invite you to find yourself in a dignified posture and position.
Seated with your back up against the back of a chair,
Or keeping your spine as straight as possible.
Both feet on the ground resting your hands palms down on the tops of your thighs.
With your head level I invite you to close your eyes or rest your gaze in front of you.
So as not to be distracted in these moments of meditation.
Closing your eyes,
Find your breath.
Now I invite you to listen to the space between your in-breath and your out-breath.
Just that brief moment,
That space in between the inhale and the exhale.
That is the space I believe where God resides.
That space is in between of the what was and the what's to come.
If your mind wanders or a thought or feeling comes up.
May that be an invitation for you to come back to your breath.
Come back to this place right here right now.
Practicing your in-breath and your out-breath,
Your attention to both of those.
And then focus your attention on the space between the inhale and the exhale.
Now I invite you to listen to the space between your in-breath and your out-breath.
Just like this holy Saturday,
It is the space between Good Friday and Easter.
The what was and the what's to come.
The inhale and the exhale of the story,
Of our story.
And if we're not attentive to this in-between moment,
We may just miss the full meaning of what is right here and right now,
While also missing the full meaning of Good Friday and Easter.
Let's once again attune to our breath.
In the beginning was the word,
And the word was with God,
And the word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him,
And without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life,
And the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness did not overcome it.
The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
Now take three full deep breaths.
When you're ready,
You're ready to go.
When you're ready and comfortable,
Open your eyes.
Receive this day,
Covenant with yourself to be attentive to the silence,
Those in between moments,
What is here,
What is now,
The in between of what was and what's to come,
The space between Good Friday and Easter,
This holy Saturday.
