Sabbath Saturday

The day after Jesus was crucified was a Saturday, just like today. For Jews, it was the Sabbath, which means it was a holy day that required people to rest from their work and show the utmost reverence for God. Given the events from the previous day, it must have been quite an unusual day that was highly emotional for everyone. Luke tells us that the women who attended to Jesus‘ body after his death went home and observed the Sabbath. They must have had a lot of questions about why this had happened and what was going to happen next. The Jewish leaders, on the other hand, became worried, paranoid, and insecure...so much so that they tried to guard Jesus’ grave. What a totally different mindset! Oh how things would have been different If they knew what was about to happen.

Read the story together from Luke 23:56 and Matthew 27:62-66

(No videos today, we pray that you will Sabbath as a family today, check out the Family Activity for more direction.)

1. Praise God for how He works in and through all circumstances.

2. Ask God to help you understand why bad things sometimes happen.

3. Pray for someone you know who has lost a loved one.

You can adjust this activity based on your child's age and needs. If your child is afraid of the dark, don’t turn off all the lights; keep a light on or dim the lights to prevent them from being scared.

Go into a very dark room or wait until night time. Hang words like hope, trust, and faith in the dark space. Tell the kids that these words are somewhere around the room. Using the flashlight, see if the kid(s) can work together to find these words. When they find the words, hold the light on the word and read it aloud together. When you find all the words, sit together. Pass the flashlight around and ask your children the following question. What's something you or our family is facing that is hard? (Pause for a moment for kids to share)

When we turn on the flashlight, there is a glimpse of hope in the darkness. This light represents Jesus, and we can put our hope in Him. The hard things in life are like the darkness. Sabbath Saturday might have been very hard for all the disciples. Some may have been afraid; others may have wondered if what Jesus said a few days ago about him being raised on the third day was true. With the flashlight's shine, we can be reminded that Jesus is there, and that he was raised from the dead. In good or bad moments, we can always hold onto Jesus, who is our living hope.