Resurrection rested

Good Friday. Easter. 

I have this morning to myself, the light, and a pile of books. In my attempts to be profitable I will try to read through all of them, soak up all the wisdom I can extract, and walk around today feeling righteous. 

Admittedly pathetic, but watch. 

Wayne Muller wrote this in his book titled Sabbath. 

" Soon enough Jesus rests in death. Like a seed planted in the fertile ground he must die to bear fruit. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit. And so Jesus dies, and lies dormant for three days.

 Without this dormancy, the resurrection of new life would be impossible. If God raised Jesus in three days, surely he could have been raised in two, or one, or even have been made invincible. So why sentenced him to death for three days? Because everything, even the anointed of God, must rest, even in death.

Unless the grain falls into the earth and dies, there will be no harvest. These three days are the necessary dormancy of a Sabbath, an emptiness in which Jesus may be reborn, and take on a new form. All the form is either a rising or falling away. And between falling away and rising again, there is an inevitable dormancy, the ein sof, the emptiness of God."

So much work is put into becoming righteous, or holy, or whatever it is that you seek to become. But there is a time when dormancy, rest, and death, will show themselves to be your most trusted allies. 

Like a bear knows he will be his strongest if he hibernates the winter away.

Like a seed huddled beneath earth, leaf, and twig, awaiting warmer weather, when her bloom will be brightest. 

Do I even allow myself the season of dormancy to become what I'm clamoring towards. Do I sleep so that I can awake refreshed? 

Today I realized that the resurrection had another thought to it I had never picked up on. 

Rest.

Sabbath.

Jesus's death was just as much about him catching his breath as it was about propitiation for our sin. In waiting the three days, he was telling us, yelling from the grave, "you have to die! I promise you will be more fully whole and effective if you do." 

So this Easter I closed all my books and devotionals.

I made the bed.

I made the coffee.

I sat in the sabbath and prayed for spring to come.