After the Storm

This morning when I woke up, it was sunny with a light breeze blowing.  There were a few clouds on the horizon, but they seemed to be there to offer a visual contrast, rather than portend threatening weather.  All was calm, all was quiet.  My thoughts turned immediately to the very stormy night I spent aboard a friend's sail boat moored in the waters of the Penobscot Bay.  It was everything one imagined.  The boat rocked, the wind howled, the hull's wooden planks creaked (or at least they did in my recollection). The space belowdecks was not exactly cavernous.

But we were warm, dry, protected from the storm.  Roger had piloted the Blue Goose to a protected cove, so we could have some protection from the raging storm.  While I was grateful for and confident in his seamanship, I wanted nothing more than for that night to be over.  And ultimately it was.

We awoke in the morning to clear skies and calm seas.  The storm had broken.  I don't recall the specifics of what we did next, but I vaguely remember a slow start to our day, eggs and coffee for breakfast, and just enjoying the peace that surrounded us.  The rest of the day would follow in short order.

For Christians, we are at sea and the storm has broken.  Good Friday is behind us and now it is Holy Saturday and all is quiet.  There has been a lot of debate over what happened on this day, with some arguing as did the Apostle's Creed, that Christ descended to hell before returning, and other saying that his body simply lay in the tomb.  We can't know for sure.  We'll have to wait for an answer, we'll have to wait to understand the meaning of Good Friday.

This Holy Saturday is a time to do this.  Our spiritual boat is resting at anchor, gently bobbing on a glass-like sea, offering us a respite from Good Friday's raging storm and a change to rest in anticipation of the joy we know will break forth on Easter morn.

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