Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Easter Week: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 145; Evening, Psalm 104;
Isaiah 25:1 to 9; Acts 4:13 to 31; or 2nd Corinthians 4:16 to 5:10; John 16:16 to 33:
“It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9)
Not long after I was called to St Paul’s in the Pines Episcopal parish in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the parish sponsored our youth on a summer excursion to Carowinds Amusement Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is basically a fun filled water park. On one of the raft floating rides, our boys were in one floating raft and our girls were in another. As both groups floated along the boys became rambunctious and toppled their float over. The protocol for such an event was to stand straight up (the water only being a couple of feet deep) and walk calmly to the sidewall and await park safety personal to escort you to the ride’s end.
In his excitement, and embarrassment, young Ian Martin, was telling me about the incident. While he wanted to give me all the details of how the girls were teasing them, he begin by saying that “While we were waiting to be saved …..” He was talking about their escort to the ride’s end. But I fixated on his words. “While we were waiting to be saved.” I ponder that that’s why we are here on earth. We are all “waiting to be saved.” We are currently in our next stage of development, awaiting that heavenly court to come by and pick us up and escort us to that heavenly realm from whence no traveler returns, save our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you Isaiah for your prophetic words. “This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” This fragile earth our island home is as temporary as are we. We are not meant to be here for all eternity. We are waiting to be saved. Every day, all we have to do is wait. What does it mean to be waiting for salvation? For young Ian it meant standing against that wall awaiting his escorts and not worrying about how to explain what happened. It’s probably the same for you and me in life today.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray: (The Collect for Saturdays BCP p. 99)
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
onewhoponders 