There is no day quite like today. We remember Christ’s death and celebrate his resurrection throughout the year, but today provides a unique focus. This is the only day of the year on which God is dead. We sometimes hurry so quickly to the resurrection that we miss the opportunity to really reflect on the the concrete actuality of Jesus’ being dead. He joins us in the farthest reaches of our humanity—even beyond the vale and veil of death. We killed the Author of life. So in order to meditate on the whole mystery of Christ, today we rest—not in peace or enjoyment but in grief.

Read Mark 14:42–47.
Ask God for the grace of holy grief.
Join the mourners and make their grief your own. For them, this is loss, defeat, and despair. Pay attention to the care with which they bury their teacher and friend. Feel the linen wrapping around his lifeless body. Stand before the blunt fact of his tomb.
Reflect on the reality of Jesus’ death. What does it mean that he truly dies? How does it affect the way you see death in your own life and world?
Imagine walking through the empty garden where Jesus used to pray; dwell in his absence. Instead of the usual conversation, spend time in complete quiet. Pray without speaking, sitting in the silence of the garden.

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.