ANTICIPATION SATURDAY

Jesus as Coming Redeemer: "The Promise in Waiting"

Posted by: CDFWarrington on Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 12:27AM

"Sunday is Coming... Twice"

Sacred Snapshot:

The space between death and resurrection is a holy waiting room that teaches us how to live faithfully in our own in-between time. On this Anticipation Saturday, we find ourselves standing where the disciples once stood—between the crushing reality of Friday and the yet-unknown miracle of Sunday. This unique day invites us to embrace the spiritual practice of hopeful waiting, finding meaning in the tension of "already but not yet" that defines both Easter weekend and our current Christian experience.

What's Inside:

How the disciples' Saturday mirrors our waiting for Christ's return
Finding hope when everything appears lost
Practicing faithful anticipation in a broken world
Discovering purpose in the "in-between" spaces of life

Scripture Reading

Romans 8:18-25 (NASB95): ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. ²³ And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Revelation 21:3-5 (NASB95): ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." ⁵ And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

Historical Context: The Forgotten Day

In the Gospel narratives, Saturday receives the least attention—almost passing by in silence. While Friday's crucifixion and Sunday's resurrection are described in vivid detail, Saturday sits between them like a held breath.

For Jesus's followers, this was a day of profound confusion and grief. Their teacher was dead. Their hopes seemed crushed. The promises they had built their lives upon appeared to have failed. The religious authorities had won. The Romans had maintained their power. And a stone sealed the tomb where their dreams lay buried.

They waited—not with hope, but with despair. Not knowing that Sunday was coming.

Theological Reflection: Double Anticipation

Anticipation Saturday occupies a unique place in our spiritual imagination because it connects two powerful waiting periods:

1. Historical Anticipation: The disciples waited without knowing what would happen next. Their Messiah was dead, but Sunday's resurrection was still hidden from their understanding.

2. Present Anticipation: We wait knowing Christ has risen, but seeing a world still broken. His kingdom has begun but is not yet fully realized. We live between His first coming and His promised return.

The Apostle Paul captures this tension perfectly in Romans 8. Creation itself "groans" in anticipation, and we who have the "firstfruits" of redemption also wait eagerly for its completion. We live in the "already but not yet"—Christ has already secured victory over sin and death, but we have not yet experienced the full restoration of all things.

This gives Anticipation Saturday its profound meaning. It reminds us that we are a waiting people. Like those first disciples, we live in an in-between time—they between crucifixion and resurrection; we between Christ's first coming and His return. Their Saturday lasted one day; ours has lasted centuries.

Yet we wait with a critical difference: we know Sunday is coming.

Personal Connection: Learning to Wait Well

Waiting is perhaps the hardest spiritual discipline. We live in an instant culture that promises immediate satisfaction, quick fixes, and on-demand everything. Yet the Christian story is filled with waiting:

Abraham waited decades for his promised son
Israel waited centuries for deliverance from Egypt
The world waited millennia for the Messiah
And now, we wait for Christ's return

The question isn't whether we'll wait, but how we'll wait.

The disciples waited in fear behind locked doors. We're called to wait differently—with purposeful anticipation, active hope, and faithful engagement with a world that still needs the light of Christ.

When we grow discouraged by injustice, violence, suffering, or personal pain, Anticipation Saturday reminds us that we stand in a holy tradition of waiting people. Our current struggles—both personal and global—are birth pains of the new creation, not evidence of its absence.

Three waiting practices we can embrace:

1. Honest Lament: Like the disciples, acknowledging our grief and confusion when God's ways don't match our expectations

2. Hopeful Imagination: Unlike the disciples, looking forward with resurrection knowledge that Sunday always follows Friday

3. Faithful Presence: Becoming people who embody Christ's coming kingdom in a world still waiting for its fulfillment

Prayer for the Waiting Time

Faithful God,

Today we stand in the space between—between your Son's completed work on the cross and the coming day when all things will be made new. We confess that waiting is hard. The world still suffers. Injustice continues. Pain persists. And sometimes, like those first disciples, we struggle to hold onto hope.

Thank you that you are not absent in our Saturday moments. Thank you that even when it feels like you are silent, you are working resurrection just beyond our sight. Give us patience in our waiting and purpose in our watching.

Help us to wait well—not with passive resignation, but with active anticipation. May we be people who embody the coming kingdom even while we wait for its fulfillment. Use us as signposts of hope in a world desperate for good news.

Remind us, Lord of Resurrection, that Sunday is always coming—both in our personal dark nights and in our world's long history. We wait for that final Easter morning when death will be defeated forever, every tear will be wiped away, and all things will be made new.

In the name of our crucified, risen, and returning Savior,
Amen.

Daily Reflection Questions

The disciples waited without hope because they didn't understand God's plan. What situations in your life or our world seem hopeless until you look at them through resurrection faith?
Romans 8 describes creation "groaning" as it waits for full redemption. Where do you see evidence of both the world's groaning and God's ongoing redemptive work?
How does knowing that Christ will return and make all things new change how you view current suffering and injustice?
The in-between period of "already but not yet" defines our Christian experience. In what ways have you experienced the "already" aspects of Christ's kingdom? What "not yet" realities do you find most difficult?
How can you practice "active anticipation" this week—living as both a recipient and agent of God's coming restoration?

🎵 Harmony of Faith:

Traditional: "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" (Charles Wesley)
Contemporary: "Is He Worthy?" (Andrew Peterson)

These songs beautifully capture both our longing for Christ's return and our confidence that He is coming to fulfill every promise.

Because Christ rose from the grave, we know with certainty that Sunday is coming again.

Because all creation moves toward redemption, our waiting is never in vain.

Because God is making all things new, we can face Saturday with hope.

Going Deeper

For Further Reading:

Note: These are referral links. Any purchases made through these links help support our site and ministry.

For Group Discussion:

Consider watching a time-lapse video of seeds growing before discussing how God's work often happens invisibly before breaking through with visible results.

For Personal Reflection:

Write a letter to yourself from the perspective of a disciple on that first Saturday, then write a response from your perspective of knowing resurrection is coming.

Easter 2025

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