Easter Eve
“Tomorrow is Easter Eve!” my five-year-old declared. It was Good Friday and I was explaining to him that it was only two days until Easter. I had to stop and consider his words for a moment. Of course, it was true. The day before Easter would be Easter Eve, but Easter Eve was a term I’d never considered before. The day between Good Friday and Easter has been called “Holy Saturday” by some, but it doesn’t generally get much attention, compared to its surrounding days.
For myself, when I think about that day, it is defined by the events of Good Friday. Jesus was dead, the disciples had fled for their lives, and their hopes for a saving messiah were shattered. That doesn’t sound like an “eve”.
The thing about “eves” is that to celebrate them, you have to know what is happening next. The disciples didn’t realize that Jesus was going to rise from the dead. Jesus had told them, but they hadn’t understood. On that dark Saturday, they didn’t know that it was Easter Eve. It seemed like the end.
And I am encouraged. Because you see, when things are tough, when everything is going wrong and I feel overwhelmed, it can seem like the darkness will never end. It can feel hopeless. But you never know what God is going to do tomorrow. It just might be Easter Eve!
The truth is that we know the end of the story. We know that Jesus is coming back! He will make all things new and wipe the tears from every eye. Who knows—it just might be Easter Eve!
So whatever life is like for you today, joy or sorrow, laughter or pain, I pray that you will look forward in anticipation to all that God is going to do, in your life and in our world. Easter is coming, and Jesus is coming soon!
Happy Easter Eve!