The Saturday between the tragic events of Good Friday and the miracle of Easter Sunday has always been marked by the Christian church as a period of waiting. Obviously for the disciples, they thought that all their hopes had ended, even though Jesus had promised to return. So today our music selection reflects that sense of waiting.
Maggi Dawn is a British musician, author, theologian and Anglican priest. She was Principal of St Mary’s College at the University of Durham, and remains a professor in the Department of Theology and Religion. Dawn’s first career was as a singer-songwriter. She has recorded five albums of her own songs, with her album Elements (1996) exploring ‘biblical images of God’. She is an advocate for new music in church settings, and she taught a course, “Songwriting for Congregations”, which “rejected the idea that contemporary and traditional music are discrete genres”. I Will Wait is taken from her 1993 album ‘Follow’.
I wonder what expectations the disciples now had on the first Saturday. We read that at least two of them had left Jerusalem and were making the their way home to Emmaus. In their hearts were the words ‘We had hoped…’ Waiting Here For You is a song by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves and Martin Smith. Worship has a way of centering us, quieting us, and even changing our perspectives. Instead of waiting in frustration and impatience, this song reminds us to worship in the waiting. Not only can we plead with God to move the mountains, but we can expect Him to move in us.
