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I try to regularly walk or cycle on a local trail. It would be a stretch to call it a “nature trail” as it goes through residential areas as well as industrial areas and there are some busy roads to cross along the way. I used to find the roads and developments an intrusion but we are all just trying to live with each other, some days better than others, some people more aware of the gift of the trail and some people less aware.
Along the trail there are some small pieces of land where deer hang out, some foxes, a variety of birds and what seems like millions of squirrels. I call these “in-between” spaces and when I am on the trail during an “in-between” time when the sunrise has just started, this is an ideal time to see a variety of creatures. An “in-between” space does not occupy hundreds of acres of nature, just a bit here and there. Sometimes we just have to be content with the “in-between” spaces until we can get to a more remote place and have a broader view.
One day I counted over a dozen turkey vultures in an in-between place between the trail and a landfill. Another day I counted 32 turkey vultures, congregating in the trees, intimidating looking characters who remind me that we are all occupying “in-between” space throughout our lives, in-between creation and resurrection, holding that in-between space for God and for one another.
Holy Saturday is about holding that in-between space. We’ve experienced the pain of Good Friday and we await the joy of Easter morning. We are in-between entombment and liberation, destruction and renewal, suffering and celebration.
Let us pray: Loving God, we thank You for the in-between spaces and the in-between times. They are sacred and holy. We are humbled that You have entrusted us to hold these things for You and for Your people. As we await the breaking of Easter morning, bless us with Your wisdom and revelation, we pray. Amen.
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