Betwixt and Between… On this quiet day before Easter Sunday, I am musing on words from Margaret Feinberg, author, teacher, preacher, about “being in the in-between.” Scripture gives us nothing about this day—it’s like we are hanging in limbo—where is Jesus? Suffice it to say, Jesus is doing the job God asked him to do! He did descend into hell and he is announcing to Satan that he is toast and, on Sunday morning, the world will never be the same again. Until then, we “wait in the in-between” but we do not worry in our wait!

Perhaps you are one who finds yourself in the midst of the unknown. We all have a time there now and then, waiting for that which is not yet and hoping the ‘not yet’ will be fulfilled. I can imagine the disciples and the many women who followed Jesus, and of course, his mother, Mary. Were they hiding, wondering and trying to be patiently waiting for the outcome of their beloved Jesus? For them, as it is for us, waiting for decisions to be made outside our control is tough. We want the wait for clarity now, instead of waiting amid the fogginess in our physical body and mind and soul. We pray to God that we won’t be long in this space, yet we have no idea how long until things will change.

Margaret Feinberg puts it this way: “The middle aches with unmet expectations, lingering disappointments, and a litter of chaos thrown in.” That may not be very comforting but it is all so true. She goes on to say, “In fact, Genesis (1:2) reminds us that it has been this way from the start. In the beginning, the story goes, God handcrafted the heavens and the earth. Yet this unfolding didn’t happen in a snap. Long before the raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries grew sugary and sweet, we’re told the earth was formless, empty, and dark! Sometimes being between that which was and that which will be feels that way. Formless. Empty. Dark.”

But…it’s in that void, the muddled soup so to speak, that we first glimpse the Spirit of God spoken in Genesis: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Think of hovering waters, and a Holy Spirit that is brooding, sweeping her eyes and watching with the eager expectation like a child at Christmas! The Spirit knew what was coming and patiently waited to hear God’s next words where light would pierce the darkness forever, Oh AMEN!

What are you facing today? We all have that in-between where crushed dreams, marriage problems, unhealthy health, pain, insecurities—lingering in the between and hopefully coming to an end. Again, Margaret shares her wisdom: “As believers, we have always been ‘Betwixt & Betweeners’—a liminal space—a residence between that which was and is not yet. But remember, you are never there alone.”

Jesus was up to all the tasks that God had him doing on this rather “silent Saturday” which makes this day ask us “what do I do now?” I can imagine the disciples were asking that same question? How about we remember—just as the Spirit brooded over the waters—the Spirit broods over us. As in Genesis, the Holy Spirit will bring form to the formless, presence to the emptiness, and incredible LIGHT to the darkness. We don’t see it yet on this Saturday, but be assured Jesus knows his way through the chaos and the dark.

Keep that thought in your heart and your prayers. Sense His Presence—ruah—which is the breath of the Holy Spirit that breathes in you, and all around you. Inhale it, let it calm you into prayer and anticipation. Then, sleep well tonight, because tomorrow there is no more darkness, no more weeping, no more death, for Jesus the Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed and we shout ‘so be it’! Amen and AMEN!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life.
This new life brings us a living hope through
Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death.”
[1 Peter 1:3 ERV]