Read: Matthew 27:57-66

The part of the Queen’s funeral services and processions that brought me to tears was the piping. It was sweet to hear Warrant Officer 1 Pipe Major Paul Burns, the Queen’s personal piper, piping “Sleep Dearie Sleep” in Westminster Abbey and “A Salute to the Royal Fendersmith” at St. George’s Chapel as they were lowering her into the crypt. The pipe bands playing “Skye Boat Song” during the funeral march through London also made me teary.

Jesus was a king, but he did not have a massive funeral procession or any funeral rites at all. Joseph of Arimathea came and asked for Christ’s body, and then his body was wrapped in a linen shroud before being put in a freshly-hewn tomb. In John’s Gospel, Nicodemus comes with a mixture of myrrh and aloes which was wrapped into the linen with the body. In any case, Jesus got a quickie burial because the Sabbath was coming.

And where were his disciples? They were hiding because they saw what Rome did to Jesus. They thought they had a conquering king who was going to kick the Romans out of Judea. Instead, their fearless leader was executed like the leader of a revolt. How embarrassing! How inconvenient for them!

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Holy Saturday from the Book of Common Prayer)
-Jen McCabe