As I sit here on this beautiful day, I remember this post I wrote 2 years ago…..and then I just grin because 2 years ago we were in the midst of healthcare storms with my mom. Storms that God got us through and that we put behind us. And now – we are in the middle of some more, but God is right in the boat with us. So, what’s so good about today? Well, I don’t have cancer, I just got off the phone with my daddy who sounded really good, my best friend from college is on her way to visit, and my Savior died on a cross to save me from a life of hell! I would say it’s a good, Good Friday!!
Enjoy!!
Last night (well 2 years ago), we had a special service at church to remember the night Jesus was crucified. We sat close to the front (not by my choice, but by the choice of my children who said they could not see from the back) right next to the rugged cross that we have had displayed in our sanctuary for the last several weeks.
And then, my husband, portraying Simon of Cyrene gave an account of what it may have been like that night being there when Jesus was sentenced to die. “Crucify Him…Crucify Him” the crowd cried out. “His eyes…covered in blood and sweat, with a harsh crown of thorns dug into His head”..eyes that cried out love, love for all who would accept it. And then, I got distracted…
Sara would not sit still, Cailee was staring off in space, and Austin was asleep. My finger was hurting because of a splinter that I had gotten earlier in the day. I had things that I needed to get done in order to visit with my parents this weekend, which made me think of my mom…. who has been having some medical issues this year. And then I am snatched back..”Were you there?”…”Were you there?”…..”Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”
How many people were “present” when Jesus was crucified and got distracted….. not realizing that He was the Savior of the world? How many times have I been distracted by the flesh not admitting that it was my sin that caused Him to hang on that cross? How many times have I just “kept moving, stared off into space, or fallen asleep”, when I need to remember what Christ did for me?
So why is Good Friday so good? Because even as terrible as it was, Jesus being beaten and dying a cruel death on a cross, it is through His suffering that we receive the Joy of Easter. The cross is where we see our sins and God’s forgiveness collide. We have hope that a terrible day can be good…all because of Jesus.
Hebrews 12: 2b
“For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
So today, this Good Friday, it is my prayer that we will all remember Jesus and His sacrifice for us on a rugged cross. That we will keep the Joy of His resurrection in our hearts but that we will not skip over His sacrifice. That we will admit that we were there..but that it will be Good because He was there for us to offer forgiveness..free and eternal.
Happy Good Friday! Looking forward to Sunday!
Donna
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures….” 1 Corinthians 15:3
