"What's So Good About Good Friday"

 “GOOD FRIDAY”

Have you ever thought what’s so good about Good Friday?   Any takers?

There are two faces to Good Friday.  So then let us take a closer look so we can grasp the full experience.

Where is the Good in Good Friday?  It was because of this terrible tragedy that you and I are given this option.  We are given the opportunity to begin to live all over again with a new vision.   This option for the believers would be coined “the way of the redeemed”.   On that Day, through what seemed to be a tragedy, Jesus releases the greatest power on earth.  A power that can change your life and bring you into a closer relationship with your Heavenly Parent.  The power of unconditional love, forgiveness, and acceptance, the power of GRACE.  You cannot earn it, you can only accept it for it truly is a gift from God, no strings attached.  In accepting your gift of Grace, Jesus will exchanged your filthy rags of guilt and shame for His cloak of righteousness.    This is the way in which Jesus will present you to your Heavenly Parent on your day of your resurrection.   All the things that bound you in shame, quilt will be gone.  This will truly be a day of celebration not judgement.   That is the GOOD NEWS of the Cross Folks.  It is through the acceptance of Jesus offer that we are

transformed and made ready to follow in His Way.   Saved by grace presented to our Creator our true Parent in a cloak of righteousness.     Sing:  “Softly and Tenderly” 

It was a tragedy for Mary, for his brothers, for the disciples and many others who were following him.  It was a day of great darkness on the hill of Golgotha.   BUT there was to be a new dawn.   It was Friday but Sunday, Easter Sunday is coming folks and it will be a day of new beginnings out of what seemed to be a disaster.

In the wisdom teachings of Solomon we hear:  The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and no torment will ever touch them.  In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died and their departure was thought to be a disaster and their going from us to be their destruction, but this is not so for they are at peace.

Therefore the day of crucifixion, our day of tragedy has two faces, because two days later it turns into a day to celebrate a day of a new life, of new beginnings.    Not just for Jesus but for all those who believed on Him.  No matter how you view it, out of tragedy suffering and pain comes new life.  In our weakness Gods power is always manifested.   Most often we don’t see it at the time of our pain and suffering but it will come.  Ask any mother what happens after her water brakes and the pain that follows.  During the last moments of her pregnancy her pain turns into the joy of seeing new birth take place as she first lays eyes on and touches her newly born child.  New birth can only take place when something comes to its end, when the tears dry up and old pain fades away, there is a new day.   That is the way of nature and that is the way of the CROSS, as hard as it may be for us to accept this truth during our time of pain or suffering it is truth. Not one thing in life that is good comes without some sacrifice, without some form of pain or suffering.  Ironic as it may sound tragedy has two sides to it, one  bad and one good, two lives, one of suffering and one of relief.  There will always be difficult events in life that have to be endured where suffering, pain hardship, or disappointment find their roots.   Can you relate to this, a relationship ends?   Your life has been going along fine but all of sudden a young child, a spouse, a beloved Mom or Dad is take from you through an accident, illness or natural causes.   You have just seen the Doctor and he gives you news you do not want to hear.  Helplessness, fear and emptiness fill your very being.  These are the same feelings Jesus felt and expressed in the Garden of Gethsemane  and while hanging on the cross:  “why do I have to endure this suffering Father?   Is there not another way”?    No matter how much Jesus must endure, no matter how much you have to face, for the believer there is always an Easter Dawn.  It’s Friday folks, but SUNDAYS A - COMING.   Here is where you can turn a the darkness of your Friday into new light, knowing that something Good will come out of every tragedy.  Somehow, some way, God will bring us new life.  Trust in Jesus, Trust in God.  Let us pray.