Today is Good Friday. Today’s the day we specifically remember Jesus’ death and crucifixion. We remember the pain and torture He suffered on our behalf. We remember how He was mocked, spit on, and beaten beyond recognition. To be clear, we should always be remembering these things, but it is uniquely important to remember the day of His crucifixion. But why?
Do you ever wonder why we call it ‘Good Friday’? What could possibly be ‘good’ about what Jesus experienced? It was, in every way, the worst thing a human could experience. No doubt. And still, it was Good. As Christians we believe that good things can come out of bad situations. The Resurrection story is one where the BEST thing came out of the WORST situation.
It is important to note that Jesus’ disciples and followers did NOT call it Good Friday on that original sad day. Although they had been told by Jesus himself that He would rise again after 3 days, they could not look beyond the physical reality of Jesus’ dead body. How many of us would have done the same thing? This was Bad Friday for them.
Today things aren’t going the way we expected them to. We’ve been forced to celebrate Good Friday and Easter apart from each other, but we know how the story ends! There is no need for confusion or hopelessness or worry. Jesus is risen and nothing could ever change that. It has been sealed in history and it is our continual hope going forward.
CIRCA 1987 // 29 E LANCASTER AVE - GRACE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH
Speaking of history, this photo was taken just before we moved into our old building at 29 E Lancaster Ave. Our church has a lot of history, but THE Church (the body, not the building) has even more history. Like, a lot more. The early Church endured tremendous persecution. Jesus’ disciples were also crucified and continued preaching the Gospel until their last breath. Yet, the Gospel spread like wildfire. Martin Luther fought against indulgences and fought for worship in the vernacular. Today the full Bible has been translated into 698 languages all over the world. At least some portions of the Bible have been translated into 3,384 languages. 😮
This gives us great confidence. Jesus himself spoke to Peter saying "and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18,19 Did you know that shortly after speaking this to Peter, Jesus reveals to his disciples that he must die and rise again after 3 days?
The work of the body of Christ is inextricably bound to the power of the Resurrection.
So maybe more than the fact that the church is "still around", what gives us confidence is that Jesus was faithful to His word and to the Father, and he fulfilled His promises to us. And so while the church this Sunday will be empty, so was the grave. We rejoice!
Remember to join us this Sunday at 8:30am online for CHURCH AT HOME Vol. 4!
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