Today - Good Friday - the day we remember when Jesus was led to the Cross - crucified - unjustly - for our sins - although He had committed no sins of His own. Unjust - not fair - should never have happened - why did God allow this to happen - what went wrong here? In our eyes - a terrible mistake - plans gone wrong. What did this accomplish - how have we benefited - what was the big picture? To many people - Good Friday is nothing more than a day off from work - a holiday - time to party with friends - the beginning of a long weekend. Christ's death - a historical fact - nothing more. The significance of Good Friday lost - in the celebration of Easter joy - hunting for eggs - bunnies - chicks - Easter baskets - family - food - fun. Too many people focus their eyes on the celebration - forget that before the celebration there was suffering - anguish - blood - tears - death.
In the beginning God knew - knew everything. He knew that this day would come - hoped it would not be necessary - but mankind failed - God intervened - took corrective steps - sent His Son - to save the world from itself. The enemy to be confronted - not people - rather Death. Death - the final enemy - that which robs people of hope - life. Death - an enemy too powerful to be fought by ordinary means - by ordinary people. Only Jesus - the Son of God - able to face head on - that which placed fear in the hearts of men - women. Jesus - armed with spiritual battle gear - prepared from birth - for this one day - this one battle - for mankind. He was prepared - ready for whatever happened - ready to suffer the pain of physical death - prepared to die and sink into the bowels of Hell - to defeat Death where it lived - to escape - rise - to New Life. That is what makes this Friday - Good.
Deacon Dale
In the beginning God knew - knew everything. He knew that this day would come - hoped it would not be necessary - but mankind failed - God intervened - took corrective steps - sent His Son - to save the world from itself. The enemy to be confronted - not people - rather Death. Death - the final enemy - that which robs people of hope - life. Death - an enemy too powerful to be fought by ordinary means - by ordinary people. Only Jesus - the Son of God - able to face head on - that which placed fear in the hearts of men - women. Jesus - armed with spiritual battle gear - prepared from birth - for this one day - this one battle - for mankind. He was prepared - ready for whatever happened - ready to suffer the pain of physical death - prepared to die and sink into the bowels of Hell - to defeat Death where it lived - to escape - rise - to New Life. That is what makes this Friday - Good.
Deacon Dale
