As we were reading together through our online Bible Study, the Lectionary passages with many who attend Worship @ The Water, a number of them had some helpful responses to the question above.
"This question was asked to me years ago and I really never understood why it was good until I got more into His Word. Good Friday is good because that is the day Jesus saved me. He knew I wasn't perfect and will never be but he died for my sins so that I may live...I am so thankful for Jesus and the cross and the day He showed the world who He really is." Tiffani
"I believe Good Friday is good, because God saw the goodness in all of us and because of it sent Christ to die for us." Tom
"Good Friday is good because Jesus died for our sins. He paid our debt for eternity. What a glorious day for us!" Jeanine
They are certainly on to the eternal outcome of Good Friday. The difficulty for me comes when I realize Christ dares each of us to carry our own crosses and follow Him. I would much rather trade mine in for a lighter one or one I can put off to the side if it becomes too demanding of my schedule.
Our reading from 1 John 3:16-17 states, "This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear." (MSG)
OUCH! "I made it disappear?" If you were able to attend our Maunday Thursday service last night Darren laid out a powerful testimony in reference to his own struggles with regards to practicing a foot washing faith. John's Gospel tells us that just before our Lord was betrayed and murdered on a cross, He washed the disciples feet. Who does that sort of thing? We serve a God who knows what it means to carry a cross; one that had my name as well as yours on it.
Not sure about your cross but mine continues to turn me towards the lost, broken, messy, hopeless, jacked up children of God in need of that saving grace. Most days I fight to remain blind to what I see and deaf to what I hear when the turn occurs.
What about your cross?
Let us finish what we started and make it to the crucifixion and into the Easter celebration.
With much love for you and yours,
Jeremy
Welcome to the conversation! For as long as our own discipline will allow, I hope to use this resource as a forum for prayer and reflection for the community of Perdido Bay United Methodist Church. We'll be working through Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals as our daily devotional guide. Since we're beginning the journey on Ash Wednesday, the hope is that this will be an additional venue for us to pray together throughout this holy season.
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