The Reality of Good Friday (and how to celebrate it)
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This time last year you could find me stuffing Easter eggs in the church office or painting a donut wall in preparation of our big Easter Sunday at CMC, our previous church plant.
We were getting everything squared away for what churches refer to as “a big Sunday” because it’s the norm to see more people walk through the doors of a church when it’s a holiday like Easter or Christmas.
It’s what we do on these holidays, whether a regular habit or not, we go to church.
Now it is time to let you on a little secret…
Many churches can get so wrapped up on “the big Sunday” (the donuts, the Easter egg hunts, the photo ops, the kids play, etc.) that it’s easy for us to worry more about a big production for Easter weekend than the actual meaning of it all.
Hey, I’ve been there. It happens. It’s true.
But don’t we all get tempted to do that?
Get the matching outfits, prep the roast, plan for family coming in, clean the house for Easter lunch, get the baskets ready, hide the eggs…
We fall into the Hallmark holiday musts that we hardly observe the true meaning of a sacred holiday.
And how on earth is Good Friday even actually GOOD?
How do we observe or yet, celebrate, a day when the Son of God was beaten, hung on a cross, crucified and left to die?
There are no pretty outfits, candy-filled eggs, or celebratory lunches/dinners planned for that, are there?
all photography by carolina arriaga
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
On this day we remember and observe the death of Christ, the Son of God. The death of Christ was brutal, absolutely inhumane. He was falsely accused, mocked, beaten, forced to carry his own cross, nailed to said cross and hung to die. The cross was the most horrific way to die, as each person hung on a cross had to lift themselves on their nailed feet to inhale properly. Most eventually, worn out, died from suffocating.
The Son of God experienced all of that. Willingly.
That’s the crazy part!
But why?
Because of what Romans says above. For us. For you. For me. For all of humanity. For grace. For eternal life. For freedom from sin. For victory of death and sin.
That’s why.
Jesus Christ took his last breath and took upon himself all of our sin, all of our pain, all of our misery, ALL OF IT.
See, that is why it’s GOOD. That is why we observe. That is why we celebrate. We celebrate a Savior that allowed death and evil to do it’s worse to him because of His love for us..
And yet, it did not overtake him.
Because when all seemed hopeless, when all seemed lost, God still had a plan. God was still at work.
Because when darkness filled that horrid day, light would soon follow.
“When Friday ended in what felt like complete despair and devastation, Sunday was coming. Resurrection was coming. Hope was coming. Life was coming.”
Don’t we all have Fridays like today? Throughout life, days come where devastating news hit us. A day where we can’t hold on any longer. We feel absolutely defeated. We are broken. We are hopeless. Dead inside.
But how wonderful to know, no matter what is done to us, what we did or what we face… we do not have to stay there.
As believers in the resurrected Christ, none of this is our end.
It doesn’t end with Friday. It doesn’t end with death and defeat.
How can I observe Good Friday?
I challenge you to take time today or tomorrow to sit in observation before the Lord. Open your Bible and read through John 19:1-41. Read this chapter more than once if you have to. Don’t get up until you can truly say, “I get it. Thank you, Jesus! You did this for me. I believe and accept that.”
Pray to Him. Repent of allowing other Easter related festivities to rob you of true observance of these sacred days. And lastly, remind those around you of the true meaning of Easter weekend. Don’t keep this to yourself. Share this post if that helps.
Thanks for reading, friend. I pray this post blessed you, but also challenged you.
Praise Jesus for His life, death, and resurrection!
- Crystal
