GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 18 Psalm 22 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Hebrews 10:16-25 or 4:14-16, 5:7-9 John 18:1-19:42 God’s goodness is proclaimed on Good Friday, the day that Jesus paid the ultimate price for each of us. Today, we have the benefit of seeing the crucifixion through the lens of Easter, but in my humanness and during this time of personal grief, as I hear the words Good Friday, I wonder if Mary and the disciples felt that it was a good day as Jesus hung on the cross with a crown of thorns on his head and nails in his hands. As Jesus took his last breath, I wonder if those who surrounded him were questioning if their lives would ever be the same, if the sun would rise again, or if life would be worth living without Jesus—son, friend, confidante. At the moment of Jesus’ death, Mary and those in the inner-circle were grief-stricken and probably not thinking that in three short days Jesus would rise from the tomb so that all who believed in him, by faith, would have eternal life. Before the joy of the morning on the day of resurrection, they were overcome with grief and mourning. In Psalm 22, David writes of great suffering that leads to great joy. David questions and Jesus echoes as he is facing death, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Many of us have experienced pain and suffering in our lives that caused us to cry out to God and ask this question. During the season of Lent, as we reflect upon the death and resurrection of Christ, we are reminded that Christ is faithful and gives us strength to endure all circumstances. We must hold steady to the hope that we have through the sacrificial death of Christ. His pain, suffering, humiliation and death give way to deliverance from our sins and allow us peace with God. During our time here, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” Hebrews 10:23-24, for we know that, “…weeping may remain for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) Glory be to God that his power is made perfect in our weakness, and peace that passes all understanding is possible to Christians through faith because of the day of crucifixion—A truly Good Friday. PAULA GILL Vice President, Office of Institutional Effectiveness
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