Good Friday Service
“What is good about Good Friday?”
There have been traditions in many places like Kenton where schools and stores ceased their activities on Good Friday. Often, there were services from noon until 3 PM as that was the period of darkness after Jesus’ death on the Cross (Matthew 27:45). During those services, people would walkthrough scripture as they walked with Jesus through His agonizing night after His arrest in Gethsemane, through His trials and torture to the Cross where He was crucified. People would listen to His last words as they sat before His Cross and witnessed His humiliation, shame, and death. The Cross brings horrors to life.
There, we see the depth of God’s love—how the Father spared not His only begotten Son, how Jesus died for every single sin of ours, and how the Spirit bore witness.
The Cross is the ultimate penalty for our sin. Good Friday is a day that makes us feel empty as it is our sin that took Jesus to the Cross. It is our sin that nailed Him there. It is our sin that caused Him to be beaten and treat- ed without mercy. It is our sin that caused Him to be jeered and derided. It is our sin that demanded that His blood be spilt in payment for our debt. It is our sin that caused Him to be separated from His Father.
With all the pain and misery associated with the day, how dare we call it good? Well, we do so because with- out that day, we are left stuck in our sin. Without the sacrifice, we are perpetually separated from God and have no way back. Sin is a disease incurable apart from Christ. We fail when we try to earn favor with God. Good Friday demonstrates the merciful nature of God—the Father forgives us through the sacrifice of His Son;
He cancels the debt that we can never pay. But it gets even gooder than that— I mean BETTER, and oh so much better. God is gracious. Mercy is about NOT being paid back evil for evil. Grace is about receiving what you do not deserve. Through Christ’s sacrifice, our sin-covered slate is not only wiped clean, but we are graciously offered a new life in Christ for now and all eternity. That is why Good Friday is good.
So this year, we will return to old practices of marking these dates with worship services. They are not meant to be productions or moments to stir emotions. They are meant to commemorate those solemn days and the profound meaning that fills them. They are days to wait and to pray and to reflect on what God has done for us. They are days to commit ourselves to sharing those gifts with others. Please join with us in person or online as we continue to remember what the Lord our God has done for us on these days and every day. These are the days that give our lives meaning and purpose. These are the days that have changed our lives. These are the days that give us gifts of life everlasting—gifts that we are called to share with our neighbors and strangers near and far.
