The Good in Good Friday

With the changing of seasons, and the beginning of spring upon us it’s a reminder of death and life. It reminds me of when winter comes to an end, and then there is new life coming in the spring.  As we are approaching Easter Sunday, we reflect on how our Savior arose from the grave.  He arose from a grave after the cost of our sins put Him there. But before we get to Easter Sunday, we go through the mourning of Good Friday.

        If I am being honest with you the name of the Christian holiday “Good Friday” always seemed like an odd name for the day to me when I was younger.  Typically, the word “good” brings to mind thoughts of pleasantries and happiness.  But Good Friday marks the death of Christ, and how could a death be thought of as something “good”?  As an adult now, I understand how as tragic as the death of Christ was, that it was in fact an act of goodness for each of us.  In our hopelessness and despair as sinners each day, Christ provided us with the ultimate gift.  The gift to escape the certainty of a life in despair and hopelessness and to have eternal life.  As a parent I can not fathom how God was able to make the decision to send His son to die on a cross for me.  How God is able to have such a sacrificial love for me, and send His son to redeem my life is beyond my wildest dreams. This is something I have always had a hard time wrapping my mind around, and expanding my thought process to encompass the entirety of His love for each of us. With the death of Christ on Good Friday, then comes the resurrection on Sunday.

        Let’s reflect on the meaning of Easter Sunday, and the events that led up to that day.  Jesus was born onto our earth going from being fully God to being God and man. From the beginning, Jesus knew His purpose on earth was to redeem the souls of each of us. What a heavy purpose to know and carry on your shoulders each day! When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane He took time to sit in prayer and grief with the knowledge of the agonizing days to come for Him. He knew He was going to be betrayed by not only His disciples, but by all of man kind in a very public showing. He knew He was going to be facing death in the next few days, and He even asked God if there was a way to spare Him this agony. When God turned His face away from Jesus, Jesus lost all the comfort and love of His Father. As not only a daughter but as a parent, I reflect on how that would feel to turn away from my child and withdraw all my love and compassion for my child. Once again this is something that neither my mind nor my heart can fully grasp, nor can I fathom what it would feel like to have one of my parents turn away from me.  Its hard to not get lost in the gravity of these thoughts and how despairing it would be.

 As I dig into my thoughts deeper on the resurrection of Jesus, I think what a time it would have been to be alive and see all of this playing out in front of me in real time. How would it be to be Mary going to the tomb to find it empty?  What would it be like to see the ultimate miracle playing out in front of you? To see that Jesus has arisen from the grave, and to see that He is really real! I am sure I would have been a doubting Thomas, and I would have needed to see the nail scars firsthand to grasp that Jesus was back from the grave.

        Fast forward thousands of years to today and reflecting on the gravity of those few days is still awe-inspiring. We are so blessed to have the Bible that clearly lays out the timeline for us and shows us why Jesus died for our sins.

To have the picture painted so clearly for each of us to see and reflect on.
To see the gift of that sacrificial love that The Father has for each of us.
To know that even when there is despair, that joy comes in the morning.
Knowing that even with our heartache, The Father is able to bring joy and hope to our lives.  
I hope as you enter into this week, with all the hustle and bustle that comes with a holiday, that you take time to really reflect on the meaning of the holiday. To remember that it is not just about easter egg hunts, big family meals, and cute easter outfits. It is a physical reminder of the Father’s love for us, and to what extent He went to save us from our sins. To know that we will continue a life of eternity in Heaven after we depart from earth.  Take the time to tell your children about the meaning of the cross, and don’t let the chaos of a holiday consume you. In closing, I am going to leave you with some lyrics from one of my favorite songs right now.
 
 Hallelujah, thank you Jesus.
I was a prisoner, now I’m not.
With your blood, You bought my freedom.
Hallelujah for the cross.
-Hallelujah For The Cross Lyrics
 
With much love,
Melissa Abbott