Joy on Good Friday?
I want to encourage you to spend some time reflecting on the Passion Week over the next few days. Passion means “suffer” in Latin. This is the week of Christ’s suffering and it’s also the week of Christ’s victory.
Good Friday
Why is it good? Why would the execution of an innocent person be good news? Take some time to reflect on this. How would you answer these questions?
Good Friday can be a day of joy because joy isn't about everything going according to your plans. Joy isn't about not experiencing suffering or pain.
Joy is not always about perspective, but perspective helps a ton. Perspective can be used as a weapon to belittle someone's pain. But eternal perspective does seem to help me understand that what we experience on this earth is a momentary affliction that will result in eternal glory. We are being sanctified by God and that process is painful at times, but results in growth and maturity and joy.
All seems lost on Good Friday but there's actually a massive war being won and an even greater victory is on the way on Sunday morning.
Here's some thoughts for other days on Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday
“Maundy” is another Latin word that comes from the word mandate or commandment. It’s based off of John 13:34-35 where Jesus says, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
This command takes place at the beginning of the Last Supper just after Jesus has washed his disciples’ feet. He is about to eat the Passover meal with them and then go out to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives where he will pray before he is betrayed and arrested.
Take some time to reflect on Jesus’ desire to teach us to love one another just before his death. The mandate of Maundy Thursday is to love like Jesus. As we prepare to take communion on Good Friday, examine yourself for a heart of love. And if your heart is hard or angry or even cruel, then confess your sin and Jesus will forgive you. Ask him to soften your heart to one that loves first.
Then comes Silent Saturday.
We don’t hear much about what is happening on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We know the disciples are afraid and confused. Jesus is dead. It feels like nothing is happening. It feels like the enemy has won. It feels like God the Father doesn’t care. But none of that is true! Jesus is working. Jesus is about to claim the greatest victory of all time.
Take the time to reflect on those moments where you can’t hear God or it seems that God isn’t working. Talk to God about how difficult it is to trust him sometimes. Confess that God is in charge and sees our circumstances from a different perspective, an eternal perspective. Ask for the power to trust.
And finally, we have Resurrection Sunday.
While it was still early, at sunrise, the women went to the tomb. They didn’t go because they thought he was alive, they went because they thought he was dead. Reflect on how all hope seemed lost in this moment. Reflect on your hopes.
Then a massive earthquake occurs and an angel appears shining like lightning! Everything has changed! He is not here! HE IS RISEN! Jesus is alive.
So we worship with all our hearts and celebrate with great joy.
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