From our Good Friday Service
We call today Good Friday, and for many people that doesn ?t make a whole lot of sense. We ?ve been asking the question, “Were you there?” And we honestly have to answer, no. But we have the testimony of the Scriptures, and so we gather to remember, perhaps even to mourn, the suffering and death of Jesus. And yet we call it “Good.”
Today, Christians have the luxury of knowing that Sunday ?s coming. But this gathering, this memorial service, it still confuses us, just as the crucifixion and burial of Jesus confused his followers who really were there.
From the first moments when Jesus called his disciples, they were amazed by him. Peter was amazed by a miraculous catch of fish. Nathanael was amazed that Jesus knew him before he had met him. Jesus told Nathanael, “You think that ?s amazing? You haven ?t seen anything yet.”
And he was right. They were amazed at his teachings. They were amazed by his miracles. They were amazed by his authority. And they were amazed by the potential of what they thought would happen next. They were amazed by the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, by the arrival of the King, the Messiah, the one who would deliver God ?s people.
And then they were amazed that he was arrested, tried, convicted, and executed. They were amazed to think they had it all wrong.
There ?s no doubt in my mind that as they hid themselves, they went over every word that Jesus had spoken, every lesson, every sermon, every parable, every word of healing, wondering “Where did I go wrong? How did I miss it?”
All Peter had to do was to go back to those amazing fish. Luke 5 tells us that before he chose to follow Jesus, Peter had been fishing all night and he hadn ?t caught any fish. He told Jesus that when Jesus told him to go back out. And when he and his buddies caught enough fish to sink their boats, Peter fell at Jesus ? feet and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” At that moment, Peter was amazed, not simply by the fish but by the presence of the one who had no sin.
Peter followed Jesus in amazement, not because of fish but because of who Jesus was. But somehow he got sidetracked. He started to think about an earthly kingdom with an earthly king, a Messiah who was a general. Perhaps Peter thought that Jesus could raise an army the way he caught fish. Regardless of what he thought, he focused on his plan and not God ?s plan.
And that ?s where we are tonight. We ?re at the crossroads of discipleship. Even though we were not there at the cross, our sins were. We can sit here mourning the death of the one who didn ?t deserve it. Or we can sit here amazed again by God ?s plan, by God ?s love for people who don ?t deserve it.
Tonight I want to encourage you to focus on God ?s amazing plan. Again, it ?s easy for us today because we know the joy of the resurrection; at least it ?s easy for us to say that we understand why this is Good Friday. But sometimes it ?s still tough for us to focus on God ?s plan. We get distracted by the everyday things of our life. Some of those things are important; some aren ?t. But either way, it ?s easy to be distracted and forget about God ?s amazing love and his amazing plan.
If you have been reading through the devotional guide we provided for you this week, you will see tomorrow that we are encouraging everyone to fast. When I say that, I mean we ?re encouraging everyone to put aside the things that we want or even the things that we need so that we can focus intently on God ?s amazing love and his amazing plan.
Obviously, that could be a matter of giving up a meal or a few meals, deciding not to eat, giving up even the barest necessities of life to focus on God ?s plan of eternal life. It could also be a matter of giving up other things, especially the things that distract us: television, movies, music, computers, video games; working around the house; going shopping and spending money; maybe even the comfort of simply kicking back and relaxing over the weekend. Whatever it is that you find that distracts you, consider giving it up tomorrow for the sake of focusing on God ?s love and God ?s plan.
His plan is amazing, but it ?s easy for us to miss the point. It ?s easy to be confused. It doesn ?t make sense that the one who had no sin would have to die to take care of the sins of people who don ?t deserve God ?s mercy and even for people who weren ?t even there. But that ?s what makes the plan so amazing. It ?s beyond comprehension; it ?s beyond what we can understand.
All we have to do is accept it. We have to accept that God ?s plan required the suffering and death of Jesus. We have to accept that the plan, while it might not be what we would do, is exactly what God had to do. Ultimately, we have to accept that the plan was for our sake and simply accept the forgiveness that has come through the plan and the love that is the foundation of the plan.
Tomorrow, as you fast, wondering how you will get through the day without eating, consider that God ?s plan is one of strength and power. The power that the disciples witnessed through Jesus ? teaching and miracles will strengthen us as we accept God ?s forgiveness and will keep us faithful as we focus on his amazing plan. It ?s the amazing power of God ?s love and forgiveness that makes this Good Friday and encourages us to be strong through Resurrection Sunday.
Let me close with the prayer that Paul prayed for the church in Ephesians 3: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge ?that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”