Good Friday April 7th 2023

Hot Cross Buns are the traditional food for Good Friday – the cross being a pertinent reminder of the event of this day. This day is, of course, the most solemn day of the year, on which we follow our Lord up the hill of Calvary. ‘Good’ may appear to be a strange title to give to this day. What can be ‘good’ about the death of an innocent man by one of the most barbaric forms of execution ever dreamt up by a human mind? But ‘good’ in this context means ‘holy’. The ‘good’ that is derived from this day is the gift of salvation, offered to us through faith in the atoning death of Christ. This holy day offers the opportunity to recall the true meaning of why Jesus came to earth ‘to give his life as a ransom for many’.

Through Christ’s death:

· We are redeemed – set free from slavery to our earthly nature, and granted the liberty of becoming the sons and daughters of God.

· We are justified – God has taken our place in the criminal court. He has paid our sentence Himself, in order that we may life a new life, set free from the consequences of sin.

· We are reconciled to God, called to be His friends, at peace with Him.

All of this, God has done by dying on the cross. The words of the great Good Friday hymn by Mrs Cecil Alexander express the truth of our salvation succinctly and clearly:

He died that we might be forgiven,

he died to make us good,

that we might go at last to heaven,

saved by his precious blood.

Good Friday is God’s megaphone call to the world, calling us to respond to Him, to receive His love, believe in Him and commit ourselves to live for Him. There is no better day than Good Friday to renew our commitment to Christ. It is a day for prayer:

Lord Jesus, you went through so much for me. Come and live in my heart, and make me the person who you want me to be. Amen.

All colour is removed from the church for Good Friday. The Holy Table is traditionally stripped bare after Maundy Thursday services, and remains bare until Easter morning.

But Good Friday tells only half the tale. We must move on to Easter Sunday to discover the culmination of the story.

Arms outstretched – agony.

Head hung down – bleeding.

Ebbing life – once vibrant.

Rough cross – once a sheltering tree.

Irony

Nails and thorns – cruel.

Side abused and weeping.

Heart broken and forsaken.

Mocked – yet spirit free.

Incredibly.

Ponder upon Gethsemane,

Betrayal in chilling air.

The carpenter who once hewed wood

Left hanging on the timbers bare,

His faith and overwhelming love

With all to share.

Shamelessly.

Christ for all,

Endured the gall,

He saved my soul.

You can believe

He died for thee

At Calvary.

Truthfully.

(Pamela Georgina Debney, Brighstone)