Good Friday
Good Friday is a chance to focus on Jesus’s death and the moments leading up to it. This year in particular Good Friday has taken on a deeper meaning as we grieve. We’ve grieved losses both big and small. Many have grieved the loss of loved ones, jobs, free time, face to face friendships, and many other things. One of the things God has impressed upon me as I reflect on Good Friday is the truth that Jesus is one who knows our suffering (Mark 14:34,15:34). He knows our pain. He knows loss.
When any human being faces grief and loss, the temptation is to ignore the unpleasant feelings by sweeping them under the rug, or medicating through distraction. Jesus calls us to a better way. He asks us to come to Him. Spend time in His presence. Give Him our emotions like anger, sadness, frustration, confusion, and others (See the whole book of Psalms for reference).
My prayer for us as a church is to be a people who are honest with God about how we are feeling and doing. So let’s take these days leading up to Easter to not rush ahead, not sweep things under the rug, and not medicate with something else. Let’s lean into the presence of Jesus remembering He knows everything about us and it is where true freedom and joy are found. Like the apostle Paul once said, we can be sorrowful, but yet always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10). We will get a chance to do this on Sunday as we celebrate and rejoice knowing that He has risen!
