We remember on this day:
In history, the death of a man, Jesus, Son of Mary and (it was thought) Joseph.
In the Christian faith, the Son of God, the Word, present in the beginning, through whom all things were created.
A death that changed the world (but that’s Sunday story).
We believe that Jesus opened the way back to God.
We believe we are forgiven, in his name.
We seek to follow him…
We can take this for granted.
But Easter celebrations without Good Friday are incomplete somehow. We pause. What was it like?
Let’s imagine:
Jesus
- totally obedient to his Father
- totally abandoned
- totally denied by his oldest friend. Luke even records his Look to Peter – “I told you…”
- totally alone
- to be totally forsaken by his Father
“He was pieced for our transgressions”, foretells the Prophet Isaiah:
“He was crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that bought us peace was on him,
And by his wounds we are healed.
We all like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way,
And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Prophetic then… And we still do… Amazing grace – the wonder of God’s love for us. So, we stand at the cross. We hear Jesus last words “It is finished”. The rescue of humankind is complete. There is no further penalty to pay… Jesus dies – the earth is shaken. We hear the centurion, on seeing this, say “surely he was the Son of God”.
Tom Wright, a NT theologian, commenting on the Bible’s letter to the Romans, and verse 3: 26, says that Paul is explaining that God is in the right, and we who trust in his gospel are in the right, and all because of the death of Jesus. Tom write continues “There are many times, in reading Paul, when the right reaction is to Kneel and give God thanks. This is one of those times.”
So, on our knees:
Come my Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God my saviour, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Let us pray…
Amen
Nigel
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