Today is Good Friday.
A day where we… celebrate … the death of God.
It’s crazy to think about it in those terms.
Celebrating — death.
And, yes, we call this good Friday because we know the whole story.
We know that Sunday is coming.
But rather than jumping straight to the resurrection,
I encourage you to slow down and rest in Friday.
The chaos of Jesus being ripped from His disciples,
The injustice of His trial and death,
The fear of His followers,
The hopelessness of the situation – from their perspective.
Consider the death of Jesus.
The payment for your sins and mine and the whole world.
I think if we rush to Easter Sunday too quickly, we run the risk of diminishing its impact as well.
So reflect on what Good Friday must have felt like,
On that first “Good” Friday.
Maybe you’re going through something difficult right now.
Consider how this might be a “good” day as well.
How God might be using the trials and destruction and even death in your life,
To bring about a good you know nothing about.
Because, as I’ve written about before,
Our God turns trials into triumphs.
God turned Jesus’ death on Good Friday,
Into His resurrection on Sunday,
And salvation for us all.
So let the truth of the ultimate Good Friday speak into your life today.
Into the eternal meaning of your salvation through Jesus,
And also into the immediate suffering or trials you may be experiencing.
As you reflect, I encourage you to also watch this YouTube video. It’s pretty old (as you’ll see) but it captures the heart of what Good Friday must have felt like and I think it may help you in your reflection today.