| FCA DAILY IMPACT PLAY Why is Friday Good? |
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| From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) - Matthew 27:45-46 |
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Good Friday. But why is Friday "good" on a day when we remember our Savior crucified? A day in history that commemorates the pain, misunderstanding and grief of Jesus being killed on a cross.
Perhaps now, more than ever, we understand the heaviness of confusion and sorrow. We don't know what tomorrow will hold. The followers of Jesus we're struck with grief and fear as they watched their friend and assumed Messiah go to the grave. Fear drove them into their houses where they locked the doors and waited for a sign of relief. They may have thought, "Where are you now, God?"
Today, we have the opportunity to sit in solidarity with a life before the resurrection. We don't know when the pandemic will be "over" and when our lives will go back to "normal." This year, Good Friday can present to us a fresh understanding of both lamenting and trusting. We can lament the pain that Jesus bore as they struck Him and mocked him on the hill of Golgatha. Yet, we can exercise our trust in a Holy God that holds all hope in His hands.
Like the Father might have whispered to the hearts of the disciples... "Will you still choose to trust me even when you don't understand the end?" He might be asking you, "Will you still choose to trust me even when you don't understand the end?"
Unlike the disciples, we don't have to wait to know the end of the story. We now know and can rejoice in the glorious resurrection of Jesus. THAT is why it is Good Friday for us. We can celebrate knowing that the battle is already won and we can rejoice in the victory. The freedom feels that much more powerful when we know the weight that we have been rescued from.
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| How do you see the similarities of Good Friday and our current situation across the globe? When have you felt confused or full of grief? How can you rest in the resurrecting victory of Jesus even in the midst of the unknown? What do you need to remind your heart of? |
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| Jesus, thank you for going to the cross and bearing the weight of my sin and shame. You saw the joy set before you and you fixed your eyes on the Father. Help me to walk in the power of your Holy Spirit today. Give me a renewed sense of your sacrifice and resurrection. Empower me with the strength to share about the hope that is within me. |
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| Jolee Paden serves on FCA staff in Washington, DC. She grew up in East Central Illinois and then attended Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia where she ran cross country and track. During her time there, she published a runner's devotional book, Spiritual Runner: A Runner After God's Own Heart (spiritual-runner.com). You can reach her at jpaden@fca.org. |
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