Easter Thoughts

    "It's Friday, but Sunday is coming." is a common phrase we say in the Church during Easter weekend, and it's true. But we cannot forget about Friday. We had a guest speaker for our Good Friday service yesterday, and one of the many things he said was, "Thank God for Friday." (Not a direct quote, I don't remember the exact sentence. Just the point behind the sentence.) We tend to think of Good Friday as a sad day, and in some ways, it is, but it's also so good.

    Yes, Jesus went to the cross for us and died a horrible, painful death. But, He did it for us. He did it for you and me. He obeyed The Father and died in our place. That alone brings me to tears. He took my sins to the cross and washed me white as snow. God loves us so much that He gave His one and only son to die in our place.

    Maybe it's just me, but I think the Church at large needs to spend more time reflecting on what Good Friday means and not simply say, "It's okay. Sunday is coming." Again, maybe it's just me, and your church does a wonderful job of acknowledging what happened on Good Friday. I'm also not criticizing my church either.

    Because without Good Friday, we can't have Sunday.

    It reminds me that when we are in a hard season of life, we are often reminded that it's darker before dawn and that Hope comes in the morning. Which is also very true. The day that Jesus died was a hard day for His family, both on earth and in Heaven, His friends and followers.

    When I was a child and asked my dad what the weather was going to be the next day, he would always say, "Darker tonight, lighter tomorrow." It drove me nuts because it was not helpful. It was true, but not helpful.

    Anyways, Holy Spirit reminded me yesterday morning to take both Friday and Saturday and remember what Jesus did for me on Good Friday. And tomorrow, with the rest of my local church and the Church at large that He defeated death and rose to life again, and because He rose again, He is not just a man, but my Savior.

    Thank you, God, for Good Friday. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for me. Your one and only son.

Happy Easter, Friends.

~Hannah

"Its always darkest before the dawn." Thomas Fuller, 1650.