Good Friday
Today is Good Friday.
It sure doesn't seem very good to me.
And I'm sure that's the case for many right now due to life circumstances and the current pandemic.
But even beyond today's specific circumstances, it seems odd that this day be called "good."
Good Friday is the day we remember our crucified Savior.
It sure doesn't seem good...but it is.
It's good because even in the midst of a horrific event, God's goodness ultimately shines through. It shines through in the actions of Jesus as he gave of himself for us, as he showed us - yet again - what love looks like, as he called for radical forgiveness, as his followers lovingly mourned, and as we were/are given a new hope that will (come Sunday) change everything...
Good doesn't always mean easy or light or uncomplicated. But, when used as a way to discuss the life of God, it always means pure, loving, right, and holy.
Good Friday isn't just good because we know the the end of the story, it's good because our God is good even when things seem impossibly dark. There is goodness and holiness to be found even in the the spaces that feel hopeless and hard.
This hope and goodness also then give us permission to grieve and lament. That seems counterintuitive, but really they go hand in hand. If the goodness of God is seen even in dark moments that means we are allowed to acknowledge and process that those moments are indeed dark. And yet! We can both grieve and hope. We can both lament and see the light (or rather, Light).
This is good news to me! Because life for sure is not always "good" the way we typically think about it. But it is always "good" in that it is always holy because God is with us.
But for now, we dwell in the darkness and look for the light.
And that's about where I stop for today because the really good news isn't here yet, but Sunday is coming. So we wait.
It sure doesn't seem very good to me.
And I'm sure that's the case for many right now due to life circumstances and the current pandemic.
But even beyond today's specific circumstances, it seems odd that this day be called "good."
Good Friday is the day we remember our crucified Savior.
It sure doesn't seem good...but it is.
It's good because even in the midst of a horrific event, God's goodness ultimately shines through. It shines through in the actions of Jesus as he gave of himself for us, as he showed us - yet again - what love looks like, as he called for radical forgiveness, as his followers lovingly mourned, and as we were/are given a new hope that will (come Sunday) change everything...
Good doesn't always mean easy or light or uncomplicated. But, when used as a way to discuss the life of God, it always means pure, loving, right, and holy.
Good Friday isn't just good because we know the the end of the story, it's good because our God is good even when things seem impossibly dark. There is goodness and holiness to be found even in the the spaces that feel hopeless and hard.
This hope and goodness also then give us permission to grieve and lament. That seems counterintuitive, but really they go hand in hand. If the goodness of God is seen even in dark moments that means we are allowed to acknowledge and process that those moments are indeed dark. And yet! We can both grieve and hope. We can both lament and see the light (or rather, Light).
This is good news to me! Because life for sure is not always "good" the way we typically think about it. But it is always "good" in that it is always holy because God is with us.
But for now, we dwell in the darkness and look for the light.
And that's about where I stop for today because the really good news isn't here yet, but Sunday is coming. So we wait.
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| “The Beauty of the Cross” painting by Daniel Bonnell (Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, MN) |
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