Good Friday is such a significant part of the story of my faith. It isn’t fun or lighthearted, it is heavy and dark and real. Without the events of Good Friday, there would be no Easter morning.
I attended the Tenebrea service at our church last night. And I’ll be honest, I probably wouldn’t have gone, except that Pastor asked me to read. And when he asked and was explaining it to me, I knew it was going to be powerful…I wasn’t wrong. But that’s exactly what my heart needed, too.
As I listened to the various scriptures about Jesus being the light of the world and watched each reader light their candle, I thought a lot about God’s grace.
There are things we are always telling ourselves – I’m not enough. I am not worthy. But I want to tell you today that because of God’s grace, you are enough. You are worthy. Without that grace, it would be a continual struggle uphill. But with that grace, life changes. It won’t be perfect, there will still be struggles and failures, but God will pick us up, dust us off, squeeze us tight and set us upright on our feet. Every time. Every single time.
I remember sitting on a plastic chair around a wooden table in the church basement, Dad as my Sunday school teacher. He was teaching us about grace, and it never fails to amaze me that I retained what he taught. Everyone loves a good acronym, right? Well, the acronym Dad taught us was what grace stands for – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. I’ve never forgotten that. And oddly enough, all these years later, I finally get what those last letter truly mean. All along I pictured Jesus doling out what we needed – patience, some extra cash, maybe a new pair of shoes, forgiveness, whatever we needed at the time…but, no, I finally got it. Christ’s expense – well, that was His death. He gave all. For us. For all people over all times. Only took me roughly 30 years to truly figure it out.
But here’s the thing, He would do it just for the ‘good church-goers’. The devote Christians. He would’ve done it just for those that meet at the corner of Duke and Main. He would’ve done it just for me. He would’ve died on that cross solely to give me that life eternal. He would’ve done it just for you. Did you know that? God would sacrifice His only Son just for you. He did it for you. Do you know that? Do you believe that this day? I sure do!
I’m so thankful for that grace. I am not worthy. I am not enough just on my own. But, through that amazing grace, I am enough and I am made worthy.
As last night’s Tenebrea service progressed, each reader read some of Jesus’ last words before his death. The candles we lit during the first part of the service were snuffed out. One by one. Until one last lonely flame burned brightly. Then, the final words, ‘It is finished’ and the flame snuffed out. Darkness. We were left sitting in this dark part of the Easter story. Sitting with the weight of what our sin, our mistakes cost.
I’m not one to ruin surprises…well, actually I suck at keeping surprises….but the story gets a little crazy and things change dramatically over the course of the next few days….stay tuned.
But today, this Good Friday, I am thankful for that brutal sacrifice so that I am not required to pay the debt of my sin. I’m thankful for that grace. And I’m thankful that I know how the story ends.
Reflectively yours,
Lori
