The Goodness of Friday

Today is, as many might already know, Good Friday. I find this title somewhat ironic. It's called good, but in reality there wasn't much goodness taking place on the day this holiday represents. Humanity's sin took a shot at the blameless Lord... and what a shot it took. Beaten, mocked, abandoned by His closest friends, struck down and even being forsaken by the Father. What a completely desolate state He had to have found Himself in during this day. Sorrow and blood flowing mingled down like a river...

And to top this all off, my own fists are counted in the blows being dished out. True, I wasn't there and I didn't physically throw a single blow. Yet, my sin was present and accounted for on that tree. Jesus took the full weight of my sin upon Himself, taking it all the way to the cross. And to top this all off, I still continue to sin. I am slapping Christ full across the face with my actions. With this in mind, what goodness is there in Friday? Why would we want to remember such a low point in human history, the day we crucified our Lord and Saviour?

The answer comes in what today stands for, and for the accompanying Sunday. By taking the cross, Jesus has paid the ultimate price for me. He paid the debt which I could never even come close to paying off. My actions and shortcomings had separated me from God. Yet, the shedding off His blood has completely wiped my slate clean. God incarnate, the only begotten Son, took my punishment. Now I can approach God and enter into His presence fully. I can have a true relationship with the Father because Christ took my punishment. And not only did He take the punishment, but the grave couldn't hold Him! How amazing is that! Death itself has been conquered! It no longer has a hold over me. If that is not good, then I don't know what is. Shoot, I don't know if good does it enough justice...

These past few months have been, to put it simply, rough for me. I have had to do a lot of soul searching. I've been dragged into doing a lot of looking within myself, and I haven't exactly been thrilled by what I've found. I have encountered full on the darkness within my own soul. At times, I have felt like there hasn't been much of a light within me. I saw myself as worthless and pathetic. Yet, when all else seemed to fall away, there was still a light simmering in the darkness. At times it was nothing more than a slight glimmer at the corner of my eye. No matter how much it tried, though, the darkness could not extinguish the light. This light has been the hope, love and acceptance found in Christ. I have this hope because of what happened on this day.

His sacrifice has given me new life. He has rescued me from myself... and I praise Him with all my heart for this. He is my risen Lord and Saviour. With this in mind, how can I call this Friday anything but "good"? It truly is a Friday of Goodness.