Good Friday
I have tried you in the fires of affliction; I have taught your soul to grieve.
In the barren soil of your loneliness, there I will plant My seed.
Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence, we embrace your holy night.
I have taught you the price of compassion; you have stood before the grave.
Though My love can seem like a raging storm, this is the love that saves.
Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence, we embrace your holy night.
In your deepest hour of darkness I will give you wealth untold
When the silence stills your spirit, will My riches fill your soul.
Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence, we embrace your holy night.
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Today is Good Friday. Today's the day when the world was at its darkest for Jesus's small, scared band of followers. Today's the day they watched their Lord undergo torture, injustice, and a humiliating, horrific death. Little did they know the important and wonderful work that was happening that day as the Son of God willingly endured all of it because of his boundless love.
And why should they have known? By all logical indicators, Jesus was a failure. Some no-name traveling rabbi from Nazareth - Nazareth! Might as well have been Las Vegas - who managed to build up a decent following before being wiped out in one fell swoop. Lots of people had hoped he would overthrow the Roman empire and usher in a glorious era of freedom for Israel. Instead he came to Jerusalem amidst parades and then one week later he...died. Some Messiah!
And the Romans....man, they must have been scratching their heads. If crack existed at that time, they must have thought everybody in Jerusalem was on it. Who the heck was this weirdo spouting nonsense about "the kingdom of heaven" and "redemption" and serving "the least of these." The Romans...they were the ones with all the freakin' power! And their gods - let's face it - looked a whole lot more impressive and powerful than some guy meekly being led to a criminal's death.
What fools we all are.
As I said before about Christmas, so I say about Good Friday: It shows how God turns this world's wisdom on its head. By all logical indicators, Jesus Christ was an abject failure. In fact, in his moment of seeming failure, he achieved the greatest victory! In dying, he killed death. In enduring hate, he expressed unending love. In dying the lowliest of deaths, he proved his worth as our King.
God's love takes everything in this chaotic, power-obsessed world and turns it upside down. And THAT, my friends, is what I find so freakin' cool about Christianity.
Happy Good Friday!
In the barren soil of your loneliness, there I will plant My seed.
Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence, we embrace your holy night.
I have taught you the price of compassion; you have stood before the grave.
Though My love can seem like a raging storm, this is the love that saves.
Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence, we embrace your holy night.
In your deepest hour of darkness I will give you wealth untold
When the silence stills your spirit, will My riches fill your soul.
Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence, we embrace your holy night.
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Today is Good Friday. Today's the day when the world was at its darkest for Jesus's small, scared band of followers. Today's the day they watched their Lord undergo torture, injustice, and a humiliating, horrific death. Little did they know the important and wonderful work that was happening that day as the Son of God willingly endured all of it because of his boundless love.
And why should they have known? By all logical indicators, Jesus was a failure. Some no-name traveling rabbi from Nazareth - Nazareth! Might as well have been Las Vegas - who managed to build up a decent following before being wiped out in one fell swoop. Lots of people had hoped he would overthrow the Roman empire and usher in a glorious era of freedom for Israel. Instead he came to Jerusalem amidst parades and then one week later he...died. Some Messiah!
And the Romans....man, they must have been scratching their heads. If crack existed at that time, they must have thought everybody in Jerusalem was on it. Who the heck was this weirdo spouting nonsense about "the kingdom of heaven" and "redemption" and serving "the least of these." The Romans...they were the ones with all the freakin' power! And their gods - let's face it - looked a whole lot more impressive and powerful than some guy meekly being led to a criminal's death.
What fools we all are.
- 1 Corinthians 1:20-25Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
As I said before about Christmas, so I say about Good Friday: It shows how God turns this world's wisdom on its head. By all logical indicators, Jesus Christ was an abject failure. In fact, in his moment of seeming failure, he achieved the greatest victory! In dying, he killed death. In enduring hate, he expressed unending love. In dying the lowliest of deaths, he proved his worth as our King.
God's love takes everything in this chaotic, power-obsessed world and turns it upside down. And THAT, my friends, is what I find so freakin' cool about Christianity.
Happy Good Friday!
posted by Ben at
7:25 PM
3 Comments:
I totally forgot this was Easter weekend until a guy in my office stuck his head in my door and said, "Have a good Easter."
But anyway, have a good Easter.
By
Mike, at 4/15/2006 12:28 AM
What a beautiful, wonderful post!
By
Anonymous, at 4/15/2006 9:59 AM
Have a nice Easter
By
Anonymous, at 4/15/2006 10:45 AM
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