Good Friday

The Friday of Holy Week is called “Good Friday” only because we know the rest of the story. The death of Jesus on the cross when dramatically portrayed allows us to identify with the pain and suffering.  Yet the reality of that horrible event points to a great truth. Death does not have the final word. Easter is the answer to the cruelty of crucifixion on the cross. 

Good Friday plays a prominent role in Holy Week because it causes us to consider the cross and what it means for our lives as a people of faith. United Methodist pastor, Adam Hamilton reminds us that the cross represents “a divine love story centered on a God who suffered to save the human race.”  The cross is about selfless and sacrificial love.  It defines the gospel and explains the most popular verse in the entire New Testament: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son…” (John 3:16)

The cross is not only Jesus’ story, but our own. It reminds us that forgiveness is a part of God’s story told from the cross. As the central symbol of Christianity, it points to hope in times of despair, and leads to gratitude for God’s mighty acts on our behalf. The cross represents redemption, and points to the possibility of new beginnings, little resurrections in this life , that allow us to have a fresh start in spite of our failures and shortcomings. The cross points the way to the paths we are to follow through acts of love and kindness. And the cross symbolizes the promise that awaits us at the end of this earthly journey when, like Jesus, our “good Friday” becomes “Easter.”