This Good Friday

The Cross The Veil The Stone

He died on the CROSS, the VEIL was torn, and the STONE was rolled away.

Good Friday greetings to you. This morning my daughter decided to wear this leather pouch necklace to school and it became the perfect opportunity to talk about the events of Good Friday and Easter. She is 11 and knows them in her head, but it is a never-ending exercise as a Christian to know them in your heart. From years past I had compiled a few things that were symbolic of Easter and put them in a little container with sand. I included a piece of torn fabric, a tiny hand whittled cross, and a pebble. It became the kind of thing you can shake up in hopes of revealing the hidden treasures. I dug them out of the sand and asked her if she would wear them in her necklace. I loved her response that if someone asked her if anything is in her necklace today, she could say yes. I doubt she was really thinking of it as an opportunity to witness to her friends, but sometimes that is the very best way to witness....by being yourself and sharing what is special to you.

I chose these little pieces to symbolize the sacrifice of Jesus, the withness it granted us to God, and His resurrection. What pieces would you choose to share the story of Easter? There is certainly room for creativity.

The Cross - With the cross I am reminded of the horrific suffering Christ endured on the path to, and upon, that horrible piece of wood. Although fully God, He was also fully man, and His pain was much more than physical. The crown of thorns, the flogging, and the nails were brutal, but so was the abandonment of those closest to Him. It is written that only a handful of his loved ones were either watching his crucifixion from a distance or possibly within the sound of His voice. Even His Heavenly Father, His God, part of Himself had turned away "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46 It is one thing to suffer, but it is another to suffer alone. His heart must have been as broken as His body. He was still willing to drink the bitter, bitter cup given to Him for me and for you. His suffering and sacrifice on that cross is personal. When I am given a cup to drink in this life that is painful, I know I'm not alone. Jesus has pulled up a chair and is with me at my table. He knows exactly what I'm going through because His cup was so much more bitter than mine.

The Veil - This may be my favorite piece. It is very personal to my own story. The actual curtain/veil was likely much thicker in reality than the linen I chose, but for me it is symbolic of my experience. When I was baptized I was 26 years old. I shared my testimony before my baptism (through a microphone?!? Horror for an introvert, the Spirit must have helped). As part of it I mentioned how growing up I always envisioned a haze, or a fog, between me and God. I knew He was there, and I knew He could see me, but we were separated by something and we couldn't see each other clearly. But now, having accepted Christ, it was gone. When I said this I remember my pastor nodding his head and acknowledging what I had said, but it wasn't until years later that I better understood biblical events and how significant that was. We had a veil between us and when I decided to accept Christ as my Savior it was torn! He is with me and we are no longer separated. When the veil was torn in the temple during the moments after Christ's crucifixion, the opportunity was granted for all to have a personal relationship with God through the sacrifice of Jesus. But until I was willing to accept Him as my savior we were distant. That experience has helped build my faith and is why I chose the semi-transparent linen.

The Stone - That magnificent, massive stone, was rolled away.....by angels!!! How glorious. The angels came to greet Jesus and tend to Him. Having left his side at the cross, they returned. What a celebration. The very alive, fully resurrected Jesus could walk right out of the tomb in the presence of angelic glory. The sweetest entry back into this world. Amen!

It is easy to let Good Friday go by and not really focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus until Easter. But by opening your heart to what He went through at the cross and leading up to it, the celebration of His rising is all the more personal and beautiful!

Don't leave before listening to this, may favorite song for Easter. In Christ Alone by Travis Cottrel