It's Good Friday...

 

Christ's body hangs as a bloody mess on the cross.  His choice to push up on the nails driven through his feet so that He can breathe or to rest His body weight on the nails driven through his wrists. The pain is excruciating yet he does not cry out in response.  His beaten body, a head enthroned by a crown of thrones, God mockingly worshipped, abused and forsaken...even by His own...

I watched a few Mandy Thursday services last night, struck by what seemed to be a presumed, almost a false sense of solemnity.  Tears were shed in some cases. Quiet. Songs of contemplation. A people grieving?  Prayers seeking brokenness? And many, many, vacant stares.

But Sunday is coming.  The joyful exuberance will abound.  The Bunny (most celebrant's true god) will have come.  Chocolate will be tasted. Jelly Beans will be shared. Spring is in the air.  Flowers are blooming. All is right with the world.

Do I sound sarcastic? Dare I mock the worship of the many congregations I see participating in the liturgy of the season?  Perhaps.  I was left wondering, as I have been in my many seasons of professional pastoral work...so what?

So what will you do with this experience, this knowledge of what took place, this suffering, this horror, this pain?  What will you do with the knowledge you now have of the price that was paid? The victory that was won?  What will happen to all the sadness of Friday and the joy of Sunday?  What happens on Monday?  Will you, like normal, just return to your everyday life? Will you also return to your sin, Like dogs returning to their vomit? You were bought with a price.  You are no longer your own. You don't get to decide what is right for you. You SERVE a King, THE KING OF KINGS, and you WILL be judged for that service and for your sin; no one else's.

Are you truly changed?  Do you reflect on the horror of Good Friday, EVERY DAY of your life?  Do you experience the joy of the resurrection EVERY DAY of your life?  Do these things motivate EVERY aspect of your being? Or are you like so many, who think of God on occasion but never make the effort to daily spend time reading scripture and praying with and for others? Or are you the type that is more likely to make sure you're ready for Monday night football, or your favorite day time drama, or your weekly bowling, golfing, or other outing? Do you know more about the history of your favorite ball team than you do the 12 apostle's? Have you memorized the statistics of Tiger Wood's green jackets but couldn't mumble the 10 commandments? Even worse are you the Chr-easter (Christmas and Easter) Christian, the hatch match and dispatch type that only shows up when you need a fix of self-righteousness? Who expects the church to work for you rather than you work as the church?

Pardon my sorrow, my sarcasm, my borderline despondency, but it seems to me that we make a mockery of our faith when our liturgical practices seem to substitute for an abiding faith and commitment to the Lord; when an annual trip to the celebration of Holy Week substitutes for a daily walk with Jesus.

Will this be the year that things change? That the shallow commitments you make in your prayers become a living, vibrant reality? That you finally do whatever is necessary to rid yourselves of the sin that so easily entangles? That you put off the old and put on the new? That you come out from among them? What excuse will you give for the persistence of your sin in light of the Truth made so evident in Christ? Or will it just be another "new years resolution" that fails three days into the journey? That is trampled under the footsteps of daily living? That gets entangled in and strangled by the desires of the flesh? That wilts at the challenges that befall all those who choose to follow Him? Or will you plant your roots in rich, deep, well watered soil, taking the compost of life and turning it into works of righteousness? Seriously, it matters. Not just what you choose, but just how committed you are. Everyone loves a Savior. Few are willing to obey their Master!

Are you waiting for a sign from God? This is it.  The others have been as well. How long will you tarry?

“…throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of faith." [Hebrews 12:1]