Good Friday

Sometimes it seems almost effortless; sometimes it's the hardest thing in the world.  

In the beginning God spoke  'Let there be light and there was light. God saw that the light was good'  Genesis 1:1-5 gives the timeless truth that God is creator. Out of nothing he spun the universe. With awesome power, control, and wisdom he creates. There is not one word of sweat, suffering or, agonizing.  God commands and it was so.  He made the world good.

But today we see Jesus, the Son of God dying on a cross (Mark 15:33-37). He had suffered the agony in the garden with sweat like drops of blood, needing the companionship of his closest disciples who had fallen asleep and missed much of the desolation of seeing the man who seemed in control of  the wind and waves, of feeding 5000 people, of every situation, now wrestling for his future, for their future.  Every painful step has hurt - the betrayal, denial, cruelty and today the awfulness of crucifixion.  When we read his crying out in a loud voice 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' we cannot imagine the depth of pain as Son is severed from Father for the sake of bearing our sin.  Nor can we easily cope with the pathos of bystanders misunderstanding the gravity of sacrifice here. 

What a cost to love like this. As the old hymn 'There is a green hill far away' puts it:

There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin; 

He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.

How dearly, dearly has He loved! And we must love him too, 

And trust in his redeeming blood and try his works to do.