Reflections On Good Friday
by: Stacy Mattheis
Spring is upon us. We can see buds on the trees and in some parts of Canada the bulbs are beginning to bloom, the days are growing longer and the drabness of winter is melting away.
Spring brings Easter and the celebration of our Risen King, but we have to come through winter, the drabness, dreary and the dead before we can celebrate the life that emerges in spring. The past year has taught us what it is like to walk through the valley, the wilderness, the winter season. It is a valley we are still in and still adapting how we celebrate in it. Sometimes we want to celebrate before the time is right.
This is what it’s like as a Christian at Easter... we want to celebrate our risen Christ and indeed we should, but we have to acknowledge that there was misery, pain and death before there was victory because even in his obedience, the Lord suffered a horrific death for our salvation and eternal lives.
The words from this hymn by Stuart Townend remind us of the price He paid for our sin.
Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life –
I know that it is finished.
The challenge for us is to find the place where growth can happen in the midst of the sorrow that remembering Christ on the Cross brings. We can grow by reading about Christ's ministry this weekend. We can soak in the parables, the stories of his unashamed boldness in the Temple, see the surrender in his words to his disciples during the Last Supper, the anger, the submission in the Garden of Gethsemane and hear the sorrow in his cry on the Cross as he cries out to his Father.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
As you take time to reflect on the last week of Jesus’ life, think about your life and the price that was paid for it. Imagine for a moment where you would have stood as He hung on that cross.
Would you have mocked Him to stay in the crowd? Would you have wept next to Mary Magdelene and Jesus’ mother Mary? Would you have secretly been relieved it was not you on that cross instead? The moment the earth shook and the heavens opened up, would you have believed then that the Son of God was fulfilling the ministry He had been given?
Try not to rush ahead to the celebration, don’t speed through the uncomfortable but ask the Father to speak to you during this time and reflect on your life... what might the Lord be asking you to do in obedience to him... to repent, to be still, to forgive, to surrender, or to be courageous in? If we have learned anything in the midst of this still-inserting pandemic, it has been to slow down, to wait and to watch. Instead of watching COVID numbers today or trying to rush through the pain to the other side, linger here and embrace the gift, the price and the pain that was paid for you.
Proclaim these verses and let them drive you through the rest of 2021 and boast in Christ, our crucified and RISEN KING. And when Sunday comes... oh, how we will celebrate and boast in Christ alone! So celebrate with unhinged excitement and joy because we know the price Jesus paid, the love the Father has for us and that we are a part of his family!
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom.
Stacy Mattheis lives in Red Deer, Alberta with her husband Tyler and two of their three adult children. Stacy homeschooled all three, has served in many different areas of ministry in her local church from Women’s Ministry, technical teams, spiritual formation, family ministry, and recently joined the Executive Team of Gather Women. She values unity, authenticity and truth. You can find her reflecting on life and her journey with the Lord on Instagram @stacymattheis and Facebook at stacymattheis.