2.3 Why Do We Have a Good Friday?

There have been some significant events in history. Take the 11th of November, 1918. This was known as 'Armistice Day'. It was the official end of World War-1. My great grandfather Percy Bromelow fought in this brutal war. He fought in what was known as the 'battle of the Somme' and it cost the lives of nearly one million people over three months and so I'm actually fortunate to exist as he was one of the few lucky ones to survive it. Other significant events include the ending of slavery in many parts of the world and also the beginning of equal rights for women. Now, there's been a recent event which has brought me to tears. It's not as significant as any of the others but on the 5th of November, 2016, Ireland finally beat the All Blacks in rugby after 111 years of trying. Yet, none of these events we believe has the same power as what happened on the day Jesus was crucified. It was a Friday, almost 2000 years ago, when Jesus an innocent legend of a man, willingly bore all of my sin so he could take the blame instead. And of course this wasn't just for me, Jesus was gifting all of us with unlimited access to the presence of God just like Adam and Eve had in the garden of Eden. In the Gospel of John, it says that 'there is no greater expression of love than laying down your life for your friends' and this expression of Jesus' love for us is so powerful because it's even more than one individual laying down their life for a great cause like my great-grandfather in World War I or even a whole people group claiming their freedom from oppression because Jesus' sacrifice undoes the mess of all sin and has the power to offer freedom and forgiveness for the entire world. The power of this event really was for all. Like even when the Roman Guards were mocking Jesus on his cross. Jesus cried out to the father for them, saying 'Father forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing' (Luke 23:34). This is pure love on display for his enemies, for his friends, for me, and for you. We're saying that Jesus' offer of forgiveness is so powerful because he bore the worst of humanity every mean word, every jealous thought, every evil deed. Even the times that we gave up on ourselves and believe that we couldn't do it or believed that we weren't worth it, he died for it all. As jesus hung there in humiliation, accused of wrongdoing that he had no part in, he bore our guilt and our shame. He broke the power of these things to restore our relationship to God. We remember this day as Good Friday but I think we should go a bit further and call it Great Friday. This is the greatest day in human history. Jesus did what God promised when our sin, our mess first entered the world. The Bible says that 'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free so we can stand firm and not become a slave to our sinful ways again' (Galatians 5:1). You see, Jesus doesn't want us to live with our heads down. He died for us because we were worth dying for, anything in our past or future is dealt with, nothing should hold us back. As someone who has often struggled with self-worth and identity, this truth has taken away my shame and freed me to love myself, forgive myself, and dedicate my life to bring this same love and forgiveness to others. So, we want to encourage you to reflect upon what these events of the very first Great Friday mean to you. This offer of forgiveness from God is a gift that only you can receive, and experience life in all of its fullness.