Good Friday

Just had an epiphany tonight about Good Friday!  I went to my awesome church and they had a really special genuine night of prayer, where you can come and go as you please. But they had these cool self guided stations to help you really focus on why Good Friday is a special day of remembering, then a really intimate acoustic worship set that had such a somber special feel to it. The whole night wasn't about hype, or over dramatization, it was quiet and sobering and had me getting down to what Good Friday is all about. Which even though I've always lived in a Christian home and been a Christian for many years, this reality has somehow escaped me. But this Good Friday, I finally got it!  What everyday should be all about.  Good Friday is not just some random holiday! We celebrate Easter and Christmas which are great celebrations!! But we kind of just skip right over Good Friday. 

But before I go on, I wanted to give a little history, 1st to Passover which was and is still in Jewish culture a time of celebration of how the Angel of Death "passed over" the Israelites' homes sparing their 1st born children if they put the blood of an unblemished Lamb over their door. Next I wanted give some history to the day Jesus  actually died. I did some research, and  found that Jesus was killed on "The Day of Preparation" of the Passover Lamb. Which is the day they kill the lamb for the Passover meal and prepared it, the lamb is eaten the next day during the 8 day time of the Passover Festival. At least thats what was customary during Jesus' time.   So Jesus actually celebrated the "Last Supper" early. And He died on the "Day of Preparation" when the lambs of passover were slain. He died a horrendously painful, and humiliating death, on a cross.  And He did this with no ceremony, and no honor was given Him that day. The Lamb of God, pure and Holy, was sacrificed so that our sins will forever be passed over. He died so that we could live and have a relationship with God, and so that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. If we except His precious gift of salvation. 

 The truth is, Good Friday is the day we stop and think, and thank Jesus for giving the most amazing gift anyone could give to another, His life, for ours. How my Savior was killed and sacrificed, so that I could have eternal life and a relationship with God!!!! ....And yet He did it with pure undefiled love, to give anyone the opportunity to have a relationship with God and to be made whole, not just for "religion".

If I were not to share my thoughts, it would be a crime of complete selfishness, whether you believe or not, I'm sharing it out of love not religiosity, I KNOW its true and believe whole heartedly, so to keep it to myself, would be plain wrong. I'm not a theologian but if you ever had questions about this, I would be so happy to answer them, or do my best to find out the answer if I don't know it :) Happy Easter Weekend!! The victory is He rose again!!