Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…
On Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ death on the cross. We remember his trial, his suffering, and his crucifixion. We remember the saddest day in our Christian history. So, if it’s all about remembering such a terrible day, why do we call it “good?”
I can find no definitive answer to this question. There seem to be several theories about the name, “Good Friday.” Some think that perhaps it’s a derivative of an Old English “God’s Friday.” Others suggest that it may come from the German “Gute Freitag.” There are a few other theories that can be found in this article from BBC News.
The day is about remembering; remembering a Friday over 2,000 years ago when Jesus suffered and was crucified. He hung on the cross for most of the day, the cross that he had been forced to carry, being teased and mocked the whole time. At noon, the sun was eclipsed and complete darkness covered the scene. After three hours, Jesus cried out and breathed his last. The earth shook and the curtain in the temple was torn. Jesus was dead.
Although the remembrance of this day is filled with sadness and sorrow, it leads to the happiest of days – Easter Sunday. Perhaps that is why we call it Good Friday. Without the pain and darkness of Good Friday, there would be no Easter Sunday. Without the cross and the tomb, there would be no resurrection. Before we can get to the joy of Easter Sunday, we must take the time to remember the sadness of Good Friday. We need to remember the doubt, the mocking, the pain and the death, because without it, there would be no resurrection, no joy, no Easter morning. We need the darkness of Good Friday in order to celebrate the overwhelming joy of Easter Sunday.
Perhaps we know the day as “Good Friday” for this reason; it is the difficult day that leads to the best day. We could not have Easter Sunday without Good Friday.
I’m looking forward to celebrating Easter Sunday with you, but today, let’s take time to remember Good Friday.
Deacon Amy
