Good Friday Worship 7:00 PM
March 29, 2024
at Crescentville UMC

Good Friday

What a supreme paradox.  We now call the day Jesus was crucified, Good.

 

Many believe this name simply evolved - as language does.  They point to the earlier

designation, "God's Friday," as its root. (This seems a reasonable conjecture, given that

"goodbye" evolved from "God be with you.")

 

Whatever its origin, the current name of this holy day offers a fitting lesson to those

of us who assume (as is easy to do) that "good" must mean "happy." We find it hard to

imagine a day marked by sadness as a good day.

 

Yet, despite - indeed because of - its sadness, Good Friday is truly good.  It is 'good'

because the barrier of sin was broken.  Its sorrow is a godly sorrow.

 

This commemoration of Christ's death reminds us of the human sin that caused this

death.  And we see again that salvation comes only through godly sorrow - both God's

and, in repentance, ours.  To pursue happiness, we must first experience sorrow. 

                                                                He who goes forth sowing tears returns in joy.                                                                     

At the same time, of course, Good Friday recalls for us the greatness and wonder

 

The Tenebrae, or Service of Darkness, in which candles and lights are gradually

extinguished until the congregation sits in complete darkness a representation of the

darkness that covered the earth at the death of Jesus .

 

Mark 15:33

At the sixth hour darkness came over

the whole land until the ninth hour.

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