2:22 “Men of Israel,
hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles,
wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves
also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge
of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24
whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not
possible that He should be held by it..."
How fitting that we come to "Good" Friday and this
passage of Scripture at the same time.

It begs a serious question. For all the talk about God's love
do we really mean it? Do we really want a God who is a friend of tax
collectors, prostitutes, and sinners? A friend of our political opponents? A
friend of other nations? A friend of Islam even? Or do we want a God who is a
champion of our point of view and dispenses favour on us and woe on our
enemies?
Jesus had to go. They couldn't stand Love. They preferred
darkness rather than Light. Are we different? I hope so. I pray so. I want it
to be so.
Once a preacher stood up in a large influential church in
California and preached a one line sermon and sat back down. Here is the
sermon:
"The love you have for God is equal to or less than the
love you have for your worst enemy."
Our part on that dark Friday was anything but good. What we
did to Him was anything but good. But, BUT what He was willing to do for us in
spite of us was far beyond good. It remains the grandest display of love the
universe has ever seen and it will eventually be fully seen that it was the
turning point of history and marked the beginning of the end of satan's reign
of terror.
"Good" is woefully inadequate.
Tonight at 7pm my church will gather to sing and praise and
think about what that day meant and where we are in the stream of time. I can't
wait. We have much to celebrate and much to think about. It's not
"good" Friday. It marks both the worst and arguably best day this
world has ever known.
Love Wins!
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