Good Friday?  I’ve often thought this was an odd name for the Friday our beloved Lord was crucified.  Yet, there is Good News, even on this darkest of days.

In one of my seminary classes last month, my small group discussed identities and core beliefs within different congregations.  One of my classmates lives in South Africa and attends an ELCA congregation.  He noted that his congregation identifies themselves as “Good Friday people.”  He grew up in a congregation which celebrated Easter as the highlight in the Christian year and identified himself as an “Easter person.”  So, he found it interesting that his current congregation celebrates Good Friday as the pique of the Christian year.  Easter is a relatively minor celebration, not the main focus, and follows the climax of Good Friday.

Intrigued, I asked why he thought this might be.  What is it about Good Friday?  Is it the demonstration of God’s love?  He replied that it was their ability to identify with a God who suffers.  The people cling to the image of a suffering God because that God can understand their own experiences.  They celebrate that God understands and is there with them in the midst of their pain and suffering.  Their history as a people is full of hardship and struggle, and they need a God who is there with them – who is willing to descend to their world and walk with them through it ALL.  Our God is a God of sacrifices, because our God is a God of love.  Our God is a God with us and for us.

Read Matthew 27:27-54 and Romans 8:35-39, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Annie