Hope Crossing, my church, is having a funeral for Jesus today. It is an interesting idea; one I have never experienced before. It is going to be an actual funeral service; including a real casket. I woke up this morning and thought about the fact that we will be attending a funeral today and my thought was; "I don't want to be sad today." There is just so much sadness in this world and I have had my share of my own personal sadness recently, and I have been working really hard over the last couple of weeks at being more positive; I just want to feel peace and joy.
I sat down to read from my Bible and to do some journaling. And even though I am way behind, I jumped ahead to today's "40 Things to Give up for Lent" Devotion. Today's is about giving up Sorrow. I thought that to be quite fitting. Here are some of Pastor Phil Ressler's words that stuck out for me...
"There are tears to be shed as long as we walk this earth, but we do not grieve as those who are without hope... On Sunday we celebrate the resurrection. Without Sunday, there is no "good" in Friday. The resurrection gives us the conviction to say: O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting. 1Corinthians 15:55. On this Good Friday, we remember the saving work of Jesus upon the cross. 'It is finished!' The cross is behind us. It is 'good' because Jesus is risen just as he said. It's ok to shed a tear today, but make sure to mix joy with the sorrow."
I know what Jesus went through was painful and grueling. It was a horrible experience that he didn't deserve. I could not imagine having to endure such an ordeal, especially without putting up some kind of fight. He just excepted his fate; it was God's plan for his life. I read the passages in Matthew, starting in chapter 27, about Jesus' death on the cross, and after reading them I still think; "I don't want to be sad today." I know that sounds bad but it is how I feel today. So I started to do some research; looking for permission to not be sad today. You know...I think I found it.
John 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteous of God.
John 19:30 "It is finished!"
1Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of Holy Spirit.
1Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
In Matthew 16 Jesus predicts his own death. He knew what God's plan for him was; He knew this was God's plan. God gave Him to us as a gift. That is so amazing! A true gift is given out of love with absolutely no expectations. God wanted to give us something that would show us just how much He loves us. It had to be the perfect gift so that we would know. Think about being a perfect gift to show the world the love of the Creator. Can you imagine just how special that would make you feel; just how important, loved, needed and cherished you would feel. Jesus got to be that! He got to fulfill the most amazing and important part of God's plan; He got to be the Savior of the world. How could He not want to make sure that He did His best; gave His all; He stayed obedient to the very end to be the gift that God intended Him to be. It was not an easy job. Jesus suffered greatly, more than we could ever imagine. But he succeeded! "It is finished!" God's plan fulfilled!
For believers, a funeral is a time to celebrate someone's life. We share stories of good times and good memories. We say we love you and we will miss spending time with you hear on this earth, but we are excited for them. They will never again endure suffering. They have won their race! And we say, "until we meet again." We focus on what they meant to us and what they added to our life.
That is what I want to do today. I want to think about all the good Jesus did while he was flesh living on this earth. I want to think about the perfect gift he was to me; the gift given to me because God loves me that much. I want to feel the pride I have for him for staying obedient until the end. I want to thank him for all that he endured for me. But I don't want to be sad. I don't think He wants me to be sad. He didn't do all he did so we would be sad. He did it so we could live life to the full with an eternal relationship with His Father; our Creator. I choose to celebrate the amazing role that Jesus got to play in God's plan. I chose to celebrate in the knowledge that He was risen from the dead and is in heaven with His Father. And now I have full access to the Power, the Love and the Guiding Spirit!
That is how I chose to celebrate this "holiday", Good Friday. You may be in a place of sorrow today for all He endured, and that is ok, too. We are created unique. We are not meant to be the same. We are meant to worship Jesus with our own genuine hearts.
It may be that you are in a place that you don't know, don't believe, or don't really understand what Jesus did for you on that Good Friday. I challenge you to pick up a Bible, actual or digital, and find out what it is all about. Revisit the events and ask God to help you understand. Let him work in your heart and help you to believe. I promise you, you won't be sorry; it will change your life forever!
