CCC Gainesville | Blog
Since Jesus’ death, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. On Good Friday, millions of Christians set aside our other concerns to meditate upon what this astonishing claim means.
One way to meditate on the crucifixion is to read and reflect on the seven sayings of Jesus from his cross. These sayings have been used in Good Friday services for centuries.
- “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
- “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
- “[Jesus] said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’” (John 19:26–27)
- “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34)
- “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
- “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
- “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)
Tonight at 7pm we contemplate the suffering of our Savior.
The night before Jesus was crucified, he had a Passover supper with his disciples. (Passover is a Jewish holy day that celebrates God’s deliverance of the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt.) After supper, Jesus knew that this would be his final opportunity to instruct his disciples before the crucifixion, so he talked at length about his purposes, what his followers should do in response, and the promise of the Holy Spirit to come. He then washed his disciples’ feet in an incredible demonstration of humility and servanthood. Finally, he gave bread and wine to his disciples and asked them to partake of it in remembrance of him. The act of partaking bread and wine is called Communion (or the Last Supper) today.
The word Maundy (pronounced mawn-dee) comes from the Latin word mandatum, which means “command.” The command that this holy day refers to is the one that Jesus gave to his disciples during the Last Supper:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34–35
Our worship folder for 7pm tonight here:
Maundy Thursday tomorrow will have a harp. 7pm. Don’t miss this.
We’ve had several people ask about the Secret Church schedule on Good Friday. Six hours is a long time to do anything. We wholeheartedly and unabashedly encourage you to register for the entire thing, and to attend the entire 6-hour event. There’s something tangible to be gained from an extended period of time devoted to studying the Word of God, praying with and for His church, and worshiping in a congregation. I think you’ll be surprised by how encouraging a somewhat radical step outside your comfort zone can be.
If the full 6 hours simply doesn’t work for you for any number of practical reasons, the event organizers have also opened registration up for half of the event, either from 7PM to 10PM, or from 10PM to 1AM. The entire event runs from 7PM to 1AM (April 6th & 7th). Click here to register. I hope this will help you join in on this special time!
“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
― Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
“The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom. . . . It is the decisive event demonstrating thet God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven.”
“The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it.”
“In a world where the dead have returned to life, the word” trouble’ loses much of its meaning.”
