Sunday is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. But what about today? Today is the remembrance of the Crucifixion of Jesus, the painful death he suffered so we could have the choice and the chance to be with God someday.Relevant Magazine just published an article and here is a quote:
"Thank God for those, but many are so focused on comfort and victory that they miss the raw, candid and abrasive road that made those graces possible. Theirs is a cross-less, agony-free, Gethsemane-free faith, which domesticates the Jesus-story, making it nice, clean and G-rated. But it was Paul who claimed that we can only “know Christ and the power of his resurrection” if we are willing to enter “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). This text suggests that if we want to enter into the power of the resurrection, we need to pause and let the suffering of Jesus touch us. Remember Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4)? But we don’t want to mourn. We want to move directly to victory. We want the “fix,” the “solution.” We don’t want to face Christ’s suffering head-on in order to taste and experience that suffering.
" [Ed Gungor]
My faith is not G-rated. My Jesus did not die free of pain and agony, he was crucified for my sins, my wrongdoings, and my faults. He took my weight on His shoulders and gave me life. I mourn, I weep, I lay it all at the feet of Jesus. Okay, I fibbed. I focus on the positive, the bunnies, flowers, and pretty things. I close my eyes, hug a pillow, and plug my ears when pictures and video clips come on of Jesus doing what no one else in the world would do for me.
Today, I will embrace the crucifixion. I will know that because Jesus died on the Cross, today is a GOOD Friday. I challenge you to do so as well.
For your reference:
Scripture on the Crucifixion
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