Good Friday Reflections

Remember a few months ago when you were in the Christmas spirit? The laughter and all the good feelings? Now that we’re approaching Easter the obvious question is: are you into the Easter spirit? Does that strike you odd? It should. You hardly ever hear people talking about getting into the spirit of Easter. And there’s a good reason why…

Never in the history of the church have Christians associated happiness and good feelings on Good Friday. You cannot sentimentalize the gruesome carnage that happened at Calvary. This is a day of self-examination and somber reflection over the pain our sins gave Christ. If the Easter season is to have a spirit about it, it’s the spirit of repentance. Only when we contemplate the full weight of our transgressions can we genuinely celebrate Resurrection Sunday. When we consider the depth of our depravity, then we are able to fully enjoy the height of our happiness over Christ’s victory from the grave. Our joy is only as real, deep and sincere as our grief over our sin — otherwise, we have no idea what He’s saved us from.

The Easter spirit can’t be mustered up with baskets of eggs, chocolate rabbits, hot-cross buns or honey-baked hams. This stuff has about as much connection to the real meaning of Easter as Santa Claus has to Christmas. To get into the spirit of this season, ask yourself, “What thing, habit, person or fantasy… what is it I can bring to the cross?” James 4:9-10 is perhaps the most fitting verse for Good Friday: “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”