Good Friday

I went to my first ever Good Friday church service today, because I've never been to one and I really wanted to go. Simple enough right? Anyway, I had to show up late because I had to spend a lot of time looking for a ride to it, but when I finally got there I walked in and the first thing that I noticed was different from any regular church service was that all the clergy people were wearing black robes with a blue sash thing, rather than the white robe and the other sash thing. I assumed this was because it is to remember that Good Friday is the day that Jesus died on the cross.

Anyway, I'm in the room, on of the only teenage people in there, so I feel kind of alone, but I know that my friends are being great lights to the people in Costa Rica right now. The lights are dim and everything is a real serious tone. The big cross in the front of the sanctuary is covered in a black blanket, or table cloth thing. The table which usually holds the wafers and wine/grapejuice for communion, also is covered by a black veil. The other two crosses are covered in black. We were reading from the Bible and the Scripture was about the death that Jesus was going to have to bear. I can't remember which book, or what chapters, but from the words that were used, I would guess it was Isaiah.

A man who was also dressed in a black robe, but had no sash started to speak about the things that the Roman soldiers did to Jesus, before they crucified Him. He went into extreme detail on how they just beat him, before they even thought of laying the crown of thorns on Jesus's head. He talked about how they punched Him, kicked Him, slapped Him, and so many other things just before they began to do the real bad stuff. They whipped Him, and then they put the crown of thorns on His head and then a purple robe, and flogged him, tearing the skin. The speaker goes into incredible detail as to how the Romans didn't even stop to think about it before they told Pilate that they wanted Him crucified. Using the Bible, in John where it says Pilate tells the soldiers that they should just do it themselves, since Jesus has done nothing wrong. Pilate takes Jesus back and tells Him that they want Him dead, and that he has the power to release Him, or have Him crucified. Jesus told him "You have no authority except for which was given to him from above."

After the speaker was done talking about the death of Jesus, Todd came in and told us a story of how he no longer owed the IRS anything. He told us to get the index cards we were given and write to the enemy about how he no longer has the authority over our lives, and how we owe him nothing. We then got in a line, and nailed this card to a cross, that was laying down in front of the sanctuary. After the worship time ended, the same man that talked for 20 minutes on the torture, and death of Jesus came out, and carried the cross, like Jesus would have, out of sight. A spotlight shines on the crown of thorns that is sitting on top of the table that communion normally sits on. Repeatedly, you hear "May the Son of God take reward for what He's done" or something like that.

This day, 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for us. Christ was the blameless, perfect, all knowing Son of God. He knew, that quite like Todd's IRS bills, that there was a price to be paid, and He knew full well that we could not pay that price. Knowing this, God sent down Jesus, because the only way that we might be able to have a good relationship with the Father who created us, Jesus would have to die, so that the wall of sin that separates us from God, can be torn down, and then we have the ability to turn to God, and tell him that we know that we have messed up, but we are going to stop living for sin, and start living for the glory of Him. We no longer have to die. Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but to save the world. (John 3:17) As Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death..." and we, as humans, have really messed up, and we have been sinning, and will continue to sin, and we now have to die for this, "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" This means that since God sent His Son to die for us, that we no longer have to die because the price, which was death, has been paid. By the one man who didn't have to pay that debt.

I don't know about you guys, but I am thankful that I no longer have to banished from my Father, and that now I can have a full relationship with the God who loves me, and knows me by name, and loved me, even as He was forming me in my mothers womb.

This post was to get the extreme feeling I have from the service out, since I was really moved, because I have never seen a service quite like this.

If you read this, please pray that my friends in Costa Rica are doing the best things they can for the Lord. Ministering to the people there. With love. Pray that they would do God's will, no matter the risk.

I love you guys.
TJ