Passion Week: Good Friday

Good Friday Family!

Today, all across the world, Christians are commemorating this day as the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary. In Jewish tradition, the celebration of Passover is being observed. What a day today is! We need to be thankful that Jesus endured the cross for us, so we did not have to! We need to rejoice for the eternal life we have been blessed with! We are spending eternity with Him, and we have the presence of Him, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to guide us daily. WE ARE NOT ALONE! 

One of the last messages Jesus shares with His disciples, according to John’s gospel, is found in John 16: 32-33. 

“Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

At that moment in time, Jesus was talking about His crucifixion and resurrection; but for us today “the hour IS coming.” Another day and time IS coming, and that “coming” is the second coming of Christ. Unlike that time, we will not be scattered! He is bringing us all together! Glory!  What a day of rejoicing that will be! This is the hope we hold onto daily as we wait for that hour coming. Glory to God!

While we wait, Jesus gave us instructions on how to wait: “These things I have spoken to you, that IN ME you may have peace.” IN HIM we will have peace every day of our lives IF we stay in Him. What does it mean to stay in Him? Stay in His Word. Didn’t Jesus just say in the first part of that sentence “these things I have spoken”? So, stay in His word and look to Him. Stay in prayer and look to Him. If you stub your toe, stay in Him and look to Him. You get a bad report - stay in Him and look to Him. You receive good news - stay in Him and look to Him. IN HIM we have peace!

Then He goes on to tell us what the world will look like (out of His great love; He is always preparing us). “In the world you will have tribulation…” The Greek definition for tribulation is pressure, persecution, affliction, anguish, burden, trouble, distress and oppression.  I bet every one of us can think of times we’ve felt one or all of those things listed. You may be going through something right now; and if so, Jesus has an answer for that in the next part of this verse. “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” Because He has overcome the world, we are standing in a position of victory IN HIM. Not in ourselves, (thank God we didn’t have to do the overcoming) but He did it! All we have to do is “be of good cheer” and stay IN HIM!

Rejoice, church family!  We belong to the risen King, and He has overcome the world so that we may stand in victory! Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you all Sunday!

-Pastor Candace