Good Friday

Jesus, Jesus help me
I’m alone in this world
And a fucked-up world it is too.
Tell me, tell me the story
The one about eternity
And the way its all gonna to be.
Wake up, wake up dead man!
Wake up, wake up dead man!

These searching words from the song "Wake Up Dead Man" by U2, remind us that there's not just a serious problem in our world; there's a serious problem that needs fixing.

The problem of evil, sin, and injustice is an ever-present reality in our world. Millions of people suffer from serious illness, while millions of other people undergo unimaginable forms of physical and/or psychological abuse. Innocent civilians are killed every day because of violent conflicts around the world. And nature itself rages. The raging sea swallows ships and all those who are on board. The furry of hurricanes and tornadoes leave a path of death and untold destruction behind them. And massive earthquakes flatten whole communities, kill thousands of people, and leave millions homeless.

And so, the question must be asked: Is the suffering that results from evil and injustice a sick joke, which is sprung on us by an impersonal universe? Is it even possible to believe in a loving, caring God in a world full of evil? And further, can such a God bring good out of suffering? Is redemption possible? Can hope spring forth from the seedbed of sin, oppression, and injustice?

In light of such questions it must be said that there is no redemption in the simple acknowledgement of a problem. The acknowledgement that there is sin or evil in the world does not necessarily resolve the problem. After the problem of evil is acknowledged, it must be dealt with. And this leads us to the story of Good Friday.

“Jesus answered and said, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Surely I say, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it produces much grain…Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself.’ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” (John 12.23-24, 31-33)

A worldview generated by the Gospel of Jesus affirms both the reality of evil and the truth that the problem of evil has been dealt with through Jesus’ death on the cross. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are the means through which God has fulfilled his covenant promise of redemption and has dealt with the problem of evil, sin, and death. Through Jesus’ paradoxical death on the cross, God has reconciled all things in heaven and on earth, having made peace through the blood of Jesus cross (Colossians 1.19-20).

This “Jesus-centered” worldview also asserts that evil will finally be conquered when Jesus returns and God establishes his new creation. This is a hopeful picture, indeed!

But there is more. The message of the Gospel is deeply personal. For we who humbly acknowledge our sin before God, who receive God’s offer of forgiveness, and who experience the new life of the Spirit are called to be God’s co-workers. We are called to follow Jesus to the place of pain and suffering and to bring God’s healing love to bear in that place. In this ‘time-between-time’ God is sending us out into the world as his bearers of peace and reconciliation.

We are called to live by faith in God, to live in the strength of Christ’s Spirit, and to live in loving service to all God’s creatures. And as we remain faithful to that calling, we work at becoming the willing agents of God’s new life and we set up divinely inspired signposts of God’s fully restored kingdom. As we live in light of the coming Day of Justice, we bring hope in the midst of despair and we help carry burdens that cannot be carried alone. That is the joy and mystery of following the crucified and risen Jesus in this world that God so dearly loves.

Good Friday Prayer:
King Jesus, on the cross you accomplished our salvation; enable us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful to our call to be your ambassadors in the world. Grant us strength to bear our crosses and endure our sufferings, even unto death. Amen.