What's so good about Friday???

Good Friday? Seems like something of a paradox when the day that symbolizes Jesus' crucifixion and death is referred to as good, doesn't it? Or does it really? Theories abound as to the origin of the term "Good Friday," but none seem to have taken hold quite as well as the idea that it came from the term "Gottes Freitag" (German) meaning God's Friday. As Christians we might struggle with the concept of having a day that holds such supreme sadness be called a "good" day. This struggle may well be rooted in the fact that by some accident of vocabulary, "good" has come to be synonymous with "happy"

No doubt it was not a happy day. How could it have been happy for anyone who was not a short-sighted Pharisee, or an uninformed observer? It could have been called "Black Friday," "Deadly Friday," "Sinful Friday," "Pharisee Friday," or any number of sad epitaphs that would recall its brutal happenings. But I believe that this "accidental" name did not come about without some divine intervention. It was a good Friday simply because, while the fate of the entire world hung in the balance, the price for mankinds redemption and reconciliaton to a loving Father was being paid for by the flagelation, suffering and ultimate death and resurrection of Jesus.

For this reason, and this reason only, I now have a hope and a future. This is a good thing! For this reason, and this reason only, you can come boldly before God's throne seeking to find mercy and grace to help in your time of need. This is a good thing! For this reason, and this reason only, when all seems hopeless, you can rest in the knowledge that there is One who is not oblivious to your pain and suffering. This is a good thing! So, were the events of that Friday so long ago a good thing? Absolutely not. But I state unequivocally that everything that is good about our lives have come as a result of that Friday. Our salvation and eternity have been secured as a result of the events of that Friday. This is a good thing! So today, while you ponder the mysteries of the universe and other lofty ideas, remember this simple truth: He died so that you might live, and this... is a very good thing! Have a good "Good Friday" and a wonderful Easter. (P.S.: Just incase you didn't hear the end of the story: He rose from the Dead the following Sunday. Halleluyah!!!)