So today is Good Friday, one of the most sacred days on the Christian calendar. It is a day in which sin thought it had conquered. A day that was dark among the believers at the time. Darkness hovered over the Earth. It was a day of sadness, at that time.
I look back on it now and I give thanks for that day. I am thankful that my Lord and Savior came down and died for ALL and for all our sins, for those who accept Him.
To be honest, growing up, I looked at this day as a day off of school (parochial and Jesuit high school). It was a day to relax and be thankful for the day off. Now I am thankful to praise Him for His death on this day.
There are two songs regarding this most self-less act I love to listen to all the time to remind me of what He did for us. The first one is from one of my all-time favorite bands, Jars of Clay. Two years ago, as we still lived in Phoenix, I went to my first ever Good Friday service (did not attend churches that had these services before). As we were finishing the emotional service at Fellowship of Grace, the worship band played this song. I have always loved this song since it came out on the SECOND album, but it hit me like a ton of bricks that night. This version is from their 11th Hour DVD, which of course I do own.
The second song I is an adaptation of an old hymn. It was written in 1707 by Issac Watts (Davie, "Baroque in the Hymn-Book,” 1992). It has been changed by several people since then; however, the only change to this song is the chorus, which was added a few years back by Chris Tomlin. This video gets to me because you see such a focus on what today is and that is the cross. It is a two-part video.
About 30-40 seconds into the second part, you see people RUNNING to the cross. That is what we are called to do, run to Him. No matter what we have done in our past, what He did 2,000 years ago saves us from eternal damnation. How can we not be thankful for today? For this is how we truly live!
John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (New International Version)
