Earlier today on Bellshill Salvation Army Band’s Facebook page I shared some devotions. I’d like to share those devotions with you tonight.
Good Friday is the day everything stopped.
The sky dimmed, the earth shook, the temple curtain tore, and the Son of God hung on a cross carrying a weight that was never His to bear.
We often move too quickly past these dark moments, when in reality there was much to process
- the betrayal in the garden
- the loneliness of Gethsemane
- the unjust trial
- the mocking, the spitting, the crown of thorns
- the long walk through the streets of Jerusalem
- the nails, the cross
- the silence of a suffering Saviour
Good Friday is not a story we should observe from a distance, It is a place we return to, because it’s the place where everything changed.
Because at the cross, love and forgiveness is real – it is a body broken, a life poured out, a Saviour who knew He had to die.
The Cross Confronts Us
Standing before the cross, we cannot pretend – We see the cost of sin. We see the depth of grace. We see the lengths to which God will go to bring us home.
Good Friday strips away our illusions of strength.
It shows us who we are, and who He is, and are reminded of these words
How can I better serve Thee, Lord,
Thou who hast done so much for me?
The cross confronts us, but it also calls us.
The Cross Reveals Our Need
As Jesus hangs in agony, the we are encouraged to confess our need.
- Faltering and weak my labour has been
- Dull are my ears to hear Thy voice
- Slow are my hands to work for Thee
- Loath are my feet to conquer the steeps
Good Friday is a day for truth.
We are weak.
We are hesitant.
We are easily distracted.
We are often afraid.
But Jesus does not ask us to be strong, He simply asks us to come.
The Cross Becomes Our Prayer
Here at the cross in this sacred hour,
Here at the source of reviving power…
This is where renewal begins.
Not in our effort, but in His sacrifice.
Not in our determination, but in His love.
Not in our ability, but in His grace.
We come to the cross helpless, but we do not leave unchanged.
As part of these devotions we share Kenneth Downie’s hymn tune arrangement, ‘Silent Vigil’, played by the band. The quietness of the music mirrors the hush of the cross. It echos the feel of the hours between Christ’s death and His resurrection – the waiting, the watching, the wondering.
It is the sound of love holding vigil.
The sound of a heart whispering, “Lord, for Thy service, fit me, I plead.”
Good Friday is a vigil as we wait in the shadow of the cross. it holds the sorrow, but it does not hold the ending…
The tomb will not stay sealed.
The darkness will not last.
The vigil will not continue forever.
Because Sunday is coming, and with it, the stone will roll, the grave will break, and Christ will rise.
Hold the vigil.
Stand at the cross.
Let the silence speak to you.
But do not lose heart, because Sunday is coming.
The Distinct Dot 