Good Morning Friends,
Last night’s Maundy (Commandment) Thursday service invited us into the final hours of Jesus’ earthly mission. Through a shared meal, new music, scripture, confession linked to the cross and communion, we were drawn into the Passover story and Christ death for us. Even the rain with a rainbow as we arrived seemed to deepen the solemnity and hope as the setting sun shone through the stained glass in the sanctuary. As always, the service did not truly end even though the work of Christ was finished. So today we reflect again on the redeeming, atoning, sanctifying blood of Christ—the life‑giving blood of the Lamb offered so our sinful life might die with Him. There is a great exchange: our sin drawn out, His life poured in. And this becomes personal, for we too are preparing to face our own death. So the question remains: Will we embrace Christ’s cross as our cross?
Scripture (Summaries)
Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9
Jesus, our great High Priest, sympathizes with our weakness and opens the way to God through His obedient suffering.
Isaiah 52:13—53:12
The Suffering Servant bears our griefs, is pierced for our transgressions, and through His wounds we are healed.
John 18:1—19:42
The passion narrative: Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and burial—His innocence contrasted with the world’s rejection.
1 Peter 1:18–23
We are redeemed not with perishable things but with Christ’s precious blood, called to holy love and new birth.
Message: Today’s readings draw us to the heart of Good Friday. Isaiah foretells the suffering of Christ, John records it, Peter reflects on it, and Hebrews shows us its meaning: Jesus suffers with us, for us, and instead of us. He carries what we cannot carry and opens what we cannot open. Good Friday asks us to consider our own cross. Do we see it only as a symbol of death, or as the place where sin dies and transformation begins? The blood of Christ is the most precious ever shed—blood that changes us. The curtain is torn; God is accessible. We now live in love and faith as we await resurrection. Though Jesus was declared guilty by the world, God overturned the verdict with an empty tomb. At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of love and joy—the joy set before Him as He endured the cross, the love meant to shape our lives. Our journey continues beyond Friday and beyond Sunday, but it always includes the cross. The story of the cross and resurrection is meant to be completed in us. Our crosses differ from His, yet they connect us to Him as sin dies and love rises. We return to our lives changed—freed from the enemies of joy, strengthened for abundant living. Christ living in us becomes the truest thing about us.
And So, Good Friday is not only remembrance; it is an invitation to ponder a deeper question. Will we embrace Christ’s cross as our own—not to repeat His suffering, but to be transformed by it? Not to earn salvation, but to receive it. Not to cling to the old life, but to rise into the new one now.
Pray we recognize the symbols and significance of the long journey. Pray with thanks that Jesus endured the cross and paid for our sin in full. Pray to see God’s love at work in Lent and Holy Week. Pray to believe. Pray with gratitude for cleansing, salvation, and confidence to enter God’s presence. Pray to be transformed at the cross where heaven and earth meet. Pray to claim Christ’s victory over sin as the new covenant takes root in us. Pray to trust that the resurrection validates our salvation, faith, and hope. Pray to be emptied—and then filled with joy. Pray to remember how you came to know Jesus. Pray to embrace the cross you are given. Pray to accept the future God sets before you, glorifying Him even in difficulty. Pray Jesus remembers us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 