"Good" Friday

Today is Good Friday. Ironic that we call it "good" since it is the day we recognize Jesus' crucifixion. But it is indeed good because, as a lady who writes devotionals for our church put it, "it is holy and brings eternal benefit to us sinners." As part of this same devotional today, she included a link to a video, which offers a brief sketch of the "scientific" details of the crucifixion. It's not as graphic as it could be, but it is a sobering description that drives home the point about the pain Jesus endured for us. You can view it here on UTube.

One thing that our rector pointed out in yesterday's Maundy Thursday service was how much Christians prepare for Christmas versus how little we often prepare for Easter. It really should be the opposite! The resurrection is what our faith is all about. The birth was important, necessary, and beautiful, too, of course, but it is the resurrection that should really build up in us the type of child-like joy and wonder that we normally feel around Christmastime. I am as guilty of this as anyone, but for some reason this year it really hit me how much more excited I get about Christmas than Easter! I love Easter, but I think I have probably fallen prey to the culture in this respect--because the all-out preparation and joyous atmosphere that surrounds Christmas is NOT something that takes place around Easter, I tend not to give it as much attention as the holiest day of the year deserves.

Tonight, in order to reflect a bit, we are watching what I think is one of the best movies of all times: Ben-Hur. Growing up, my family has always watched Ben-Hur--we just love it. It's the whole thing, not just the famous chariot race, but the human aspect (which we see in Judah Ben-Hur, as he goes from an imprisoned Jewish slave to a man who is transformed by God) as well as the spiritual aspect (since the story takes place at the time Jesus was doing his ministry and then follows Him to the cross, where the entire story converges at the end). It is such an awesomely done movie, too, for its time. I never tire of watching it!

On the more secular side of things, we are boiling our eggs tonight so that we can dye them tomorrow. Even though it's not very spiritual (or of it is, I have not been informed of the deeper meaning!), Easter simply is not Easter without dying eggs. (There again is the side of me that has totally been influenced by our culture, even if it misses the central point of the holiday!) We are also picking up a ham tomorrow at Honeybaked ham (another family tradition).

Will try to post more later this weekend. ~J