Easter is a little bit like lightning—you never know when it’s gonna strike! You know what I mean, don’t you? Easter happens on a different day every year. Sometimes it’s early; sometimes it’s late. I heard one pastor share that when he was a kid, his family (who didn’t attend church) would often miss Easter because of that!
But, believe it or not, Easter actually can be predicted with some measure of accuracy! This year Easter is on April 24.
So now you know that Easter is coming.
Jesus knew Easter was coming, too. But he also knew that Easter would be preceded by Good Friday. Jesus knew that in order to get to the resurrection, he would have to go through the crucifixion.
In Hebrews 12:2, we’re told that it was “for the joy set before him” that Jesus “endured the cross….” Jesus knew something really good was going to come after his suffering. In fact, the verse concludes that after he rose, Jesus “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Sounds pretty good to me!
So, here’s the thing. We can jump right to Easter on Easter morning, but it won’t really mean anything unless we go with Jesus through the crucifixion. That’s what Good Friday is all about. It’s our opportunity to join Jesus in his suffering so that we can more fully go with him to his resurrection.
To help you do that, I’d like to invite you to two special services on the week before Easter:
Thursday Communion Service, 7:00 p.m.: This is traditionally known as Maundy Thursday—the night Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. In this service, we will experience the passion of Jesus through the use of our senses: taste, touch, seeing, hearing, and smelling.
Good Friday Service, 7:00 p.m.: In this service, we will journey through the suffering of Jesus toward the cross. It will be a service of darkness, as we begin the service in full brightness and leave the service in total darkness, representing the darkness of the death of the Son of God.
[And, in case you’re wondering, we’ll have childcare for both services. But if your kids are in elementary school, consider keeping them in the services. Both services are interactive enough that I think they would enjoy being there.]
