Hello Friends! My name is Adam Rowe and I’m coming to you from the Rowe household. These are my two of my “work from home” co-workers. I don’t know about you, but my normal rhythms have been completely upended over these last few weeks. I’m working in spurts that are interrupted by crying children, barking dogs, and poopy diapers…

I know not all of you are dealing with quite so many bodily fluids, but I’m sure your normal rhythms have been just as upended as mine. I’ve been enjoying as different pastors and staff from Grace Chapel have been leading us through reflections on Holy Week. It has been grounding.

So, as we come near the end of Holy Week and look towards Easter, I keep finding myself drawn towards the plight of the disciples. We have four different biographical accounts of the life of Jesus included in the Bible and in those you see this group of young followers completely caught off guard by what is happening.

To catch you up Jesus has been betrayed by a close follower, turned over the authorities, put through multiple sham trials, and then been turned on by the very same crowds that were chanting his name just days earlier. Then he is led cruely to the place of his own execution. And his followers are feeling a total sense of whiplash. They can’t believe how quickly things have turned.

For them, and for their rabbi. Their leader. Their friend. The one they thought was going to lead them into a new and bright future. And instead they follow him to place called THE SKULL where nails are driven through his wrists and ankles and he is left to die…

Hours go by, I’m sure both excruciatingly slow and lighting fast, the way tragedy often seems to in our lives, and then Luke records Jesus’ death this way in Chapter 23:

44 By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was

innocent.” 48 And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.

- The original Greek language here says they were “beating their breasts!”

49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

Luke 23:44-49

- That phrase “stood at a distance watching” is so emotionally full isn’t it.

o We can imagine the mood in that particular crowd.

o The horror, the grief, the anger, the confusion…

- If you are anything like me, you have felt some of these feelings in recent weeks

o I know I have felt at times like one “standing at a distance watching” in disbelief, in grief, in anger, in confusion

o So ,we find ourselves mirroring the disciples feelings on that seemingly horrible Friday

- And yet, 2000 years later this day is remembered as Good Friday.

o Countless messages have been preached on this very topic

§ And we’ll hear more as a congregation from the incredible Jon Kim tonight at 7

· I don’t want to steal his thunder

o So, I’ll just leave you with this thought as we close

- Why do we call this Good Friday?

o How could we have gone from that absolutely horrible moment

o That tragedy of literal biblical proportions

o To celebrating Good Friday?

- Well, it’s because we follow the Redeemer God

o We follow a God who specializes in turning tragedy into triumph

o And He proved that on a cross 2000 years ago

o And continues to prove that today

- That doesn’t mean that what happened on that Roman cross wasn’t horrific

o It doesn’t mean the grief expressed by Jesus family and friends wasn’t real

o It just means that it wasn’t the end

- Because that’s the beautiful part of this story

o His followers don’t stand at a distance watching forever

o The story keeps going

o And God does incredible things

- And our story, your story, whatever is going on right now in your life, it isn’t the end of the story

o God isn’t done yet

- This is good Friday because we are reminded that death isn’t the end

o God has the final say and he isn’t done yet

- So, I want to offer a pray for all of you in the midst of what is going on right now

o This is from the Book of Common Prayer readings for today

o And it is a prayer of Endurance, but an endurance that is not rooted in our own strength, but the message of the Cross

§ That even death doesn’t have the final say

A COLLECT FOR ENDURANCE

Friday

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the Cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.   Amen.

We follow the Redeemer God

We follow a God who specializes in turning tragedy into triumph

He proved that on a cross 2000 years ago

 And continues to prove that today

Amen and amen