A Good Friday Reflection

Before you start reading, be forewarned that this has some dark and disturbing topics.

This has been a hard week. I’ve been attending a training on building a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to respond to child sex trafficking. There are stories that were shared that I will never be able to unhear.

Next week, I will be at a training put on by Albuquerque SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners). Sessions will include discussion around Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). All of these acronyms represent a deeply disturbing reality of our world today.

The wild juxtaposition that my brain wrestles with is that today is the birthday of a beautiful young woman who deserves to be celebrated. Today is also the rehearsal dinner for the wedding of another fabulous young woman who I’ve known since birth. There is life and joy in the midst of pain and suffering.

As I pause this morning to reflect on Good Friday, I can almost put myself in the scene, where the followers of Jesus are cut to the core with pain, watching the horrors of the day unfold. It seems as though all hope is lost and evil has won.

I’m reminded of a phrase from Hebrews 12:2 that is equally confusing and hopeful to me: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross. . .” How could Jesus experience joy with the knowledge of imminent suffering that would cost him his life?

The passage goes on in verse 3 to encourage us, “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” I’ll admit, I often feel weary, and I’ve lost heart several times, even just this week.

Yet, we press on. We wait through the confusing silence of Saturday. We endure the chill of the early morning air of Sunday on the way to the tomb. We hold our breath in eager expectation when the first whisper of hope begins to creep in. Finally, we allow ourselves to experience joy when we understand that everything is about to change.

Good Friday is the reminder of the space between evil and redemption. For followers of Jesus, it’s the hope that stirs us to good works. It’s our reason to keep going and to keep believing that the light will indeed overcome the dark.