The Good in Good Friday

Beloved in the Lord,

This Good Friday meets us in a world torn by war, displacement, and fear. Calling the day of Jesus’ crucifixion “good” can sound almost offensive when images of shattered cities and grieving families fill our screens. The cross itself was an act of brutal state violence; nothing about that, in itself, is good.

The goodness of this day lies in what God chose to do through the cross. In Jesus, God steps into the darkest places of our shared life, bearing human sin and suffering in self-giving love. At the cross, God does not explain evil from a safe distance; God carries it, absorbs it, and begins to break its power from within. No battlefield or broken heart is God-forsaken, because Christ has already gone there.

Good Friday is good because it belongs with Easter. If the story ended at the tomb, it would be just one more tragedy among many. But the resurrection proclaims that violence and death do not get the final word. Even in the shadows of the cross, the seeds of Easter are already sown, and a different future is being born. That is why, in a violent and anxious world, we still dare to call this day “Good” and entrust ourselves—and the nations—to the crucified and risen Lord.

Yours because His,

Pastor Elijah