I have been with Jesus in this garden before. Early on Friday morning. I have prayed on Friday morning in years past that God will remove a cup. Take away grief.
Today is not one of those days.
The little clock in the corner of the computer screen reads 5:39 AM, which is ridiculous. This is a vacation day for me. No office work. No duties other than praying and looking forward to Sunday. Perhaps a Good Friday service this evening with the family at the Lutheran church down the street. Maybe polish some chrome. Hang out with friends this afternoon. I should still be asleep. But truth be told, I could not be happier to be awake on this Good Friday.
Last night I cooked Buffalo Shrimp for supper. Delicious. It was a "Good Thursday." One of the reasons they were so delicious is because Jesus died on the cross.
This morning I offer up this journalistic prayer on Friday morning. One of the reasons I enjoy writing so much is because Jesus died on the cross.
The coffee tastes better this morning. The quiet of the house is more peaceful. My shirt is more comfortable. Your face is more beautiful. All of the little things in life that we take for granted are all better for one main reason: Jesus died on the cross.
Pick a topic. Any topic. The Bible teaches us to look at it through the cross. In fact, in Galatians 6:14, after Paul makes one of his "May I never..." statements, he turns the tables and writes, "May I never boast EXCEPT in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." That last little statement says it all. The whole world now looks crucified. Or to put it another way, everything I encounter I see through the cross. Friends, quiet mornings, and even Buffalo Shrimp. It's like the old Tootsie Roll commercial, only with eternal significance. Whatever it is I think I see, becomes the cross of Christ.
But there's a catch.
For many of us, we come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses. But we stay here. We stay in the garden. We have heard Jesus tell us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. But it is hard. Real hard. And if I told the truth about myself, I prefer the garden to the cross. I prefer praying with Jesus fervently. I prefer seeing the crowds still in the distance with their torches and soldiers. But to leave the garden with Jesus and go to the city square, well, that is going to demand more of me than prayer.
Good Friday is a reminder that Jesus did more than pray. He emptied himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Sometimes I feel like I still have a ways to go on that one. Oh, I talk big. After all, I'm a preacher. We preachers are big talkers. But am I really willing to be stripped of my garments, nailed to a cross, and die?
The good news: Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
The hard news: Jesus invites us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him.
That is true on Thursday nights at supper. And on this Good Friday morning, the memory remains of why all the other days as a disciple of Christ are so good, but so demanding.
Good Friday. A day to remember what it is to die to ourselves. Maybe an earlier line from Galatians 2 would help:
"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me."
That's good.
We are about to have to leave the garden with Jesus and the crowds and the soldiers. It is time to make our way into the city. Five more stations to go. Are you ready? Let's go. Let's walk.
It's noisy. Crowded. Hot. The people smell of sweat and revolution. We know what is to come. Five more stations.
X - Jesus is stripped of his garments.
XI - Jesus is nailed to the cross.
XII - Jesus dies on the cross.
XIII - Jesus' body is removed from the cross.
XIV - Jesus is laid in the tomb.
