Come. Come to Good Friday. Then, come to Resurrection Sunday.  There are moments in my days, where I feel the darkness of what made Good Friday necessary. Sometimes the darkness within me takes note of the darkness around me in this world. Yet, the deeper testimony of my life, and, God alone gets the credit, is, that Light has come. God’s light, through and in Jesus, is dispelling the darkness in the hearts of those who follow Jesus. These two themes of darkness and light, for me, are prominent during this Easter season. As I share briefly here with you, I want to invite you, encourage you, give you “permission” of sorts, to acknowledge the darkness both within and around you. It is a darkness, a sin-bent bastion of self, that required our Lord to be crucified. Good Friday they call it. But Friday is not the end of course. Sunday is coming. Light and Life.  These themes of darkness and light of course, permeate Scripture.  “Darkness was over the surface of the deep. . .” (Genesis 1:2) It would have stayed dark, too, unless “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). If you are a reader of Scripture, you are aware that the New Testament tells us how God spoke this word of light, or, more precisely, Who this Word was that spoke. Who this Light of the world was.  The Apostle John tells us “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Though him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-5, 14). 

There is a song we sing in our church during these Holy Week days of Good Friday/Easter. The song asks of us certain questions: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord . . . Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb . . . Were you there when He rose up from the grave?” To ask these questions, should make us tremble, tremble, tremble. What, during these days, does all of this have to say to us? While I have no interest in piling guilt upon your heart, I would hope that you are able to acknowledge the sin in your life that in part, nailed our Lord Jesus on the cross of His suffering. Why would I wish that upon you? Why would I hope you would acknowledge your sin and culpability in placing Him on the cross? Because if you don’t acknowledge your sinfulness, you will have no felt need for a Savior. The Light is only attractive to those who stumble in the dark. He offers you Himself, for “all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12). Will you be reconciled to God the Father, for your sin has produced only death in you (Rom and 6:23). The Good News is, that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Please, don’t despair over the darkness of sin that is in your own heart, or the darkness and brokenness of this world. Jesus invites you to walk with Him as the Light of the World (John 8:12; I John 1:5-7). When you do, your sin will no longer dominate or define you. Yes, as the old saying goes: It may be “Friday” (The darkness of the Good Friday crucifixion) now, but “Sunday” (Resurrection!) is coming. Jesus invites us to come to Friday, not to leave us there to wallow in our sin and guilt, but in order to move on to Sunday and a new life in Jesus. He is Risen! He is Risen indeed, and so are those of us who have placed our faith in Him (Colossians 3:1)! Come.