We have come together to celebrate Good Friday, one of the most important days in the Christian calendar. In many places, Good Friday services will not be as well attended as was the case on Palm/Passion Sunday, and that’s not surprising. It’s also likely that more worshipers will gather the day after tomorrow, on Easter Sunday, than are here today.

            Nevertheless, today is a very important day, and we can see that by comparing it with Christmas and Easter. Everyone knows that Christmas is important because it marks the coming of our Lord into our world. And of course, Easter is important because not only does it celebrate Christ’s victory over death, but it also shows us who Christ is: the very Son of God, and part of the Holy Trinity.

            So what about Good Friday? It comes between Christmas and Easter and gives ultimate significance to both days. The purpose of Christmas — that is, of Jesus’ coming to our planet — was so that he could reveal the depth of God’s love for us. Because, you see, Jesus did not come in order to be a great teacher; our world has had many great teachers. Nor did Jesus come to be an exemplary person; our world has had hundreds, indeed thousands, of admirable persons. Jesus came to save us. So Christmas is important because it gave us Jesus to be our Savior — and Good Friday showed Jesus’ faithfulness to his mission.

            And what about Easter? Easter puts the proof on Good Friday. If Jesus had died and that was the end, he would have been an admirable martyr, one among history books full of martyrs. But when Jesus was raised from the dead, God demonstrated that his Son had conquered sin and death.

            So it is that Good Friday is the link between Christmas, Jesus’ coming to earth, and Easter, when he was shown to be the victor over death, sin and hell.

The longest day in the New Testament story

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