At our church, Henderson Hills Baptist Church, we have a Good Friday "service". It is a self guided tour of the last days and moments of Jesus life. This was the first year I got to go.
I met my friend Christie at church & we took turns going in the worship center while one of us watched the kids. What a blessing it was that she really wanted to go & so did I, but our husbands were busy with work so we helped each other out!
First you had to wash your hands before entering the worship center. The disciplines washed their hands before meeting with Jesus.
At the first station, you saw thirty pieces of silver. Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver to hand Jesus over. That is the price of a slave. It seemed odd to me that Jesus was "sold" as a slave, but we are the slaves, slaves to our sins, but Jesus paid to free us!
The second station was the garden when Jesus prayed that God save him, but if this was the only way, let it be God's will, not his. Jesus had always had an intimate relationship with God, but now, he had to walk this road, endure this pain & suffering completely alone! Jesus took the wrath of God so that I, as a believer, won't have to! AMAZING!
The third stop was the wooden cross. The wood of the cross is symbolic for a door frame that opens eternity to us.
The instruments of suffering was next. The mallet and spike which drove the nails into Jesus' hands & feet to the cross. The crown of thorns was thick & was probably pushed down firmly on his brow.
Station five was communion. Remembering as you ate the bread that it symbolizes his body that was broken for you & the wine that was his blood shed for you & covers you with grace.
The moment Jesus took his last breath, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies was torn from the top to the bottom. That would have been in impossible for a human to tear it, especially from the top. Only the priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies...until now! Now that the curtain was torn, it showed that we have a direct access to a relationship with God!
The seventh station was the oil & spices. Jesus' followers brought a large quantity of spices to embalm Jesus' body, 75 pounds worth. That was a lavish display of love, deep affection & respect.
The final station was our cross. You were to write a sin that was holding you back from fully serving God. You wrote it on a black square of paper, took a nail, a hammer & nailed it to teh cross!! POWERFUL!! It was very quite in the worship center, but when you nailed that sin to the cross, everyone heard it!
It was emotional!
What a special experience!
What an amazing love Jesus & God have for sinners!! I'm so glad I belong to Him!
"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily & follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it."
Luke 9:23-24
