Pastor’s Thoughts – Spring 2024

Dear friends,

I feel the days leading up to Holy Week are the kind of journey that we all need to travel. We don’t do a lot to celebrate Lent in our tradition, but we do all need to recognise what we are travelling towards. For Jesus this was a physical journey to Jerusalem. For us it is a spiritual journey towards the remembrance of the most important weekend in the history of the world.

Often the question that we get asked is: ‘Why do you call it Good Friday?’ From his time alone in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had been telling his disciples exactly what was going to happen to him:

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

— Mark 8:31–33

This was no accidental journey; this was no grand gesture that turned out badly on Mount Hermon, this was no failed attempt to overthrow the Romans. This was the plan all along. Jesus came to Jerusalem knowing it would be the last journey of his life on earth and knowing exactly where it would lead – to victory! This was Good Friday because Good triumphed over Evil. It was followed by Even Better Sunday (not sure why that name never caught on) when we saw what that victory meant. It meant, to use Paul’s words, that:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

— 1 Corinthians 15:55–57

Good had won over evil and life had won over death. So our journey towards Easter should be a reminder of victory, of what that victory means, what that victory cost and what we are to do as victors.

We did not earn this victory, it is the work of God’s grace towards us, it is due to his love for us. It means that many of the things that people fear, and many of the things that people build their lives upon need not trouble us. We have a certain future because Jesus overcame death and offers us forgiveness for our sins.

It also means that he must be Lord of our lives and as we consider what Jesus did for us, we must consider what his lordship over us means. His victory over evil may be final but it is not yet fully evident. There is much work for us to do as we seek to help others know the truth of what Jesus did, and as we work in the power of the Holy Spirit to see evil overcome.

There will be a day of rest for us but that time has not yet come. Now is the time to proclaim with our words, our deeds and the whole of our lives that Jesus is Lord!