Friday, April 10, 2020

Pandemic Good Friday

On the day that Jesus died, many felt the loss. The disciples lost their friend, their leader, their hopes of Jewish triumph. They lost their sense of direction and purpose. They lost their nerve, too. They holed up, hiding from those who pushed for Jesus' crucifixion. Everything was out of balance.

Maybe we have a better sense of Good Friday than ever before. We are holed up. Everything is out of balance. We wonder what's happening and when things will return to normal. We wonder what the new normal will be. We know it will be different.

Like the disciples, we have to trust God, in spite of a situation we could never imagine. We feel the loss of normal life, the loss of contact with friends and family, the loss of so much that we took for granted.

It was through loss that Jesus identified with humanity. He lost his friends' support. He lost the cheers of the crowd. He lost his trial. He lost his life.

And so in our loss, maybe we can feel Good Friday.

But we know that God brings resurrection!