Reflecting

I have spent most of this morning reflecting on what this weekend represents... getting away from the niceities of this weekend and taking time to meditate on "who," "what" and "why" for an event that monumentally changed the course of history and in a very personal way altered the course of my own life.

On Friday night, I attended what may have been the BEST Good Friday service that I have ever attended. The service at Buckhead Church was... different... and a very good different because in it the story of the Passion was told about as beautifully and as powerfully as you could possibly tell it. In the background, scripture, stories about Christ's suffering for us, and music told the story of the trials, the humiliation, and the pain that He took for me and for you. In the foreground, three artists were, throughout the hour, painting a mural out of three plexiglas windows on the front of the stage... just painting away as the story and the songs continued to unfold.

And in the midst of that, in the beginning as I remember, we took communion to officially remember Him... and what He did on our behalf.

When finished, the artists brought the three panes together to reveal the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross, and then they etched the details of His face... finally bringing another plexiglas pane to the foreground... and upon painting these words, the service finished, quite abruptly....

"It is finished" - both among the final words of Jesus prior to going into the grave and into death, but also (pratically speaking) the conlusion of the service itself. In fact, most of us sat there in front of the stage waiting for something to happen but nothing did... turns out that it was intentional... the folks that brilliantly programmed this service wanted that to stick into our heads, and marinate.

It did mine.

Matthew and Mark both record that Jesus's last words were "a loud cry" - not what you would expect out of a man who was painfully dying a death that is usually caused by affixiation. In fact, to my knowledge most people die with a moan or just quietly pass on... not Jesus. The artists that painted this image, I believe, got it right. Jesus wasn't surrendering here on Good Friday... He was declaring victory... call it VS (Victory over Sin) day. IT is finished....

Sin is finished... it has no more power over me
Shame is finished... it has no influence over me
Fear is finished... the one who saved me is greater than he who condemns me.

... and today on Easter... DEATH is finished! Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death. It is no longer the final say in my life.

Among the amazing weather, good friends, and great conversations I have had this weekend (and even agonizing over the Ags choking against UCLA late last night), nothing can overshadow that fact. HE (Jesus) has conquered sin, shame, fear, and death... and HE shares His overcoming to anyone who puts their hope in Him.

That, my friends, is good news. That is why today is worth celebrating!

That is why I am happy :-). I hope that this news cheers your soul too.

chris <><

(PS - compliments to the amazing and talented artist that shared this picture with me :-)... esp. since my camera is on the DL... cheers to you!)