The good about Good Friday

Horsham’s ‘One Good Friday’ passion play is postponed to 2021.

Over 100 cast, crew, men in sheds and women in – well whatever the female equivalent of a shed is. They have worked for hours in rehearsal, gathering and building props, making costumes, obtaining licences, negotiating contracts, sorting out insurances, directing, producing… all for nothing?

At a time when our town, and indeed country, is in near lockdown, as this ghastly pandemic sweeps the globe, when nations, businesses, families and individuals are all in the firing line, when lives are being lost moment by moment, to be honest, the loss of the passion play isn’t the main story. So what is?

That at a moment in history, God stepped into the creation and lived on earth in human form in Jesus Christ. Demonstrating how life, truly human life could be lived.

Having shown what a truly human life looked like he then accepted the injustice of a fake trial on trumped up charges in a kangaroo court, a death sentence handed down for political expediency and indeed the horrific death by crucifixion at the hands of an occupying military regime. Why?

In John’s account of the life of Jesus he writes these words: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” So it is out of love and a desire to enable us to avoid perishing and to live with God forever. But why the cross? Why did Jesus die?

Well to use an image we can all relate to at the moment, because there was a pandemic. A disease, that was spreading out of control and needed to be stopped. The disease, if unchecked, would separate us from God, the source of all life.

The treatment was radical. Jesus would take upon himself all of the disease and allow himself to be sacrificed, dealing with it once and for all. That’s what happened on the first Good Friday. The disease is seen in many guises but is often called sin.

It is a word that conjures up unhelpful images for many and it is best described as the things we think, say and do that separate us from God and from each other.

Acts of selfishness or cruelty, unkind words, things that would lead us to live a less than, truly human life.

Jesus took all of this upon

himself and as he gave up his life so he killed the disease and removed all its power to separate us from God. That’s what is good about Good Friday.

It is the opening up of a new relationship between mankind and God based not on what we do but on what Jesus has done.

So, I am sad that the show can’t go on, but in the light of the current circumstances, and in the light of the real story, I am thankful that God so loved the world, you, me and Uncle Tom Cobley and all, that he gave his son so we need not perish but can live with him forever.

God bless you this Easter, stay in, stay safe and know that God loves you.