Friday, April 18, 2025

Crucial Good Friday


                                                                  Tree of Life -- Blake Debassige

 1 Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand:

the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land,

a home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,

from the burning of the noontide heat and the burden of the day.

Crucial: definition 




1
a
IMPORTANTSIGNIFICANT
… what use we make of them will be the crucial question.Stanley Kubrick
Vitamins are crucial for maintaining good health.
b
important or essential as resolving a crisis DECISIVE
She played a crucial role in the negotiations.
c
marked by final determination of a doubtful issue
the crucial game of a series
2
archaic CRUCIFORM

While I was getting my hair cut yesterday I asked my barber if she would be working today as well. She said that because she doesn't have children she doesn't mind being open for business on the holiday and she was fully booked. There was no mention from either of us that this would be Good Friday, the most solemn day in the Christian calendar, and the notion that this is meant to be a time of sober reflection on the crucifixion of Jesus. I wasn't prepared to go there, rightly or wrongly. We're not exactly on those terms of theological exploration. 

Her casual indifference to the meaning of Good Friday is not surprising. Our secularized and pluralistic society takes this statutory holiday with a shrug -- who's going to complain about a day off? I was a bit surprised to find out that the YMCA is closed today but open on Easter. How did that get decided? 

I should also note that during nearly four decades of congregational ministry Good Friday was never a well attended service compared to Easter morning. I did serve congregations where we would have in the neighbourhood of 100 worshippers and others where combining with other churches meant that there were hundreds more. But lots of devout people were happy to jump from Palm Sunday to Resurrection morning. 

Good Friday's reminder of a cruel death is unappealing, as it should be. Who wants that sort of reminder, let alone the profound mystery of God Incarnate as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" ? There are plenty of different interpretations of what the cross means for Christians, even different definitions of atonement.

As the years have gone by the crucifixion has remained crucial to my faith (same Latin root). I have made my peace with the tension of engaging in respectful interfaith conversation while also holding the conviction that the sorrowful events of Calvary are necessary to identifying as a Christian. Jesus was an earthy and earthly human who was wrongly executed by a merciless regime. He was also the embodiment of the Creator, as the Redeemer. I am content to have all these sometime confusing aspects swirl around even though I miss the simple and perhaps simplistic convictions of my earnest youth. 

I would also say that I am increasingly mindful that the specificity of the crucifixion at a particular place and time two thousand years ago has significance for the planet in all times --"for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son..."  It is crucial for Christians to open their eyes to the meaning of Good Friday for all creatures and the planet. 

2 Upon the cross of Jesus my eyes at times can see

the very dying form of one who suffered there for me; 

and from my smitten heart, with tears, two wonders I confess,

the wonder of his glorious love, and my unworthiness.


3 I take, O cross, your shadow for my abiding place;

I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of his face,

content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss,

my sinful self my only shame, my glory all, the cross.


                                                                  White Crucifixion -- Marc Chagall 

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