Missing Good Friday

There is no comeback without a defeat. No pain, no gain. No battle, no victory. And no death, no resurrection. One always precedes the other.

I spent Good Friday at the Miami airport. After an all-night flight from South America, landing in Miami was one step closer to getting home and one step closer to entering into the essence of Good Friday. Delay after delay, we ended up stranded in Miami for 26 hours. Not what I had in mind to prepare for Easter. Watching the clock and listening to airline announcements all day, it was really hard to focus on Jesus and Good Friday.

The essence of Good Friday, its true nature, is one of suffering, sacrifice, agony, despair and death – all the components that precede a victory, a comeback and the Resurrection. You can’t enjoy one without enduring the other.  

What I learned at the airport

I can’t bask in the fullness of the Resurrection (which continues to evolve over time), if I haven’t walked through Good Friday. It’s like walking into a movie halfway through. It won’t make complete sense, until I take time to find out what the first part was all about. Stories build.

Until we sit at the foot of the cross on Good Friday, while Jesus breathed his last, accompany his body into the tomb, and endure, the essence of this day will escape us.  

Allowing our soul to absorb Jesus’ agony, sacrifice and suffering allows for an experience, albeit in a minuscule way, of what it means to be lifeless. How can I enjoy the fullness of the Resurrection, a resurrection even in myself, if I haven’t laid lifeless in a tomb.

Good Friday really is a tremendous gift! The grandeur and power of Easter Sunday is hidden in Good Friday. Next year, whether I’m at an airport or a Good Friday service, I will set all others distractions aside to walk along side Jesus, to endure battle, defeat and death. In so doing, the gift of Good Friday will unwrap to reveal the hidden power of Easter Sunday – Comeback – Gain – Victory – Resurrection!