Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Good Friday

Matt 27:45-56
v55 “Truly He was the Son of God!”

The 2nd-century Christian Bishop of Smyrna, Bishop Polycarp was arrested by the Roman officials at the age of 86. He was asked to abjure his faith but he refused to do so. Even in the face of death, he remained staunch in his faith. He experienced the joy of life through his faith in Christ. Even in the face of trials and tribulations, he was brave enough to profess his faith in Jesus Christ who had given him complete peace, grace, and abundant blessings in his life.
Finding hope at the foot of the cross
In these verses we read the conclusion of our Lord Jesus Christ’s passion. Jesus died on the cross.  Even in the face of death, Jesus never declined His Father God but fulfilled His Father’s will. The Cross, the most important symbol of Christianity, holds a special meaning for every true follower of Christ. The Cross teaches us how to obey God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says “the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
Finding the light in the darkness
According to the Synoptic Gospels, there was a period of total darkness during Jesus' crucifixion, which took place on the first day of Passover. Darkness covered the earth beginning at the sixth hour (noon) and continued until the ninth hour (3 o'clock) because of the terrible sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son on the Cross of Calvary. These were the miracles that happened on that day.
What does this miracle of darkness at Calvary mean to us? Christ claimed that “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12). When the light of this world is out, it is an undeniable fact that the world will be in darkness. The gloom of Calvary for three hours was reminiscent of the prevailing darkness a sinful world will have without Christ, the light of the world. The darkness showed that Jesus was bearing our sins on the cross. Because God’s Son had taken our infirmities and carried our sorrows upon Him, God shrouded Him in darkness to illustrate that He is pure and holy. In the dying words of Christ, the centurion began to see himself as a sinner in darkness in need of a Savior’s light, in whose brightness he saw the rays of redemption.

PRAYER

            Help us to walk in Your light, and live our lives in faith and glory Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
            The death of Christ is the measure of God’s love for you.
                                   
Rev. Aju Abraham
Bishop/Diocesan Secretary
Sinai Mar Thoma Center, NY

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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