Good Friday -- Life after Death

Friday, April 10, 2009 Good Friday Matthew 28:16-20

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Proclaiming Life after Death

Today is Good Friday. We remember the cross and words such as: “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:45-46) and “It is Finished” (John 19:30). These are words of abandonment and death. There is no hope and no future in those words. And yet, here we have these final words of Jesus, as Matthew gives account: “Go into the World . . .” These are not words of death, but of life and hope. On the cross there seems to be no future, and yet in these words the future is laid out for all to embrace. Go into the world and make disciples. Draw people into the circle of the faithful, where they might find healing, strength, and empowerment. How might this happen? Jesus says to us: baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Baptism, Paul writes, is a sign of death and resurrection. With him we are buried in the waters of baptism, casting off in those waters the sins and trespasses that keep us from experiencing the fullness of God’s grace. And from those waters, we rise to share in the glory of the Father and walk in new life (Romans 6:1-4).

We go forth as God’s people called to live and to proclaim the good news. Christ has died, but Christ has also been raised, and it is in this promise that we take hope and bring hope to the world – until the end of the age!

From the Central Woodward Christian Church
2009 Lenten Devotional