
I opened my iPad up to find a weather alert this morning. There is anticipation of strong thunderstorms later. I got a text from a sweet friend soon after checking on me. She made mention of the upcoming weather. I thought to share with her about how many Good Fridays I remembered there being stormy weather.
The first one being a Good Friday I spent in school. I think I was in about the fourth (maybe third) grade. We were in school on Good Friday making up a snow day. Like today there was anticipation of storms. It was in the afternoon when the wind started to blow and the sky turned dark. I remember feeling scared as we watched the trees bend and day turned to the color of night. I will never forget how our teacher quieted ours fears by telling us Good Friday was about remembering the day Jesus was crucified. She spoke of Scripture that told of how darkness came over the whole land and the sun stopped shining . What she shared in that exact moment has always stuck with me. Numerous times I know I have witnessed storms on Good Friday. Some might explain it away by saying Good Friday falls in the Spring every year. And Spring in the South is usually stormy. But I can’t help but wonder, does even nature recollect the events of that day?
I saw the status update “Do this in remembrance of me” the other night and it too made me pause. For believers all of Holy Week is about remembering. Remembering how the events of the week so long ago is the fulfillment of Scripture written. Remembering who first loved us and gave His Son. Remembering how He chose to die so that we live. Remembering “This is my body given for you…. This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Remembering the tomb is empty because He sits at the right hand of the Father offering intercession for us!
Last week as we drove north through Tennessee and Kentucky there were all kinds of buttercups along the road. They are my favorite because they are the first sign of Spring, of newness. When I was a little girl my Mom loved the buttercups too. It was our Spring ritual to pick buttercups from the hillside of my Great Grandmother’s place. My Mom also loved the dogwood that grew along the fence row in our front yard. Its blooms visible from the big picture window in the living room. I remember her sharing with us why she loved the dogwood. Like the buttercups it was one of the first signs of the newness Spring brings. Her favorite backdrop to capture how we grew and changed. How she prayed for us to change and know new life. When the fence row was cleared she wanted the tree to remain. So she could remember.
So this Good Friday is a flashback and remember. From darkness and from death comes life. From “It is Finished” to the celebration of the empty tomb. From a snaggle toothed little girl to a believer who continues to seek. From brokenness to being made whole in Christ. Look around and notice all the evidence and remember.
The first one being a Good Friday I spent in school. I think I was in about the fourth (maybe third) grade. We were in school on Good Friday making up a snow day. Like today there was anticipation of storms. It was in the afternoon when the wind started to blow and the sky turned dark. I remember feeling scared as we watched the trees bend and day turned to the color of night. I will never forget how our teacher quieted ours fears by telling us Good Friday was about remembering the day Jesus was crucified. She spoke of Scripture that told of how darkness came over the whole land and the sun stopped shining . What she shared in that exact moment has always stuck with me. Numerous times I know I have witnessed storms on Good Friday. Some might explain it away by saying Good Friday falls in the Spring every year. And Spring in the South is usually stormy. But I can’t help but wonder, does even nature recollect the events of that day?
I saw the status update “Do this in remembrance of me” the other night and it too made me pause. For believers all of Holy Week is about remembering. Remembering how the events of the week so long ago is the fulfillment of Scripture written. Remembering who first loved us and gave His Son. Remembering how He chose to die so that we live. Remembering “This is my body given for you…. This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Remembering the tomb is empty because He sits at the right hand of the Father offering intercession for us!
Last week as we drove north through Tennessee and Kentucky there were all kinds of buttercups along the road. They are my favorite because they are the first sign of Spring, of newness. When I was a little girl my Mom loved the buttercups too. It was our Spring ritual to pick buttercups from the hillside of my Great Grandmother’s place. My Mom also loved the dogwood that grew along the fence row in our front yard. Its blooms visible from the big picture window in the living room. I remember her sharing with us why she loved the dogwood. Like the buttercups it was one of the first signs of the newness Spring brings. Her favorite backdrop to capture how we grew and changed. How she prayed for us to change and know new life. When the fence row was cleared she wanted the tree to remain. So she could remember.
So this Good Friday is a flashback and remember. From darkness and from death comes life. From “It is Finished” to the celebration of the empty tomb. From a snaggle toothed little girl to a believer who continues to seek. From brokenness to being made whole in Christ. Look around and notice all the evidence and remember.