How’s your Friday? I sure hope it’s good. I’m thinking about the Good Friday today as I prep to speak on Jesus’s death and burial this Sunday to my church. (No, you’ve not time traveled to Palm Sunday. Our long trek through Luke is nearing its end!)
Today’s Friday has plenty of bad on grand and small scales: Destruction and despair continue in the Middle East and Ukraine. Somewhere scary diagnoses are being delivered and relationships are reaching their end.
It’s also a good day: The White House recently added to last spring’s Strategy to Combat Anti-Semitism a National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia. I don’t know what you think about how minorities are currently treated in the US or about a broader “victim mentality.” But if the government’s going to spend money, and you know they are, I’m down with some of it going to figure out how not to hate and harm people because of what they believe and look like.
This is a small step in a good direction. Let’s pray it’s part of a growing movement from all over to bring God’s blessing to Muslims. Because that is part of God’s purpose, isn’t it?
I love that Luke, as he tells the Good Friday story, is careful to show that the events happen according to God’s plan. It brings to mind the way my mentor, Steve Hawthorne, in the Perspectives curriculum, sums up the over-arching purposes of God: “against evil—kingdom victory; for the nations—redemption and blessing; and for God—global glory in worship.”
I want that so badly. Whether your Friday today is good or bad or somewhere in between, please join me in saying, “Yes, Father. These are good purposes. Bring them about now and for all.”
PS: If you’re drawn to people groups who’ve yet to experience the in-breaking of God’s purposes check out this explorer tool.