Good Friday
Friday, April 18, 2025
Scriptures: Luke 23:33-55
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Community is shaped by the conversations we share. These questions and reflections are a tool to help you meaningfully engage with the themes of this week's teaching.
Summary: In this Good Friday sermon, Bobbi looks at the Easter cross as resistance. By comparing The Lord’s Prayer, from the previous sermon series, as a way of saying “yes” to a new way of doing things. Bobbi shows how Jesus’ actions and words leading up to his death are a kind of “no” to the old way of doing things.No to Leaving you all alone: Jesus felt the disappointment of his friends. Gethsemane reveals to us a Jesus who embraced loneliness. He shows us that we don’t have to believe the lie that in our suffering God has abandoned us. As Bobbi shares, we must not fear loneliness and instead, find our “own lonely way.”
No to playing the game: During his three rounds of trials from the religious elders and Roman elites, Jesus grows increasingly quiet. Accusations, shouting, and violence is our game; God does not play that game. Bobbi shares how Jesus facing the chaos with quiet repose carefully reflects our reality back to us. We point fingers—but God only responds with forgiveness.
No to hate: Jesus’ forgiveness is directed and personal. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Even when we might prefer a God that is retributive, we get a God who does not perpetuate our hate. Good Friday exposes all of the systems that we use to make others submit to our violence. Bobbi says, “that’s our hate and any time we think God would do the hating for us.” Jesus words and deeds show us that those ways of vengeance must die, so we can truly live.
No to avoiding dim endings: We sit in the liminal space of Jesus’ death; we can’t go to the tomb just yet. Although we might not believe it, God can do new things with an old story. Jesus did not avoid his dark ending because he knew this truth. And so we listen to the quiet “no” of Good Friday’s end, which creates space for us to lead into divine “yes.”
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SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS Luke 22-23
MUSIC Curated by Kevin Borst
Bethel Music - Always Good
Brooke Ligertwood - Lead Me To The Cross
Mission House - I Don't Have Much
Worship Circle - Lord You Have My Heart
All Sons & Daughters - Nothing But The Blood
Commons Worship - When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
