Let us Pray the Collect for Good Friday Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus said “Forgive them, Father! They do not know what they are doing.” In today’s world the they who do not know what they do are those who can blame others easily, When those who are blamed and we see it, we can only tolerate their discomfort for so long before we begin to give advice, offer solutions, and speak for God. The hardest thing we do is sit with others in their suffering without trying to hurry them along. We have to choke back easy ways to fix their problems or tell them things will be all right. Naturally, we want to fix it. “Do we know who we are?!” We would do well to ask ourselves and each other the same thing. Often, we seem to forget or perhaps we never knew. Through much of life, we behave as if our identity depends on our occupation, wealth, family line, daily accomplishments, or honorable deeds. But none of these, not even the last one, determines the core of who we are. All that matters is our Creator’s opinion, and God loves us with abundant, unconditional love. So are we those who do not know what they do and maybe we don’t know ourselves. Do we know who we are? You are God’s beloved child! And so is everyone else. May we live out that knowledge, treating one another as such. Unfortunately, in today’s world that know what they do but are reluctant to take any responsibility. Those gathered that Friday who shouted “Crucify Him” joined others who knew not what they did and were not willing to take any responsibility. . Do we see this happening today?
As we reflect on the events of that Good Friday over 2000 years ago what are the lessons we should gain, we should know that the they in they know, not what they do can be us. The they should be, the they who now understand, and they who have learned to be compassionate and understanding and to help others in their times of need. We should understand that God does not forsake us because he is ignoring us, but he is letting the plan he has for us play out, to test us and prepare us for the glorious things to come. We may not feel it at the moment, but we will. And finally, our thirst should be one that brings us closer to the kingdom of God by wanting to learn and be more like Our Lord and to walk in his footsteps. As we think about Good Friday let us walk in the ways of Jesus, To understand that His suffering was for us each and every one of us. And let us not forsake him as he is our savior. And let us not be the We who know not what they do.
Let us pray: We wait with God on this Good Friday for the day of the Resurrection, the day that brings us all a new beginning, a day that brings love into the world, a day that we all can share in that love. Remember Jesus’s words. “Peace, I give to you” Amen.
Reflections by Bob 