Church Family Update for April 10, 2020: Good Friday Edition

First, some good news:

The good news today is that despite the strange circumstances, we are still having a Good Friday worship service this evening. Join us for the live-streamed service at 7:00 PM this evening. Attached to this email is a colouring booklet for your children to follow along during the service.

I want to extend a special thanks to all the worship teams, projectionists and sound techs. Thanks for your faithful and joyful labor. The reason we’re able to have these services is because of all your hard work.

A Devotional Thought:

“So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Matthew 27:24

Isn’t it funny how when you’re looking for something you start to see it everywhere? Today I found another verse about handwashing in the Bible! This time it’s Pilate who is doing the hand washing and he’s not doing it as a ritual act of worship. He’s doing it as a symbolic declaration that he is innocent of Jesus’s blood. 

The irony, of course, is that Pilate is not innocent. In fact, humanly speaking, he’s directly responsible. He was the one who had authority to stop this murder. But he didn’t. And no amount of hand washing will make him innocent. 

But my point here isn’t to condemn Pilate. That’s between him and the Lord. My point is that I too am not innocent when it comes to the crucifixion of Christ. I cannot simply wash my hands and say, “Well wasn’t that awful that they did that to Jesus?” I can’t say that because I’m one of the ones who did that to Him. He was there for me. To pay for my sins. 

So in that sense, I’m guilty of crucifying Christ. But the beautiful paradox of the gospel is that even though I’m guilty of causing the death of Christ, it’s His death that takes away my guilt! So it is true that I cannot symbolically wash my hands with water and declare my innocence and remove my guilt. But I can symbolically wash myself in the blood of Christ in which case God Himself declares me innocent and clean! 

Have a blessed and worshipful Good Friday. 

Pastor Jason