“What’s so GOOD about it?” I remember muttering that under my breath when I was very young. I said it in response to Mom’s announcement that there would be no TV, no playing outside, and we would spend a good chunk of the afternoon at church because it was Good Friday. Not the way I wanted to spend my day off of school! At the time, the best thing I could say about Good Friday was it was only two more days to Easter which meant candy in our Easter baskets and desserts again after supper. A child’s perspective is often limited to “What’s in it for me?”

Even as a teenager, my understanding of Good Friday didn’t change much. Eventually I recognized that it was less about my suffering and more about Christ’s suffering. But since it seemed to be all about shame and suffering I still didn’t get why anyone would call it “Good”.Read More