Yes, It was a very Good Friday, indeed.

This is the Day, This is the Day

That the Lord has made, That the Lord has made.

I will rejoice, I will rejoice

And be glad in it, And be glad in it.

That is the song I start most mornings singing for my boys, but today being Good Friday, the song had special significance. On that Thursday night, some 2000 years ago, Jesus and his disciples partook of the Last Passover Supper that Christ would eat here on this earth. During that meal, the hallel, Psalm 115-118, would be read. The last verse of the hallel says "This is the Day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Matthew tells us that before Jesus and his disciples left the upper room to head to the Mount of Olives to pray, they sang a hymn. Considering the verses they had just read, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think that they sang something very similar to the ideas I sang to my boys this morning.

I try to be very deliberate in pointing to Jesus on a daily basis, showing my boys who he is. This Good Friday is no different. Every day before lunch, my boys have to clean up their toys. Depending on what they have played with that morning, this can be quite a task. They are young and not always interested in stopping the fun they were having. Today our living room looked like a bomb had gone off. Their cousin had been over for a short time and they felt the need to show her every single toy they had ever owned. The contents of every bin, bucket and box were strewn from living room to kitchen to hallway to bedroom. When lunchtime rolled around, I was ready to tell them it was time to clean up when I changed my mind. I told Elijah and Micah that they could get in their chairs for lunch and leave all the toys right where they were, Mommy would clean them up today. When Elijah wondered why, I told him that it is Good Friday, and I wanted to clean up their messes for them, just the way that Jesus had cleaned up my messes for me that afternoon many years ago. That is why we love Jesus and why we will celebrate Easter on Sunday.

His only response to that was to say "I love you, Jesus!" as loud as he could, then run away to his booster seat, ready to partake of his last meal before nap time. I have no way of knowing for sure how much my kids understand when I share things like this with them. I know that a lot of it is probably over their heads. Fortunately, I do no believe that it is over their hearts.

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Happy Good Friday, friends and family. Celebrate it. This is the Day that the Lord has made! Our messes are clean, our sins are forgiven, and our eternity is secure because of what happened on this Day, 2000 years ago. There is no reason to mourn today. We know the end of the story. Sunday is on the way.

He is Risen!!