What a powerful worship experience tonight–Calvary holds a Maundy Thursday evening service each year before Good Friday. It’s changed a little over the years as we’ve grown. We used to have a huge dinner, with everyone from the church bringing something to share. There’s no way we could pull that off these days, as we don’t have the room for all the folks who call Calvary their home. So we encourage Life Groups to eat together before attending the worship service. Paul makes some deeeeelish venison burgers, btw.
Our time of worship usually focuses on the cross and the crucifixion of Jesus. Maundy Thursday gives way to Good Friday, and we have an meditative, multi-station, interactive prayer experience for folks.
At the end of his message tonight, Dan spoke a line that I’ve been thinking all day. He said something along the lines of: For the followers of Jesus, you can’t think about the cross, the suffering of Jesus, his brutal beating and death without a hint of a smile.
It’s not that you take pleasure in the suffering of Jesus. It’s that you know that death is not the last word. When you know the end of the story, you anticipate the victory over death, and that brings the smallest hint of a smile to the corners of your mouth.
Every year as we walk through the story of Jesus and the cross, I grow more grateful, more appreciative. I am quicker to cry at the brutality, and at the enormity of the love of God.
CS Lewis wrote that the cross didn’t become popular in artwork and the symbol of Christianity until everyone who had seen it used as an implement of torture had died. Anyone who had ever seen one in use would have avoided the cross flat out.
But when I think about the cross, I have 2000 years of history and a relationship with God to inform how I process the message. And I can’t help but smile, because I know that Jesus is the Victor. That’s the power of God at work.
He is not here. He is risen, just as he said. We’ll celebrate it Sunday, but I know that it’s true!
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