Good Friday

The other day, a friend and I were on the fifth floor of our college building. We were remarking at how flimsy the railing seemed to be between us and the floor of the atrium below. Sometimes it feels like the line between life and death is so incredibly thin.

I felt that line grow thinner a couple days later when I heard the very sad news of the death of a friend from church. Young, vibrant, full-of-life kind of guy. I had just seen him on Sunday, a few days before he died of heart failure. In church that day we were singing the song "I'll Fly Away." One of the lines I had sung with gusto really struck home when Justin passed:

Some glad morning when this life is over, I'll fly away

I could always sing with joy at the idea of "some glad morning" flying away to be with my Lord, but I don't think it was a reality for me that that morning could be as close as just a few short days away.

As I think about it more, and as I think about the line between life and death, I'm beginning to realize the significance of Easter and what it means for that line. For anyone who accepts Jesus, crossing the line is really not something to be afraid of. Sure, it's something to respect, but when the time comes, we have nothing to fear. Jesus' bodily resurrection, means that we will rise from the dead, too, if we have put our trust in him. Essentially, Jesus rising from the dead is what makes following him different from any other system of faith or religion. It is how we can know that what Jesus said really is true. He offers a new way. A way that lets us cross the line from death to life. That's what makes Good Friday so good.

We're going to miss Justin a whole lot, and I look forward to seeing him again.


Picture originally uploaded by John Sanford.