On Good Friday, Jesus, the Son of God, hung on the cross, speaking only seven times. Jesus' impending death was foretold: to die for the forgiveness of sins out of boundless love. His crucifixion symbolized the removal of sin's barrier between God and humanity, demonstrated by the tearing of the temple curtain.
Through his sacrifice, Jesus reconciled God and humans, eliminating the separation caused by sin. Good Friday, symbolized by the torn curtain, signifies the profound reconciliation between God and humanity.
Join us in Mark 15 verse 38 as we discuss the savior that we have.
This Sunday sermon, based on Mark 15 verses 38, was preached at Grace of God Lutheran Church on March 29, 2024. This sermon is preached by pastor Timothy J. Walsh, a member of WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). Scripture selections come from the New International Version.
Our services are at 9:30am every Sunday morning, at our campus in Dix Hills on Long Island. Visit our website for more information, at www.graceofgod.church
Intro Music "On the Way" by Vlad Gluschenko https://soundcloud.com/vgl9
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Outro Music "Divenire" by Ludovico Einaudi
copyright (℗) by: Ludovico Einaudi (in 2006)
Support the Show.
Find out more about our church and support Grace of God's ministry at linktr.ee/graceofgodlongisland
Intro music is “On The Way” by Vlad Gluschenko, at soundcloud.com/vgl9.
God was quiet on Good Friday. God the Father turned away from his Son. Jesus, the Son of God, a man known for teaching and preaching, only brought himself to speak seven times over the hours he hung there.
We didn’t need many words. Jesus had already explained why he would be on a cross. He was going to die in the place of every other human being. He did not deserve to die. He had never sinned. He had only and always loved as God calls humans to love. He had shown love by healing and feeding and teaching. He had shown love by calling for repentance and pointing out sin. Jesus’ whole can be summed up simply: He loved everyone.
So on Good Friday, there was nothing left to say. There was only action left. It was time to die.
Human beings were not made to die. It is not true when we say things like, “Death is a natural part of life.” Death is not part of life. Life is life, and death is death. And what is death? Death is separation from God. God is the Living One, the Great I AM, the source of life. To die is to be separated from him.
Sin earns separation from God. Death is the penalty for sin.
Then Jesus died. The only one who had no sin to die for. The only human being on whom death had no proper claim.
In the temple in Jerusalem, God had commanded that his people erect a great curtain to divide the holiest space in the temple from the rest of the building. This was a symbol of the division worked by sin between the perfect and holy God and sinful people. And when Jesus died, that curtain was torn in half.
That which had divided God and humanity had been removed. Sin no longer stood - no longer stands - between us and God. The writer to the Hebrews said in in the reading we heard: “Jesus sacrificed for our sins once for all when he offered himself.”
There are many words we can use to describe what took place on Good Friday. A preacher could speak for a thousand years. But sometimes a single image can sum all of that up. Good Friday is summed up in this torn curtain, hanging open. God and humans, reconciled. Amen.