Happy Good Friday…Or is Merry Good Friday? I get this confused every year. How do you greet people on Good Friday. As a pastor I don’t really like to have a service on this Friday because I never know what to say as a greeting.

Easter is easy. Christmas is a snap. The Forth of July is also a no brainer when it comes to a greetings. But Good Friday, that is a hard one.

For starters why is it good? A guy dies in a not so ordinary way, what is good about that? A sleepless night of guys whipping and berating him…not good. He found himself carrying a heavy piece of timber through a mocking crowd and up a hill…not pleasant at all. Professional executors were called in to make sure his crucifixion was done properly as he was hung out for all to see…really not good. After he breathed his last breath a sword pierced his side as blood and water spilled out…that is just gross. Crown of thorns, punches to the face, spitting crowds, and three huge nails piercing his body…basically an all around bad day.

I asked Father Olson (the priest of the Catholic congregation by our church) this morning at Starbucks, “what do you say as a greeting for Good Friday?” “Holy Good Friday“, was his response. Ok that is an awkward way of saying hello to someone but it works.

We went on to talk about why it is good and what that means for our salvation. Even though this day was not very nice in the physical realm, it was really glorious in the spiritual realm. It is because of the cross and death of Christ that are debt of sin was paid. The other good thing about his death was that he had to die before He could be resurrected from the dead. (small detail…but some believe that Jesus never died). And is it because of His resurrection that we can have life. His empty grave equals us having a full life.

So I guess in a round about way this is a Holy Good Friday. Or is it ‘Wholly Good Friday’? Oh well back to square one.

See you Sunday.

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