Thursday, April 17, 2025

           It is common during Holy Week to see the expression “a lot can happen in three days.”  It is true. No argument at all.  And the most significant three-day period of human history extends from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.  The death and resurrection of Jesus stand alone as the greatest events in human history.  They are unmatched, unchallenged and unequaled.  A lot can happen in three days—like the salvation of all who surrender themselves to Christ and Christ alone.  The perfect plan of the Father to save a wholly imperfect and motley band of sinners unfolded just as He providentially designed.
           But frankly, a lot can happen in one day—a day like this for instance.  We call this day “Maundy Thursday” in the Christian world.  It holds a vital place on the Church’s calendar.  We remember Jesus’ last supper, His betrayal at the hands of Judas, His passionate prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and His arrest by Roman soldiers.  It was a grim night and an incomparable night.  The creation, in a fit of fury and defiance, rose up against the Creator.  Unchastened and unreformed by the flood waters of a previous judgment, the creation continued to careen off the rails by choice and mutiny against the Master.  The enemy, the infamous serpent from Eden, unleashed a relentless assault on the Son of God.  It was personal—dare we say even beyond personal.  A ferocious anger was vented by the legions of Hell against the sinless Son of God.
            A lot happened on that Thursday night.  More than we often count or calculate. God’s plan to break sin’s stranglehold was unfolding.  The wrath of God would soon be satisfied at Calvary’s cross where Christ died so we could live and where He took our place.  We remember that in the looming face of the cross that Jesus prayed “not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39b).  The battle was won in the Garden when Jesus resolved Himself to be the perfect sacrifice...to do what no one else could do and to pay the debt that He had not accumulated.  A lot can happen in a day.
            Betrayal, denial, accusations, deception, anger, evil and tears.  That is not the caption of a new release on Netflix.  That’s the scene on this Thursday many years ago in the Middle East. It was an awful day.  It was an anxious day.  It was a day on a collision course with the Cross.  An ordinary cup and common slice of bread would forever become representatives of what was coming—the beaten and broken body of Christ and the shed blood of Christ as the last, greatest and best sacrifice.  The sacrifice to end all other sacrifices.  A lot can happen in a day!  Join us tonight as we worship on Maundy Thursday at 7:00pm and tomorrow, Good Friday, as we worship at noon.