Today, we remember the death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross outside Jerusalem. While the day's events were sorrowful and grievous, their grander purpose of glorifying God by accomplishing our redemption was good of the highest order. And so we call this day Good Friday, the day we recall the events culminating in the Messiah's crucifixion:

• Twice bid to pray with him through the night in the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples instead repeatedly fell asleep (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42). 
• At his arrest, the disciples abandoned him, fleeing into the darkness of the night (Matthew 26:56). 
• Allowed to observe our Lord's trial from a distance, Peter denied knowing Jesus not once, not twice, but three separate times (Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27).
• At his crucifixion, it appears that most of the disciples remained in hiding (John 20:19ff). 
• After his death and burial, many disciples lost hope, not waiting or looking for the resurrection (Luke 24:13ff).

Thankfully, instead of despising his disciples for their fears and failures, the resurrected Christ drew near to them. Over several weeks, Jesus gave his disciples many convincing proofs of his resurrection from the dead and reassured them of his forgiveness and continued love for them (cf. Acts 1:3; John 20:24-29; 21:15-19; ). In his victory over the grave, Jesus triumphed over the fears and failures of his people. We will commemorate and celebrate this triumph this Easter Sunday.

And so we not only remember this Good Friday; we rejoice. We see today's events with hope in the context of their grander, gracious purpose.

Pastor Alex will preach for us this evening. We will partake of the Lord's Supper together. Our choir will offer contemplative selections fitting to the occasion. Finally, Nick, our musicians, and vocalists will lead us in corporate singing. Of course, all of this, we pray, will be to God's glory and for the good of His people.

See you tonight at 7:00 pm. All are welcome