As a youngster, I loved Good Friday and the Easter Holiday. What was so special about Good Friday? First of all, it was a holiday, a day off from school. Secondly, the custom of flying homemade, decorated tissue paper kites was something that young people dreamed about for weeks. Thin pieces of wood, glue, tissue paper, and string were all that was needed to make aviation dreams come true. The multi-color tissue paper kites would be a sight in the skies. Everyone tried to create the most attractive and colour-coordinated kites. I once remembered seeing three grown men flying an eight-foot kite. What a sight to behold.
Adding to the holiday was food. Hot-cross buns and codfish cakes with tartar sauce. The hot-cross buns made with fruit meal also had a sugar icing cross on the top of the raisin bun. Simply mouth-watering and scrumptious. The fishcakes were made by boiling codfish until it was soft, adding boiled potatoes, parsley, and seasoning, and then making patties. The patties were pan-fried. Sorry to the CHIP disciples among us, I was eating in ignorance, but friends, they were so tasty and delicious!
As I got older, the true meaning of Good Friday finally dawned on me. Good Friday is not about kites and food, but it’s all about Jesus! We call the day Good Friday, but it was a dark, despairing, dismal Friday. The only reason that this gloomy day became a good day, a great day, was summed up in a phrase of victory, “It is finished!” The battle of good and evil that began in heaven and continued on earth met its conclusion at the cross, where Jesus became the ultimate champion. Sin and selfishness were defeated, and grace, mercy, and goodness triumphed.
As we come to another Easter weekend, allow the truth of Jesus’ sufferings and God’s word to rewrite another memory and tradition in our lives. At the cross, Friday will give way to a restful Sabbath and ultimately to a triumphant early Sunday morning. Christ is risen, hallelujah! This Sabbath at Willowdale, the story of Jesus, the lamb of God wounded for our sins and pierced for our iniquities (Isaiah 53), will be shared by Pastor Jared Browne, who concludes our spring evangelistic series “Wonderful, Merciful, Saviour.” Three precious souls will be baptized on Sabbath morning, sealing their commitment to follow Jesus. A fellowship meal will follow the divine service, and following the feast, our young people will have a dramatic presentation of the Easter story. This is “one Sabbath” you will not want to miss being present at Willowdale.
In closing, there are three things to remember this holiday weekend: 1. Please bring a non-perishable food item when you come to services at Willowdale for the North York Harvest Food Bank, 2. Let’s support our young people at the afternoon drama by bringing an offering for the Pathfinder ministry, and 3. Because Jesus lives, all of us can face an uncertain future with certainty. Listen to the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 1:12 “…for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.” Happy Easter Holiday, Willowdale and Maranatha!
Pastor Glenn DeSilva