Today is "Good Friday" but for Jesus and the disciples I imagine they thought of it as anything but "good." This is the day of pain, death, and grief. If the story of Christ ended with Good Friday, there would be nothing good to come from it, nothing good we could say. There's a Meatloaf song with these lyrics: "I would do anything for love but I won't do that." Jesus did "that." (Thanks Pastor Jared for this inspiration!). 

Jesus went to the cross for you and for me. He went through betrayal, a sham of a trial, the taunts of the authorities and the crowds, beatings, a thorn of crowns forced onto his head, nails driven into his hands and feet, and a painful and humiliating death. He could've stopped it at any time, but he didn't. He went through it all so that the "bad" could become "good." His death shook the world and tore the curtain in the temple from top to bottom. That curtain was a visible symbol of our separation from God. We were on one side of the curtain and God was on the other ... and it was forbidden for anyone except the high priest to pull that curtain aside and enter that part of the temple reserved for God. At the moment Jesus cried out, "It is finished" and died, that symbol of separation between us and God also was finished and died. God's amazing love for us became fully visible. God's grace for us was shown to be without limitation.  

If you love Jesus, is your response to his love that you would do anything for him out of love? Or are there limits ("I would do anything for love, but I won't do that")? I love you Jesus, but I won't support your church with my prayers, presence, witness, and gifts. I love you Jesus, but I won't make time to pray, attend a Bible study, or volunteer to help others. I love you Jesus, but don't ask me to do something out of my comfort zone.. I love you Jesus, but...

On Good Friday, Jesus gave up himself for us. No other event in history can compare to God becoming man and dying for those of his creation. What kind of god would do that? Only a God of boundless love. How do we respond to that kind of love?