Good Friday
April 19, 2019
Collect For Good Friday
“Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Today we remember the shameful and painful death of our Lord Jesus Christ for us on the Cross at Calvary.
On that Cross he took our punishment and condemnation and paid the penalty for our sins. As a result God’s justice is satisfied, his wrath is propitiated(quenched), and through faith in Christ we are now:
- forgiven and declared righteous;
- reconciled with God;
- given eternal life and the Holy Spirit;
- made children of God and brought into the family and hence brothers and sisters;
- members of Christ’s body, the church;
- promised resurrection body and hope of glory;
- granted the gift of spending eternity in the new heaven and the new earth;
- granted access to the throne of God;
- granted peace with God and with those who believe;
- translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God;
- granted victory over sin, Satan and death;
- sanctified, given eternal joy and Shalom and many more blessings.
There is reason to give thanks to God who loved us and gave his Son to die for us. There is reason to give thanks to the Son(Jesus) who gave his life voluntarily for us. There is reason to give thanks to the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to the truth and regenerates us to penitent faith. There is reason to give thanks to our Triune God because salvation is the work of the Trinity.
There is reason to take time to meditate on what God did for us at Calvary.
Warm regards,
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Felix Orji, OSB
Anglican Diocese of the West
Church of Nigeria(Anglican Communion)
St. Francis Cathedral Church
www.dioceseofthewest.org
www.stfrancisep.org
