Dr. Rick Whit tells about a businessman who stepped into an elevator and was greeted by a lovely young lady of a certain hair color who said to him, “TGIF.” 

The businessman smiled at her and said, “S-M-I-O-T.” 

She looked at him with a very puzzled look and said, “TGIF” again.

He responded once again by saying, “S-M-I-O-T.”

This time the blond lady smiled her biggest smile and as sweetly as she knew how she said, “TGIF.”

Without any hesitation the businessman replied “S-M-I-O-T.”

The blond was a little exasperated and decided to explain things, “Thank God, It’s Friday, get it?”

The man answered, “Sorry Miss, it’s only Thursday.” (1)

Well, this is definitely Friday. And not just any Friday. We call this Good Friday. No one knows for sure why we call it “good” Friday. That seems counter intuitive. Unbelievably Terrible Friday would seem more appropriate.

Our German friends call it Karfreitag. The Kar part is an obsolete word. It is the ancestor of the English word “care” in the sense of “cares and woes.” It originally meant “mourning,” as in “to mourn someone.” So in German, it is Mourning Friday. (2)

That makes much more sense to me than Good Friday. That is certainly what Christ’s disciples did on that Friday they mourned. Some sources say that originally the word “good” had a secondary meaning. It meant “pious” or “holy.” We could be celebrating Holy Friday if our language had evolved accordingly. Certainly that makes sense. It is among the holiest of days of the year to followers of Christ, for it commemorates the day that Christ lay down his life in our behalf. As it is, I guess we are stuck with the name Good Friday, and we could rightfully call it that if we remember that by the providence of God, it turned out to be best possible Friday because, in a way that we don’t understand, Christ took upon himself the sins of the world. Good Friday is the day we look at the cross and say with gratitude, “He died for me.”

It reminds me of something I read recently about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Did you know that Roosevelt almost did not become President of the United States? He was speaking one day in Miami, Florida while he was still President-elect. A would-be assassin named Giuseppe Zangara fired a gun at him, but at the critical moment, Lilian Cross, a doctor’s wife, hit Zangara’s arm with her purse and spoiled his aim. Instead, the bullet hit Anton Cermak, the mayor of Chicago. Mr. Cermak died a few days later, an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here is what interested me, though. It is said that before he died Mr. Cermak said to Franklin Roosevelt, “I’m glad it was me instead of you.” (3)

We’re not sure he really said that, but if he did, he was a man who truly loved his country. “I’m glad it was me instead of you.”

Who did Christ love when he lay down his life? Obviously he loved all of humankind. He loved you and he loved me. So I hope you won’t think me too flippant for naming this brief message TGFGF Thank God for Good Friday. There are some things about Good Friday we need to remember.

First of all, Good Friday is about suffering. Many churches are removing their crosses as the center of their worship settings. People today want more upbeat settings than a cross. Who wants to think about suffering?

In his book Dare To Believe, Dan Baumann wrote these thoughtful words, “We have perhaps unwisely and sometimes unconsciously glamorized the cross. Jewelry and steeples alike are often ornamental and attractive but carry nothing of the real story of crucifixion. It was the most painful method of public death in the first century. The victim was placed on a wooden cross. Nails . . . were driven into the hands and feet of the victim, and then the cross was lifted and jarred into the ground, tearing the flesh of the crucified and racking his body with excruciating pain. Historians remind us that even the soldiers could not get used to the horrible sight. [Often they] took strong drink to numb their senses.” (4)

It’s not a pleasant thought, but it is a necessary thought. The cross is about suffering. This helps many people who are also experiencing suffering.

In an article in In Touch magazine author Cameron Lawrence tells about one such man. His name is Ed Dobson. Ed was once the pastor of a 5,000-member megachurch. His sermons were broadcast to surrounding communities. “He wrote books and articles. He led 20 trips to Israel. He was an avid hiker, runner, golfer, and soccer player. But that was all before he found out he was dying.”

You see, Ed is suffering from that terrible disease called ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), popularly known a Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Over time, the disease destroys voluntary muscles. There’s no known cure. Eventually, the body just gives out.

It all started around his 50th birthday. Doctors told him he would live for another two to five years. “I felt like I was sinking into the darkness . . . I felt like my life was over,” he wrote in his book Seeing through the Fog. “I felt like I had been buried alive.” That was 13 years ago.

Today he’s focused on being thankful. It’s a constant theme when talking about life and how he relates to God. “I don’t regret I got the disease,” he says. “When you have ALS, either you get angry and bitter or you become grateful and rely on the Lord. To me, those are the only choices you have. Through reading Scripture, praying, and listening to others, I find hope. I wake up every day grateful that I have another day.”

He also has a greater appreciation for the cross on which Christ died. “Before the disease, I was into the resurrected Jesus,” he told Cameron Lawrence. “Now I’m into the suffering Jesus, and I find that very helpful. Even when my body doesn’t work, I remember the Jesus who created the universe limited Himself to the human body. I find encouragement in Good Friday. I want to get to Sunday, but I’m more focused on the suffering.” (5) That’s the first thing we need to see about Good Friday. The suffering.

The second thing we need to be mindful of is what I’m going to call service or sacrifice. I don’t usually use much alliteration, but I want you to be able to remember my words on this holy day. When Christ went to the cross he did it as an act of obedient service to his Father. He knelt in the garden and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The cross was not something he looked forward to, but he was willing to endure it. And his example has inspired his followers through the centuries.

Dr. Albert Schweitzer, counted as one of the great Christians of the twentieth century was one of those followers who was inspired by Christ’s example. 

Dr. Schweitzer could have had the riches of the world if he had stayed in the field of music.  He was excellent with both the piano and the organ.  He had a great future before him.  But he felt that he could not be happy unless he served God in a more personal way.  This attitude was even evidenced as a little boy. Once, young Schweitzer was kidded about having more to eat than his playmates. He swore that from that time on he would never have more of anything than other people.

One day while Schweitzer was home from school, he thought of those who didn’t have the happiness he was privileged to enjoy. Then he read these words of Jesus: “Whosoever would save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose it for my sake, shall gain it.”  He decided right then that he would “lose his life” for Christ.

At that time he did not know how he would serve, so he decided that he would give his life to theology and music, and search for the truth until he was thirty.  And when he reached that age, he would make a decision.  When he was nearing thirty, Mr. Schweitzer read an article on the need for help in Africa.  It was then that he decided to train as a doctor in order to go to Africa and serve God. It was perhaps no accident that it was on Good Friday, 1913, that Dr. Schweitzer left his home for Africa.  Once there he built a hospital where an amazing ministry was given which saved many lives.  Like his Master, Dr. Albert Schweitzer humbled himself before God, and submitted to God’s will for his life. (6) Schweitzer’s example, of course, touched millions of people.

At one time in the congregation of the City Temple in London, there was a restaurant owner named Emil Mettler, who was a close friend of Albert Schweitzer. Mettler served as a kind of agent for Schweitzer in Britain.

Emil Mettler would never allow a person in full-time Christian service to pay for a meal in his restaurant. That was part of his commitment to the missionary movement.

Once he did happen to open his cash register in the presence of the secretary of the London Missionary Society. The secretary was astonished to see among the bills and coins a six-inch nail. What was it doing there?

Mettler explained, “I keep this nail with my money to remind me of the price that Christ paid for my salvation and of what I owe Him in return.” (7)

Good Friday is about suffering and about service and sacrifice.

Finally Good Friday is about salvation. We affirm with most of Christendom that there is something about Christ’s willingness to go to the cross that made it possible for you and me, sinners though we are, to be reconciled with God. We’re not everything we ought to be, but God has made us part of his family.

A few years ago an obituary by an unknown author was circulating on the Internet. It was envisioned to be an obituary from Jerusalem, in the year 33 A.D.

“Jesus Christ, 33, of Nazareth, died Friday on Mount Calvary, also known as Golgotha, ‘the place of the skull.’ Betrayed by the apostle Judas, he was crucified by order of ruler Pontius Pilate. The causes of death were asphyxiation by crucifixion, extreme exhaustion, severe torture, and loss of blood.

“Jesus Christ, descendant of Abraham, was a member of the house of David. He was son of the late Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth, and Mary, his devoted mother. Jesus was born in a stable in the city of Bethlehem, Judea. He is survived by his mother Mary, his faithful Apostles, numerous disciples, and many followers.

“Jesus was self-educated and spent most of his adult life working as a teacher. Jesus occasionally worked as a medical doctor and it is reported that he healed many patients. Until the time of his death, he was sharing the Good News by healing the sick, touching the lonely, feeding the hungry, and helping the poor.

“Jesus was most noted for recounting parables about his Father’s Kingdom, performing miracles, such as feeding more than five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, and healing a man born blind. The day before his death, he held a last supper celebrating the Passover feast at which he foretold his death.

The body was buried in a grave donated by Joseph of Arimathea, a family friend. By order of Pontius Pilate, a boulder was rolled in front of the tomb and Roman soldiers were stationed on guard.

“In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that everyone try to live as Jesus did. Donations may be sent to anyone in need. (8)

That’s a pretty good summation of his life and death. Suffering, service, sacrifice, and salvation yes, TGFGF Thank God for Good Friday.

1. http://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-outlines/13975/thank-god-its-friday-3-of-3/.

2. http://www.kencollins.com/answers/question-11.htm.

3. David Bruce, The Most Interesting People in Politics and History (Kindle Edition).

4. (Regal Books, 1977).

5. http://www.intouch.org/magazine/content.aspx?topic=This_Way_to_Sunday#.U-TbvPldWSo.

6. From a sermon by Dr. Donald Ashe.

7. http://cohglory.squarespace.com/sermon-notes/2013/5/30/why-i-have-never-given-to-god-sermon-596-june-2-2013.html.

8. Ralph Barnett, Spiritual E-Soup: A Compilation of Inspirational Messages from the Internet (Kindle Edition).