thoughts out !oud

a Christian’s news, views, opinions and occasional poetry …

Making Good Friday ‘Better’

Posted by Mathew | 21 March 08

The Reverend John Evans, based on comments he made in an article on Thursday 20 March, would have you believe that Good Friday should be done away with. Apparently, it is no longer relevant, having lost any meaning outside of the Christian community. Wow. Talk about insight. Fancy a significant day in the Christian calendar not having much significance to non-Christians! Give the guy a stickered-star.

To be fair, Rev Evans does go to pains to say that because Good Friday is more or less only significant to Christians, at the very least, it should be discounted as a public holiday. After all, Good Friday is not a public holiday in countries like America. One would then presume that employers who have Christians amongst their ranks would have to allow them time to spend in worship on such a day … while their non-Christian colleagues stay hard at work, picking up the slack.

Seem fair? Well, the Rev Evans has thought this through. Instead of Good Friday being Good Friday, he’s suggesting to make it a better, more multi-cultural, multi-faith public holiday - by recommending it be converted into a National Reconciliation Day.

“In the place of Good Friday, there should be a national holiday to mark our endeavours towards Aboriginal reconciliation,” Rev Evans said.

Presumably then, while non-Christians take the day off to celebrate their sorriness over the so-called ’stolen generations’ of Aboriginal children that they never personally had a hand in, those selfish Christians would go off and reflect upon the unjust death of Jesus Christ who died a death so personal that our sins were put to death with him.

What would the new cry be, if we did change Good Friday? For surely it cannot be ‘Happy Easter’ should this idea ever catch on. Would people mope around with glum looks on their faces, saying ’sorry’ to complete strangers as they pass each other by in the street?

I am being flippant, but perhaps not more so than Rev Evans to insinuate that Good Friday is not relevant to mainstream Australians. It would be a sad day when Australia no longer recognises it’s Christian heritage - the legal system, our schools, hospitals and orphanages, our democratic political system all have a sound grounding in Christianity and are what our nation has built its strengths on so that all people - Christian and non-Christians alike - can enjoy them.

While I agree that Christians are not biblically required to observe a day such as Good Friday, it is biblically correct that we at least reflect on its true meaning - and religiously guard that meaning as a right.

After all, what a sorry day it would be indeed if the Good News was taken completely out of Good Friday:

But he (Jesus) was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Have an awesome Easter. Jesus death means so much more than an ordinary death of a man: it was death made on behalf of all mankind that, ultimately, through his own, perfect blood that Jesus shed for us that we might have forgiveness for our sin and share and partake into a resurrected life of joy everlasting.

Ditch Good Friday as holiday: cleric

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