Preacher: Rev. Stephen M. Fearing

The crucifixion narrative in Luke's Gospel places before us one of Christianity's most profound paradoxes: what are we to make of a God who dies? This meditation on Good Friday explores the creative tension between acceptance and resistance that forms the heart of authentic faith.

Jesus hangs on the cross between two criminals who embody opposing responses to death and divinity. One mocks and demands proof through self-preservation—"Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"—while the other acknowledges his guilt and Jesus's innocence, asking simply to be remembered. Through their contrasting approaches, we see how resistance and acceptance can either deny or affirm life.

The cross reveals a God who refuses to save himself, choosing instead to hang in solidarity with those ravaged by injustice and evil. This divine solidarity challenges us to examine our own patterns: Do we resist the cost of discipleship while accepting the unacceptable around us? Or do we resist dehumanizing forces while accepting our call to stand with the suffering?

When we accept a God who dies, we acknowledge that the divine is not distant from our pain but intimately acquainted with it. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer recognized, "only a suffering God can help." This acceptance compels us to action—to embody Christ's love by standing in the gap for the marginalized, advocating for justice, and being a voice for the voiceless.

Join us in the sacred, still space between death and resurrection, where we learn to hold these tensions in faith, awaiting the rest of the story that transforms our understanding of both divine power and human suffering.

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