Good Friday

As I write this, it's just a few hours away from Good Friday. Over the years, I've always made a point of reading through the account of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection from the Gospel of Luke on Good Friday (there is SO much detail in the Luke account that isn't in either Mark or Matthew, and I suggest it if you want to read a detailed account of the passion). I find that reading through the story helps remind me of how much God gave up to give His people fellowship with Him. To think that Christ willingly separated Himself from the Holiness of the Father, that He bore the sins of His people, being sinless, continuously amazes me.
We are a selfish, sinful people. The best that is in us is full of evil, deceit, and self-interest. I don't think anyone who has been touched by the Holiness of God can deny that. We so often, in our culture, see the Holiness of God as something to be grasped. That if we were to see God in His Glory, it would be a wonderful experience. God, though, is shown in His Word to be Powerful, Awesome, and Full of Wonder. Men who were put in the presence of the LORD were cast down in shame, for in seeing the fullness of the Glory of God, they immediately recognized their own shameful inadequacies before that Holiness. As Isaiah said, "I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I have seen God's Glory."
When I read the story of Jesus, I am amazed at the entirety of what Jesus gave us in His life and death. Humanity SAW holiness, perfection, true royalty, in a man we could interact with. Everything Jesus did in His time on earth was a miracle, not just the overt signs and wonders. God BEING a man was a miracle. God dying as a man... well, if that doesn't still boggle our minds, and I fear that it doesn't, then I wonder if we've missed the point.
Celebrate Christ this weekend! Amidst all the business of family, events, and busyness of Easter, lets all remember that Christ is the point, the only point, in our existence on this earth. May Christ be glorified above all!