It’s coming…Scrooge…Scrooooge…SCROOOOOOGE!!!!

Summer is finishing, school will be back in session, Wave Conference was a huge event, earthquakes and hurricanes out of the way and now we start the Scrooge process.

Last year, a ragtag band of ruffians and thespians started gathering and practicing and building and blocking and in the end created something very amazing. i don’t think any of us thought we would fill the auditorium to overflowing and have the response to Christ that we did. we knew we had something good but God took that and made it something incredible.

i remember waiting backstage before the show started and getting word it was filling up and then there was the delay as more and more people came in. finally, we hit the stage and it was overwhelming to see that many people and feel the support. The most amazing thing was the altar call and to hear Pastor Steve just keep saying “more hands being raised”, “more hands.”

i’ve set it in my heart this year to pray for an overflowing house during the performances, but not for our egos, but for God to move and lives to change. There are some people who will only come to a church when a “non-church” event is happening…little do they know, they are still coming to God’s house and He’s waiting for them.

This year’s show will be amazing! we have some new cast & crew & some other new surprises in store. But it’s not about us, it’s all about Jesus.

Are you ready?

Here are a few of the things rattling around in my head & spirit:

1. It’s all about Jesus - as important or not important as i think I may be, it’s not about me at all

2. I need a best friend/kindred sprit to remind me of number 1…and play some music and watch football

3. Martha did good but Mary chose the best thing

4. It takes all different kinds of people & we’re all on different stages of our own journeys

5. No matter what I may think or feel, I’m a very blessed man

As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! - 2 Peter 1:3 NLT

So…what i get from this is “Get to Know Jesus Better!”

i wanted to extract so much more but i think it all comes down to that.

i think it’s easy to look at the darker side of this amazing day…the trial, the torture, the beating, the abandonment, the crucifixion…those are dark, terrible, tortuous things. A real man named Jesus went thru all those nasty things 2,000 or so years ago.

But there are 2 things that make this Friday so good. First, He went thru all those things so we didn’t have to. Our choices reap consequences and the Bible says there is none righteous and the consequences of sin is death. We miss the mark. Our lives are hard and situations face us daily, but we were given an amazing example by God Himself coming and living as we do and facing those situations just like we do. But He did it perfectly…don’t know about you, but that isn’t how i’ve done it so far.

All those nasty things mentioned in the first paragraph were meant for me…maybe not beating and crucifixion, but death and abandonment. Praise God He paid that price for me.

We talk about the Suffering Christ, and He was. But His whole life was lived for that weekend. He lived to die. Hebrews 12:2 says “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” That blows my mind. We in our humanity see the crucifixion as the end, the big event…but Jesus “endured” it as He looked past it for what was to come.

The second thing is the best - He didn’t stay dead! For us, that is the end. We’re done. Period. Full stop.

Not Jesus. You can’t kill God. You can’t stop what God has put in motion. I think it’s the greatest example of Rom 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God even used the death of His Son to work for our good.

Now the second part of that verse is where the rubber hits the road - those who love him and are called according to his purpose. We are all called to be sons and daughters of God, not everyone follows that call and love Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior.  I can’t think of a better time to make that decision to cover all the consequences in your life. Maybe it’ll just be a re-decision to reconfirm that love and acceptance.

Good Friday is a Great Friday in my book!