Today is Good Friday, God’s Friday. This is also the second installment of our 3-day service during this Holy Week.

The Seven Last sayings from the cross: they are not random; they are not unrelated.  Strung together and fitting together, they present a beautiful and powerful mosaic. The Lord Jesus in His dying words gave us words to live by; words which give life; and words which protect us and keep us in the life of God.

This service tonight will lift you up and strengthen your faith as we gather to celebrate why this day is truly good.

Please come at 7 pm to the CU center in the middle of the campus at Concordia University. This is the building between the library and the gym with the blue roof. The statue of the Good Shepherd is in front of the CU center. Service begins at 7 pm. Please come and invite a friend or two or three.

Here is an excerpt from tonight’s sermon:

Sermon

“Why These Words?”

(The Seven Last Sayings of Jesus from the Cross)

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Of all the things our Lord might have said while He was dying…why these words? Let us consider them in order:

 

First, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” In a very real sense, the first saying is the most important from the standpoint that it summarizes the saving faith. What is its message? What is its benefit? What encapsulates the reason for Christ’s coming to begin with? One word: forgiveness. The word “forgiveness” means a cancellation of debt. Your account is now clear. Romans 6:23a states, “For the wages of sin is death…” The wages of sin put you in the red, but the death of Jesus Christ to cover your debt puts you in the black. Christ began His words from the cross in order to summarize the Gospel, the Good News that explains why He came: all is forgiven you! You are forgiven dear Christian; your debt is no more.

 

This truth of the Gospel gives us tremendous insight for our new lives in the Gospel. How does the Gospel lead you to live? As you struggle in any relationship, the solution is not to strive to feel good, but to forgive and God will take care of the rest. This is not about emotions, but an objective thing: cancel debt. Do not wait for repayment, but forgive; cancel the debt that your neighbor owes you. Hold nothing in your neighbor’s account. Let it go, wipe it clean. If you don’t, then you choose to be trapped in your own sin…but Christ died on that first Good Friday to release you from sin’s bondage.

In Your Service and To Christ’s Glory,

Rev. Dr. Espinosa