good friday

It's Friday morning. Good Friday morning. And that word "good' won't let me go.

"Good" is possibly one of the most important ideas to ever find its way into our theology.

In most cases, good is not as good as great. But today, I can't help but think that good is greater than great. Confused yet? Here's what I mean...

Anyone would assume that if there is a God, then He is great. By pure definition, He would have to be. If He is God, then He is immensely powerful, unrivaled in strength and might. To create and control all that we know, and have yet to discover, would require utter greatness.

That God is great is no surprise. Anyone would expect that. Even assume it.

But here is the surprise. Here is the 'better than you could have hoped for' revelation. Here is the twist in the plot that even the most optimistic and romantic among us would never dare to dream. God is more than great. God is good.

While limited power has corrupted the best of us, His purity of intention and motive only enhance His strength. His is a power that is not fueled by pride, but by humility. He demonstrates His might by mercy toward us. He moves with kindness and compassion. When our sin separated us from Him, His love launched a rescue mission to come and win us back. Setting aside His greatness, He became one of us. He embraced humility, and on this day on the cross, even humiliation.

He died, and took our sin with Him to the grave. He was raised back to life, and leads us into the new reality of resurrection.

Our selfish pride sealed our fate. His humble love changed the stars.

Yes, God is great! But, even more, He is good. He is full of mercy. He moves with kindness. He pursues us with forgiveness. He captivates us with grace. God is good.

weddings

Been thinking a lot about weddings lately. This week 'the story' discussed the 'water into wine' miracle of Jesus, as he gave a glance of his glory at a wedding. Sunday night Sarah and I visited greenleaf vineyard, another church plant in Chapel Hill, where my new friend Rodger Otero gave an excellent sermon on the parable of the wedding banquet. And a couple of weekends ago I had the honor of officiating the wedding of close friend and former student Jimi Moore.

I'm swimming in wedding imagery. And it's deep water.

This union-- two into one through love-- is a small glimpse of a larger story being told through Scripture. It is more than a ceremony. It is mystery and theology all dressed up in tux and gown.

Weddings wake in us ancient memories and early longings. They remind us of the God who fell in love at first sight in the garden. Who proposed to His people through Abraham. Who literally wrote His love in stone by way of Moses. And when looking for a perfect way to communicate His love, He calls His Church a beloved bride and names Himself the strong groom.

It's no mistake that the whole story is bookended by a wedding. It begins with a husband and wife in perfect union with God and each other. It ends with a wedding feast at the restoration of all things.

Weddings whisper the hope of a God who gave all He had to win our hearts and secure our rescue. This is the kind of Love that turns submission into strength and surrender into victory. The kind of Love that embraces sacrifice as its most eloquent articulation.

The kind of Love we have always hoped is real.