This year for Good Friday we looked at stories from the Bible that are familiar and yet we saw them in a little different light. As we saw the pain that Jesus endured on the cross we were tempted, like his disciples to sit in despair for a minute or two We were tempted to let his death bring devastation to our day. But we know that’s just not how this works. Even though we know that it’s Friday and Sunday is coming, we often have a little fear or depression that sets in on Good Friday.

The room is darker. The altar is empty. The music is slower. We leave in silence. Things just don’t feel normal. Then add to it the rainy weather and the cloudy skies and you have a recipe for a dark and dismal night of worship. But this year was a little different. As we went through the account of Jesus being led to his arrest and eventually to his cross, we saw things from a different perspective. We tried to look at them through Jesus’ own eyes.

In this message we hear Jesus tell us over and over again that this, as much as it seems like it, this is not goodbye. As you hear the words of this message, hear them spoken to you. Hear Jesus speak to you in your pain and hurt. Hear him tell you that it’s not goodbye. Listen as he tells you that your struggle is not your end. It’s not goodbye! Rather it’s It Is Finished!