Good friday - god's ultimate work for our eternal liberty and life

Word from the Center
Written By Peter Scaer

Today is one of the holiest, if not the holiest day, in the worship life of the Christian Churches around the world. Why? Jesus words on the Cross, “It is finished. ”On that first Good Friday, God is at work in the world to save it…it’s done! On the Cross, Jesus takes our sins upon Himself so that His holiness could be ours as a gift by grace through faith in Him. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 for an even clearer proclamation of that fact). That’s God at work in the world, ultimately, to save it! 

Now, I know that today is supposed to be a Two Kingdom “reflection from the Center, the LCRL,” about the events of the day….so let’s talk about the events of this very day. Today, millions of Christians around the world are gathering to commemorate the death of Jesus the Christ and all that it means for life, now and forever. Worshipping Christ on a day like Good Friday is saying quite a lot about how we see and participate in this world as Christ’s people for others. As believers then…

  1. We know that God is at work in the world, two ways, to bless and ultimately to save. He is the one who is at work through the vocations in this created world (mothers, fathers, business people, public servants, etc.), to preserve this world and to keep it from totally unraveling due to our lack of virtue and ever-present vice. But, even that work, as muddled as it can seem at times (isn’t it ironic that Tax Day, caesar’s ultimate power, falls on Good Friday this year…definitely showing which one is greater and which one is lesser-in fact, let’s move it to Monday!!), is for His greater work of reconciling and redeeming this sinful world (all people), through the person and work of Jesus. God is at work, two distinct ways to bless, and ultimately to save.

  2. Good Friday, then, is the culmination of God’s ultimate, saving work, in the middle of the muddle of this world, for all to see.

That should give us pause. All this happened, in the middle of the muddle, when the whole political and justice systems broke down. Have you ever thought about that? Pilate could have come to his senses and done the right thing about Jesus. The religious leaders could have listened to some of the dissenting voices in their midst and let Jesus be Jesus. Maybe they could have jumped on board! And, the people who knew Jesus well, might have suddenly had the courage to stand up on His behalf, possibly changing the outcome of the kangaroo court that day. From our viewpoint, the whole political, justice systems of the land failed Jesus. From our perspective, that first Good Friday was a bleak day for so many reasons. And yet, even then, God was at work. Even then, all things were in His control. And today we know that the crucified One “lives and reigns to all eternity, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

So, this Good Friday, whether you think the justice systems of our land are doing rightly, or are completely out of control; whether you think the political system has let you down, or is going in the right direction at the moment; whether your own person life is fairly balanced today, or in need of a radical change; Or, whether you think the world is on the cusp of World War III or hopefully at the turning point back to common-sense sanity, know this….Even as we engage the things in this world, remember that Life is ultimately about God at work for you in Jesus through His cross and resurrection. And, even when you think things can’t possibly get any worse…look to the Cross and trust the fact that God is always at work there for you. The LCRL exists to protect the Church’s right to publicly proclaim this message for all, until Christ comes again. I pray that this truth, that God is at work to bless and ultimately to save, sometimes despite all that’s going on….I pray that news give you peace this Good Friday and always.

See Also
FREEDOM TO DO GOOD!
FREEDOM TO DO GOOD!

Today’s reading is Galatians 6:9-10, where the Bible says,   

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Remembering the LRCL’s First Fourth of July in D.C.: Rejoicing Today!
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July Prayer Partner Thursday
July Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

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FOR FREEDOM TO ENDURE - THERE’S A PRICE TO BE PAID!

Today’s reading is Galatians 5:1, where the Bible says,   

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

The Oppressors and the Oppressed
The Oppressors and the Oppressed

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THE ONLY IDENTITY THAT OVERCOMES, BONDS, AND HOLDS

Today’s reading is Galatians 3:26-29, where the Bible says,   

26 So, in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

July Bulletin Insert
July Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

July 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
July 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

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However, the warning must not stop there. Because it is a form of public and intentional sin, cohabitation is particularly destructive to the conscience, and not just to the couple’s conscience but also to the conscience of the Christian community. Many couples view their choices as going no further than themselves. I would like to challenge this by considering some of the ways that cohabitation harms the broader Christian community.

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A BRIDGED GAP CAN STAND IN THE GAP!

Today’s verses are 2nd Corinthians 5:19-20, where St. Paul says, 

19 That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not counting man’s sins against them. And He has committed to us this ministry of reconciliation, 20 for we are God’s ambassadors, as though were making His appeal through us, be reconciled to God!

Defund Planned Parenthood?
Defund Planned Parenthood?

That's the very least we can do. We have a lot of work to do. Blue states love abortion, want more of it, will never even speak against partial-birth abortion, much less children who, if born, could live outside of the womb. Red states are full of pro-life folks, many of whom would rather not push the issue. Abortion is the dark underside of our culture. What's a child in the womb worth? Nothing at all? Or is an unborn child dispensable? Is the child's worth totally dependent upon the mother? If a person is not loved, does that mean they can be dispensed with?

Compassionate Abortion?
Compassionate Abortion?

The story has many troubling aspects, not least of which is the parents’ decision based on inaccurate information about the child’s chance of surviving and thriving. But what troubles me most is that I encounter fellow Lutherans who have bought the narrative that it is better for babies with physical imperfections to be aborted rather than embraced and loved for whatever time the Lord allows them to live. I offer four problems with that mindset.

June Prayer Partner Thursday
June Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

HIS ASCENSION, YOUR EMPOWERMENT!
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Today’s reading is Acts 1:7-11 which begins with Jesus telling His disciples,
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9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The Mob's Demonic Shrieks
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Today’s reading is John 16:31-33, where Jesus says,   

31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

A Lutheran Wedding
A Lutheran Wedding

There was a great wedding in Leipzig, Germany, in the mid-1730s. We don’t know whose wedding it was, and we wouldn’t think anything of it today at all, had not Johann Sebastian Bach composed a cantata for it. A cantata was a piece of concerted music, about 20 minutes long and split into various movements, made up of sung Scripture passages and poetic verses. Almost all of Bach’s cantatas end with a hymn stanza.

Think for a moment about which hymn stanza would best conclude a cantata at a wedding. What words should be echoing in the ears of bridegroom and bride as they prepare for married life together? Which would be best?

June Bulletin Insert
June Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

June 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
June 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

A NEW COMMAND? BETTER, A NEW OPPORTUNITY!
A NEW COMMAND? BETTER, A NEW OPPORTUNITY!

Today’s reading is John 13:34-35, where Jesus says,   

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

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Created In God's Image

What does it mean that Adam was created in God's image? Surely this includes righteousness, as well as the ability to be in conversation with God. But then, the same could be said of angels, who are not said to bear that image. This image also looks forward to God's eternal intention to become one of us in His eternal Son, who is the express image of God.

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SEEING THINGS FROM GOD’S “MISSION-VICTORY” POINT OF VIEW!

Today’s reading is Revelation 7:9-10, where the Apostle John tells us,   

After these things I looked, and behold, I saw a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

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Marriage: Human Construction or Divine Institution?

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) will go down in history as the landmark Supreme Court case which redefined marriage in this country, granting same-sex couples throughout the land the right to marry. Keen observers have noted, however, that nowhere in the opinion of the majority (written by Justice Kennedy) is marriage itself ever actually defined.

JESUS, A SAVIOR FOR ALL THE “PETERS” OUT THERE!
JESUS, A SAVIOR FOR ALL THE “PETERS” OUT THERE!

Today’s reading is these portions of John 21:15–19, beginning with Jesus asking Simon Peter,    

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me? ”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. ”Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep….. 19… Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Jesus vs. Caesar
Jesus vs. Caesar

“Savior.” “Lord.” “Son of God.” If you asked someone in the ancient world who these titles referred to, they might tell you “Jesus.” But depending on who you were talking to, they might also tell you “Caesar.” Modern readers of the Bible often miss the fact that some of the language the New Testament uses to talk about Jesus was also commonly used to talk about the Roman Emperor, who was not just a political leader, but someone whom people worshipped and even offered sacrifices to.

May Prayer Partner Thursday
May Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

“SEEING-BELIEVING” OR “BELIEVING-SEEING?”
“SEEING-BELIEVING” OR “BELIEVING-SEEING?”

Today’s reading is John 20: 28-29, where the Bible says,   

Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

SEEING THINGS FROM GOD’S “MISSION-VICTORY” POINT OF VIEW!
SEEING THINGS FROM GOD’S “MISSION-VICTORY” POINT OF VIEW!

D.C. We have seen religious liberties for Christians now protected and defended rather than threatened and litigated. We have seen other constitutional protections undergirded as well. But sadly, we are also seeing a growing callousness to the issue of life, not just from a select group of secular elites, but even from American citizens who are religious. The Pew Research Center shows that while conservative Christians still see abortion as an illegal action against innocent Children in the womb, other Christians are beginning to support the “abortion in all circumstances” mantra in pop culture.  The abortion euphemistic cover of a constitutional “right to choose” has been properly litigated, but now the deceptive phrases of “reproductive freedom” and “women’s health care” has many callously embracing the killing on demand of innocent children right up to the moment of birth. Politicians and citizens alike are growing in their support of the outrageous notion that a child can be aborted up to the time of birth and even after it is born, as long as the mother and the doctor decide.

May Bulletin Insert
May Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

May 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
May 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

Peter Scaer
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