Bonus Day: “It is Finished” …and a look back at our six-week prayer program
Well, you may have noticed, that our 40-Days of Praying Together had more than 40 days. Excluding the first and last Sunday, there were 41 days in between those two Sundays. But “40-Days” has a much nicer sound to it, so I am considering this final post to be a “bonus day.” It is also an opportunity to start looking back at the past six weeks and consider what we have learned.
To begin with, we will look back at a Scripture reading associated with Good Friday.
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30
These closing words of Jesus draw the passion narrative to a close. The proclamation, “It is finished”, applies most directly to the crucifixion. The ordeal that Jesus had foreseen and dreaded has come to a close. On the cross, he bore our sin, took our shame, and endured the wrath of God in our place. And now that agony was coming to a close. Death would have been a welcome mercy.
But there are other senses in which he could have said, “It is finished.” The entirety of his life was part of the work of salvation. Jesus humbled himself in taking on human flesh (Phil 2.) The whole of his life is considered to be a journey of “humiliation.” Furthermore, the entire plan of salvation that started to unfold in Genesis chapter 3, had reached its climax. This salvation would still need to be applied, down through the centuries, and to the ends of the earth. But the work of salvation was accomplished. The atonement which had been prefigured in signs and symbols in the Old Testament had now been fully realized. Finally, the ongoing tension between the reality of human sin and God’s intention to dwell with his people had now been resolved. Because sin is paid for on the cross, it can be removed and no longer needs to be a barrier to our relationship with God. And because we are shielded in the righteousness of Christ, we can come into the presence of God without fearing our destruction. For this reason, the veil in the temple was torn in two (Matt 27:51), and we can confidently “enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (Heb 10:19.)
Known as “Silent Saturday”, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is a good day for reflection. It is a day to remember the cost of our salvation and the completed nature of our salvation. In spite of your (and my) ongoing sin, we can boldly come to the throne of grace. Our weakness, and residual sin does not create a barrier to God in prayer. We can pray confidently in spite of our weakness. And we know that God is working through our prayers to establish his kingdom and make his name hallowed to the ends of the earth.
Today, is also a good day to reflect back on the last six-weeks. Have you developed new patterns which have been life giving and beneficial. Have you seen answers to prayer? Have you learned new things about God or about being a disciple?
Take some time to consider these things. Then, I invite you to share.
1.) Tell people around you about what you are thinking. (Family, small group, etc.)
2.) You are welcome to comment on this blog post. (Normally, posts are turned off, because I don’t have an ongoing plan to monitor this part of the blog, but for this post it will be turned “on.”)
3.) I will be spending the week after Easter listening to our congregation and reflecting on what I have learned. If you would like to share with me directly (please do), you can reach me at [email protected]. I will be looking for ways to incorporate the observations of our entire congregation into the worship service on Sunday, April 7.
Finally, I look forward to seeing many of you on Easter Sunday! Thanks for joining us on this exiting prayer journey and I look forward to hearing the ways that God has been at work!
-Matt Koerber