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30 They replied, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” John 18:16b-30CEB  Rev. Ashley Sherard I am experiencing some mixed emotions today; it is my little one’s Birthday. We will take time to day to celebrate the wonderful day when she came into this world, a day we celebrated with Mary just a few short months ago on December 25. I will also mourn today, for it is Good Friday. I can’t help but allow myself to be sad on this day, to experience grief for the suffering of my Lord and Savior. There are still so many out there who think Christianity should be a glass half full kind of existence. That because we are Christians and have Christian hope we should jump forward to the knowledge of Easter morning saying things like, “well, He had to go through this” and, “it was His duty as the Messiah” and make Good Friday, well, good. How can we experience the true joy of Easter if we skip over the sheer misery of today? What if we didn’t know how the story ended? How would you feel today if you weren’t sure He was coming back? He suffered, greatly, for all of us and we fluff over it like having a fish funeral in the bathroom. Experience the grief of today, allow yourself to stop short of the Good News of Easter….even if it’s just for a moment. I will take time today to mourn, and celebrate, and experience. - - - God who gives us permission to feel, be with us today as we attempt to experience the darkness of this day. Mourn with us, allow us to mourn with you. Hold us close. In Jesus’ Name. Amen Ashley is a Minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Senior Minister of Jerusalem Christian Church, a new church plant in Lafayette, LA. She is the mom of three beautiful, exceptional, daughters who couldn’t be more different from each other if they all had different parents. She has been with her husband for over ten years and multiple deployments and mobilizations with the U.S. Navy which is how they ended up in southern Louisiana. Above all else, Ashley values her very personal relationship with Christ knowing that in all of her strangeness, radical ideas, and sometimes hostile faith, she is loved. You can find Rev. Ashley at, facebook.com/jerusalemchristianchurch, and @jerusalemccdoc We would love to hear from you. There are several ways to communicate and connect:
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