Hazar for unexpected respect
Today is Good Friday, often known as one of the most solemn and holy days in the Christian calendar. And also one of the most misunderstood. Lots of silly ideas abound about what Good Friday is all about - some see it as the best day to go to the Royal Easter Show; some who see it as a day to eat fish; and some see it as just another public holiday.
Christians use Good Friday to remember Jesus' death on the cross - a death which he died to take God's just punishment for all humanity's sinfulness. It is, understandably, very difficult to celebrate this event without talking about human sinfulness (rejection of God's rule in our lives) and Jesus' substitutionary death (see 1 Peter 2:22-25). These ideas are both rightfully confronting and possibly offensive to secular society. People don't like to be told that they are sinners, nor that someone had to take God's punishment in their place.
Which is why I am pleased to issue a Good Friday hazar to both Richard Glover of ABC 702 Radio in Sydney, and television's Channel 7 for showing Good Friday a level of respect I have not seen nor expected from the secular media for a while. On Thursday, Glover invited both Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Geroge Pell onto his drivetime show to explain the Christian message of Easter. He was attentive, interested and respectful, as he should be with all his guests, and he copped a bit of flack from less respectful listeners who were "offended" by two religious guests explaining their particular worldview. Then, tonight, Channel 7 showed Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, a blatantly religious film, complete without ads, so as not to ruin the atmosphere which builds throughout the movie. This, too, was unexpected and appreciated.
So, hazar for the respect shown to Christians on this Good Friday, and I wish everyone a happy and holy Easter. It's not about chocolate, you know...
...e
[Category: random_stuff]
posted by Edwin @ 10:00 pm
2 Comments:
A great reminder of what Easter is really about.
I had an interesting conversation last week with a friend who was really confused about the fact that we wish people a "Happy Easter". They couldn't understand what was so 'happy' about celebrating someone's death. It provided a great opportunity to explain that Easter is not only about Jesus' death, but also resurrection - an essential (if not the essential) part of Easter which I feel is often not given the place it deserves. The conversation also gave an interesting insight into how the world understands Easter.
Nice.
Our KidsChurch talk this year focussed on the reasons that Good Friday is called "good friday" and not "death and punishment friday." It was a funnier talk than expected.
.e
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