T.G.I.F.

John 19:17-30

TGIF. Do you remember that acronym? Thank God it’s Friday. Back in the 1960s, there was a man who set up this restaurant, and it was supposed to be a bar with a fun atmosphere, and he called it TGIFridays. Then in the late 80s and into the early 90s, the ABC Network took that same acronym, TGIF, to brand their new prime time TV block of programming. TGIF. So if you remember, on Friday nights, there was these back-to-back sitcoms one after another, and the whole idea was that you didn’t want to miss out on any of these sitcoms, because apparently they were all funny and good. And you didn’t want to miss out on the conversation come Monday morning, did you? No. So you tuned in to find out what valuable lesson Michelle Tanner learned or what crazy invention Steve Urkel came up with. The funny part is, is that TGIF programming block no longer exists, and hasn’t for over 20 years now. And the restaurant TGIFridays just filed for bankruptcy last year, with most of their U.S. locations closing down. So what’s the deal? Does the concept of TGIF, does it no longer hold any weight? Maybe. But I think that Fridays are still inherently good. And I’ll prove it to you. Let’s all think for a moment about the word Monday. OK. Now think about the word Friday. Which word has a more positive connotation in your mind? It’s Friday, right? Of course it is. Because everyone loves Fridays. When have you ever heard of someone having the case of the Fridays? Never. Because everyone loves Fridays. Because Friday is the doorway to fun and relaxation. The doorway to the weekend. Fridays are inherently good. But what about this Friday, today? What is so good about this Friday? Because by all accounts, it seems like many terrible things happened. An innocent man was unjustly accused and put to an unfair trial. And then all his closest friends betrayed him and abandoned him. And then he was severely beaten and flogged. And then they took a crown that they made out of a spiky plant and they forced it onto his brow so that blood would gush into his eyes. And then he was forced to carry the ultimate instrument of torture and death by himself. And then his arms and his legs were stretched over that instrument of death so that they could take a hammer and smash nails into his hands and smash his hands. And smash his hands into his hands and feet, thereby hanging him from a tree. Why? He didn’t do anything wrong. He did not deserve this. But this brutal, unwarranted punishment wasn’t even the worst part. No, the worst part was his very own father turning away from him in hatred. And it was all because of me. Because of you. Because the guilt of our sin was laid upon him. And the wages of sin is death. And so Jesus died. You see, death is separation from the blessings of God. But what happens when the one who dies is God? You see, Jesus wasn’t just a man. He was God himself. And so if God suffers and dies to pay the debt of sin and transgression, then that bill is paid for in full, once for all. You see, God was doing his best work on this Friday, the sixth day of the week, just as he had done at the beginning of time. Genesis chapter one, verse 31 says, “Then God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Why was the first Friday ever not just good, but very good? Well, it was on this day in which he created humans, the crown of his creation. And God lived in perfect harmony and peace with his people. It was perfect. His work was finished. And so he rested from all of his labor on the seventh day on Saturday. Likewise, God completed his very good work on this Friday, 2,000 years ago. And then he said, “It is finished.” And then he rested in the tomb that next day, Saturday. This wasn’t by accident, brothers and sisters. Just as that first Friday in history was the culmination of all of his labor, so this Friday is also his best work. It was the culmination of God restoring the relationship between humans and himself. God completed his mission. What God had in the Garden of Eden, he would have again. “It is finished,” he said. And like the Lord, all that is left is to rest and wait. We wait for that first day of the week, Sunday, when we will rise and live with the Lord in the new heavens and the new earth. But for now, we rest in the peace of sins forgiven. Yes, Friday is inherently good. T-G-I-F. Amen.