Occasional thoughts

In a conversation last week, I was asked if Good Friday is the most important date in the Christian Calendar.

It set me thinking back 20 years or more when a friend suggested that The Ascension is of minor importance and could be omitted from the Christian celebration days. I thought about it a lot at the time and tried to look at the festivals and how they rate in importance. Some thoughts below.

If we start with ADVENT, we are drawn to consider all the preparation for the birth of Jesus by God the Father and the Second Coming of Jesus. Surely this is of high importance as without it nothing of what followed would have happened.

At CHRISTMAS we remember that amazing point at which God stepped into His created world as God in human form. Without the birth of Jesus there would have been none of His ministry and so surely this is of high importance.

If we move forward to LENT we are reminded of the life and challenges that Jesus faced on earth. Understanding His humanity as well as His divinity helps us make sense of His birth and what was to follow. Surely this is of high importance as it helps us understand something of His nature.

On MAUNDY THURSDAY we are reminded of the Servant King that is Jesus; of his betrayal; and the fickleness of His followers; of the injustice that He faced as well as His sharing of that final supper. This day perhaps more than any reminds us of His humanity and the challenges faced and must be of high importance.

GOOD FRIDAY showed a level of sacrifice that we can never fully grasp. Suffering beyond our imaginings, loving to the last, caring for others despite His own suffering, and forgiving to the last. The importance of this day and all it represents cannot be overstated.

EASTER DAY brought victory over death and real hope for the future of mankind. Who could deny the importance of this day.

THE ASCENSION OF JESUS to heaven. To prepare a place for us; to intercede with God the father for us; to open the way for The Holy Spirit to be released into the world; to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus. Sometimes an overlooked festival day but so important.

PENTECOST/WHITSUN saw the Spiri of God, The Spirit of Christ, The Holy Spirit released into the world as never before. This allowed the work of God through His church to be started and continue. Without it there would be no Church as we know it, no hope for mankind as God promised. The Church is alive today and looking to the Second Coming that we will think about again as Advent comes around.

Which is the most important? Together these things show God’s plan in action. God started it before we could know it, He planned each step and plans still for the time when Jesus will come again. Which is the most important Festival? Take away one and we take away all so remember and rejoice in each one.