Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see. The spectacular colors, intricate designs, the beauty, the smell of incense and massive crowds of people – Semana Santa has begun. My anticipation and excitement to see the amazing art was darkened by the reality of what today was all about.
All over the world, today is filled with somber ceremonies, colorful parades, self-denial actions and various other traditions in hopes to honor what Jesus did on “Good Friday.” Many of these traditions have become amazing spectacles, where tens of thousands of people come together to “celebrate.” I love the dedication, commitment and passion of these events.
In Matthew 26-27, we read the unbelievable story of Jesus’ betrayal, trials, beatings, crucifixion and finally His resurrection! This is the heart of the gospel – this is good news!
In the beginning, God created the world in absolute beauty and perfection…no pain, no sickness, no death! Unfortunately, mankind chose to do things their own way and as a result sin entered the world. From that time on, everyone has been broken—all are born with a sinful nature. The worst part is the penalty for sin: death and separation from God. God’s standard to get into heaven and have a relationship with Him is perfection. Which means, we are all helpless and doomed on our own.
This is why God sent His Son Jesus to earth!! He came and lived a life without sin. Since He never sinned, He didn’t have to die. But because of His love for us, He chose to take our death penalty for sin by dying on the cross. When He rose from the dead, He conquered sin and death and opened the door for us to have a personal relationship with God. If we will ask God to forgive us of our sins, believe that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and make a commitment to make Jesus the leader of our lives—then we will be saved! All of our sins are wiped away; and God gives us His Holy Spirit to live in us to help transform us from the inside out.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
This is the gospel. This is what Good Friday is all about. We are not saved by our own good works. Salvation is a gift, and we open it when we put our faith and trust in what Jesus did on the cross for us. We are given a new identity, we have hope and freedom from sin! As we fall in love with Him, with His Word, and learn to hear His voice, He will lead us on an incredible life of adventure! We will be transformed more and more into the person He created us to be—we will begin to live like Jesus! We are His masterpiece created on purpose, for a purpose!
What breaks my heart, is that most of the “Christian” ceremonies and traditions that take place in Latin America today closely resemble the rituals of the pagan religions of the world who desperately seek to find favor with their “gods” through rituals, $ and self-effort. Thousands have flocked to the cities of Guatemala to pay money to the “churches” to carry the monstrous floats in hopes to have their sins forgiven for the past year. How is this possible!? This is the complete opposite of why Jesus came. He came to set us free from all these empty religious rituals. My heart aches… at the same time frustration stirs in me as I see religious leaders manipulate people with their power and greed.
Oh, God please help bring a reformation to Latin America. Help us as your Church, to bring a revolution that shows people who YOU are!
Click on this video below: “Beauty with a Disturbing Purpose”
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