It's Not Wrong to Miss Good Friday Service & Watch #MarchMadness Basketball Instead

Years ago, holidays (holy-days) stressed me out spiritually. I felt a burden, a duty to make the day "really spiritual." Extra devotions. Extra prayer. Extra Bible reading. Extra spiritual activities. Extra church attendance.

I had to make Easter (Resurrection Sunday) be especially about the resurrection, and especially not about candy and chocolate. I had to make Christmas Eve and Christmas Day be especially about Christ's birth, and especially not about presents, stockings, lounging in pajamas, and an obese elf.

I felt heavy guilt if it wasn't extra-spiritual, more spiritual than any other day.

Then one year it hit me: God did not give the church holy-days. There isn't anything more holy about Good Friday, Easter Sunday or Christmas Eve/Day. They are just days. 

That truth gave me great peace. My righteousness was not found in extra-righteous performance and activity on holi-days. Rather, full and complete righteousness is given to me by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He was born for me, died for me, rose for me. And his righteousness is mine by faith, from first to last. I'm not called to love that more one day than another, but to savor that every day. (In fact, that's what this song is about!)

In Romans 14:5, Paul writes,

"One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God."

This means that the Christian is free to "esteem one day as better than another"--they are free to see Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas as "better" days. Likewise, the Christian is free to esteem all days alike--no one better than another.

That is not to say that there is no value in setting apart a day to think specifically on an aspect of the Gospel: Christ's birth, Christ's death, Christ's resurrection. For sure, there may be great value in doing so. And that might look different for one person from the next, one church from the next. There may be great cultural value in that.

And that is not to say there aren't times we should observe and gather with believers. We're told in Hebrews to assemble regularly with believers in our local church. Whatever that "assembling" might be for the church we join, we should join in "regularly."

This means that if Easter Sunday or Christmas Day are a flurry of activity--cooking food, loving family, napping--leaving little time for "extra spiritual activity," there is no guilt, no shame.

This means that if one does not want to acknowledge Good Friday, Easter or Christmas at all, there is no guilt, no shame.

That also means if one wants to abstain from gift giving, recreational activities, Santa Claus, and chocolate bunnies, in order to focus especially on Christ, there is no guilt, no shame.

This also means that if one wants to host and attend "special services" on those days in order to especially focus on Christ, there is no guilt, no shame.

The observer is not a legalist. The abstainer is not worldly. Both are true, on one condition--they do this to honor the Lord, recognizing their lives are not their own, without passing judgment on their brother.

Paul writes, "The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. ...while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God." Our aim in observing or not must be the fame of Jesus. "For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself...whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." We were bought by Christ to honor him. 

As we observe or abstain, we are to "not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindered in the way of a brother."

As we think about Christ, who did not serve himself but honored his Father and loved his people, we should likewise, "honor the Lord" and "pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding" amongst his people.

The question then is: Which will honor the Lord and build up my brother in the Lord? That's a difficult question to answer. "Each one should be fully determined in his own mind."

So, feel free to not attend Good Friday service tonight. Feel free to watch March Madness. For real. Christ died. "It is finished." You have nothing to add to it. Honor God and build up your fellow believer.

But, if you want to join with some believers to especially meditate on and celebrate Christ's victory in the cross this weekend, please join us at Northbrook Baptist for Good Friday and Easter services.