A very Good Friday

Good Friday - a day to reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus. Nick presented such an awesome message on 'why Jesus had to die' - it wasn't merely so that He could identify with us in our sufferings, or for God to demonstrate His great love for us although these form part of the whole. The essential reason was for the payment of our sins - justice meets mercy at the cross. Our sins were never meant to be only forgiven and forgotten, but actually fully paid for in the currency of Jesus' own blood. With the penalty paid and the sentence served, there is forgiveness and reconciliation. What a beautiful plan started to unfold on this day! Attending the service were Sheila and Des, two South African ladies, one of whom has been friends with my mom since they were little girls at Sunday School together! After the church gathering we came home and I made carrot soup while Nick continued with some prep and the boys mucked about doing something or other. The weather was marvellous and so we took the opportunity to walk to Caroline Bay (Nick and I walked and the boys took their bikes). There was quite a buzz and vibe with heaps of people milling around the park area and vendors peddling their wares...we treated ourselves to ice-creams (I had brought a whopping $6, just in case) and then walked back. We had youth in the evening along the informal lines of watching the third Narnia DVD which Caleb was given for his birthday.