Good Friday & FOMO

When I was fifteen, I traveled to the Philippines on a three-week missions trip with leaders and other kids from my youth group. It was a large group- I think over 40 of us. And for over a year beforehand, we had prepared a one-hour long drama called “Toymaker and Son.” Toymaker was an allegory of the Biblical story- from creation to resurrection. We had makeup, costumes, props, and a pastor leading us who had grown up in the Philippines, knew the local culture, and spoke Tagalog. It was an incredible experience as we went around to various towns and areas, performing for crowds of people. At the end of each performance, there was a “come to Jesus” invitation and, sometimes people made decisions to give their lives to Christ. It was powerful stuff to witness, especially as a teenager.

But to be really honest, we had a couple performances where my heart wasn’t in it. I was irritated and absorbed with some of my own ish (specifically I was mad that my friend who was my understudy got to take my place and perform when I wasn’t sick). I remember one day-after a particular performance in a rural town, there was a conversation I didn’t understand. Everyone was talking about the heaviness they had experienced during that performance, the darkness they had felt, the oppression, the spiritual forces that had been so evident… I didn’t know what they were talking about. I pretended I did. But I didn’t. I had missed it what they had experienced even though I had been right there too.

I had been focused on me. It’s been almost 25 years and I don’t know if I’ve ever shared that story in writing, but I do today, because I know what it feels like to miss out on something  significant and spiritual because I was paying attention to other things…

This morning, I was thinking about what a beautiful Spring day it is here in Chelan, Washington where I live. The sky is blue, the birds are chirping, the air is crisp but will be warming up by this afternoon. The thought occurred to me, “Was it like this that day- that day that Jesus died?”

Did the sun still shine? Did the birds still chirp? Did people go ahead with their own lives and burdens, perhaps doing normal things like giggling over shared meals, instructing their children, praying to God, or dealing with their own pain and suffering- completely oblivious to the monumental heaven-and-earth-colliding thing that was happening on a hill called Calvary?

Good Friday is- historically, anyway- not much of a debate. Historians agree that Jesus Christ actually lived. That he died by crucifixion. And you don’t have to be a scholar to know that after Jesus died, his followers (the same ones who were too afraid to be seen with him at the cross) were suddenly so pumped up that they spread out and started to tell everyone who would listen.

But how many people missed it that day?

How many of us are still missing it?

And how many people, if they knew that they were missing something incredible and amazing-something that could impact their entire lives here and into eternity- would want to know?

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is real.  And most of us struggle with it in a negative way. But maybe some of us need some more FOMO about Jesus.

Our culture often acts like the story of Jesus is irrelevant. We hear about this Jesus story and dismiss it and keep on with our everyday lives. But recently on the podcast, I spoke with my March co-host Lucrezia on the our final wrap up episode together, and it was an eye-opening conversation. Because after a month of sharing talks about faith and doubt with our guests, she said, "The thing is, the resurrection kind of is a big thing... Before these conversations, I kind of put it on the same level of everything else, I guess. Just a thing... Not a big deal... It obviously is a big deal if you think about it..."

So think about it.

Don’t miss out on the greatest story ever told. Unlike the stuff you miss or weren’t included on that you see paraded in front of you in Snapchat or IG, or somewhere else, God hasn’t forgotten you, you weren’t overlooked, and if you’re breathing, the invitation still stands. You’re invited. I can’t speak for God but if you’re reading this, I believe He’s telling you straight up, “Hey. I know you and I love you and I desire for you to see me.”

I was listening to an old song the other day, “Rise Again” by Dallas Holm. And then I found a powerful YouTube video version of it here. The lyrics are audacious and radical. “Go ahead. Drive the nails through my hands. Laugh at me where you stand. Go ahead and say it isn’t me. The day will come when you will see. ‘Cause I’ll rise again. Ain’t no power on earth can tie me down. Yes, I’ll rise again. Death can’t keep me in the ground. Go ahead and mock my name. My love for you is still the same. Go ahead and bury me. But very soon I will be free… Go ahead and say I’m dead and gone. But you will see that you were wrong. Go ahead try to hide the Son. But all will see that I’m the One!”

As I watched that video, and listened to the lyrics, I couldn’t help but think, the pure message of the cross is audacious, confrontational, and radical. The message of the cross says we can’t save ourselves and we need a savior. The message of the cross says we’re often participating in the very things that God came to this earth to save us from- mockery, assumptions, insults, persecution, injustice- that’s us. But the message of the cross is God cares and He made a way. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”  ~John 3:!6

We can go through life completely oblivious to the amazing story unfolding right before us, but we can also ask God to open our eyes to see the cross before us.

I’ve had many faith conversations over the past 18 months of podcasting. I love talking about these topics with people- hearing their stories and reasons for faith or skepticism. But I often find myself asking the same question that scholars have been debating for centuries, “Why?” Why are you willing to be counter-cultural and keep talking about someone many people believe is a dead body still in the ground? I hear different answers that all say the same thing. “Because no one has given me what He has.”

Today is good Friday, friend. It’s so good. Don’t miss it.

*And if you’re a young woman reading this, thinking, “Okay, if God is real and as big a deal as this blog post makes him sound, I’d like to know but I honestly don’t see it… “ I get that. Please feel free to listen to the “Finding Something REAL” podcast where we talk about objections and doubt all the time, or reach out to me directly. My email is janellmwood@gmail.com.