Winter

Winter

Friday, March 29, 2013

Good Friday

This morning I woke up wondering why Good Friday was called Good Friday. No one really knows for sure but here is one reason I found out today.
    The origin of the term Good is not clear. Some say it is from "God's Friday" (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English. Sometimes, too, the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons; so today in Denmark.

If Good Friday were called good because English adopted the German phrase, then we would expect Gute Freitag to be the common German name for Good Friday, but it is not. Instead, Germans refer to Good Friday as Karfreitag—that is, Sorrowful or Suffering Friday—in German.

When I first became a Christian, I attended a Mennonite congregation. On Good Friday at the noon service, the elders and deacons and even the pastor would wrap a towel around their waist and they would wash people's feet and then there was communion. I would watch and I never had the nerve to let them do it. It always made me cry and in fact remembering it still does.

Then on Easter morning, the men would greet one another with, " He has risen," Then the other person would say, " He has risen indeed." It was like a code word. Remember, I was totally pagan, totally in the world and I had investigated every cult and ism. I wanted the answer I was looking for to be anything but Jesus. Going to this church, and watching and seeing that these people so gentle in what they believed began to melt my stony heart. It was a simple act of washing feet and greeting one another the way they did that began to lead me down the road I now live on and I am so thankful for it.

 I hope you have a lovely Friday. I have had a nice week. Thank you for visiting me this week.
We will be painting today. Which means no one will get paint on them and I will look like I took a bath in it at the end of the day.

Have a lovely Friday,
~Kim~

18 comments:

Meg said...

Oh you have that problem too, huh? I always get paint on me, no matter how careful I am. Especially my hair.

I was trying to think of the reason it's called Good Friday yesterday and this morning. What you posted makes sense. I was thinking though, that it really is a good day because even though Jesus suffered and died, it was for the good of us, and that we get to enjoy an eternal life with God. So really, it is a good day. :)

TexWisGirl said...

laughing at your painting image. :) good luck!

Debbie said...

You crack me up Kim, I paint the same way!! Lovely blooms today!!

Empty Nester said...

It's so nice to know that I am not alone in the wearing of the paint. LOL Such a lovely story. My heart is still stoney. But it's getting better.

Christine said...

To think
He died for me!
God bless I'm glad you've had such a great week!

Julia said...

You are not alone bathing in the paint. I start out with the best intention to stay clean but it doesn't last.

Interesting take on the origin of the meaning Good Friday.

Enjoy your painting and think about how nice it will look after you're done.
Happy Easter,
JB



Gumbo Lily said...

Foot-washing makes me cry too. My family does the same thing on Easter Sunday.... He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Happy playing in the paint.

Rugs and Pugs said...

Thanks for the Good Friday lesson.
We paint the same way.
Happy Easter :)
Lauren

Primitive Stars said...

Hi Kim, we paint o same too....great post...Hope this week is as good.....Easter Blessings Francine.

Patrice said...

One should never pick paint for a room based on furniture and things like that. One should pick it if it goes with their hair, eyes, and complexion!

Kim said...

Happy Good Friday (and painting day). After about an hour you could probably just rub up against the bare rail and paint it. Lol

Anonymous said...

I was touched by Pope Francis washing the feet of the lowly in Rome. It is inspiring. This was a great post. Thank you. Peace.

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

When I was little, Good Friday always made me feel sad for Jesus. It was a relief when Easter Sunday arrived. Hope painting went ok. One good thing about doing so much work before the wedding is that you must sleep like a baby every night.

Nellie said...

Sending wishes to you for a blessed Easter, Kim. xo Nellie

Miss Debbie said...

Happy Easter to you and your family!

GretchenJoanna said...

For more than five years our family was in a church that had a foot-washing ceremony as part of communion four times a year. It was always a blessing to me to be able to love someone this very concrete way - but it is very intimate, isn't it?

Have a blessed Easter!

Pom Pom said...

Happy Easter, Kim! (BIG HUG!)

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

That was profound ... and so transparent.

Hope you had a blessed Easter.