Mourning to Dancing

When my father, David Landis, Sr., came to know Christ in his mid-thirties, the transformation was quite radical. My dad, after living as a Christian for only a short time, sold his lucrative business in Philadelphia and moved our family to western Colorado. In just a few years, he became the pastor of a country church and began what became three decades of sharing the gospel faithfully.

One of Dad’s passions was holding a community Good Friday service in the small town where we lived. Each year, seven local pastors would preach on the seven last words of Jesus on the cross, with one praise song or hymn in between. The service lasted for three hours – from noon to three in the afternoon! I must admit, as a teen and college student, I was not as passionate as my dad about spending three hours in church – especially if the weather was favorable to play basketball outside. However, what those services taught me was the discipline to take time to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., he hung there, the last three hours in darkness, to pay the penalty for my sins.

Many of you have watched the movie, The Passion of the Christ. Staci and I saw it in the theatre when it came out, and as I watched the torture of Jesus depicted on the screen (which seemed to last forever), I almost said out loud at one point, “Enough!” While it is unpleasant, and even depressing to think on the events of Good Friday, I believe that it is a necessary discipline for us as believers in Christ to do at least once a year. In doing this, there is a cleansing of soul that takes place, which readies our hearts for the incredible joy of Easter morning. As King David wrote, “You turned my mourning into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy” (Psalm 30:11).

So, as you prepare for Easter Sunday, I would encourage you to attend a Good Friday service (Central Christian Church offers one tomorrow at 7 p.m.) that will prepare your family for Sunday when we rejoice in saying together “He is Risen!”

David Landis, Superintendent