Luke 23:44-46 NIV

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

What is your response? What is your response to the event on the cross of Good Friday?

Yesterday as I sat with my laptop in my lap responding to emails, reading the newspaper on-line and scrolling through Facebook all of a sudden what was a quiet morning was shattered with the sounds of many sirens as my local fire department responded to a call. It sounded like every vehicle in the department came up the street, sirens blaring and made the corner behind my home and headed out of town, somewhere. I don’t know where. But they got a call and immediately jumped into action to respond.

When there are gunshots or a scuffle or some similarly dangerous situation our typical response is to run, to hide, lest we be hurt. In those same situations our police run to the scene rather than run away. In our present time of concern over the coronavirus COVID 19 we are told to stay home. Yet there are whole armies of folk who are “essential” to our survival who refuse to stay safe at home. Many respond to serve even while risking their own health and that of their families, especially those in healthcare. We immediately think of doctors and nurses, but we can’t stop there. They have a whole supportive staff of desk clerks, janitors, laundry, food service and on and on. All have responded to a call to care for others in need. The cost of their response could very well be their lives.

This is Good Friday, the day our Lord was scourged and beaten, mocked and spit upon and then marched under the weight of the cross beam upon which he would be crucified to Golgotha where, from 12 to 3 pm, as the sun refused to shine, he hung. He hung until 3 when he called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” … and breathed his last. Jesus answered the call of God the Father and gave himself—he committed his spirit into his Father’s hands. He suffered and died, giving himself 100% to his Father’s will. All was done for you and me at a tremendous cost to himself.

As those firefighters immediately responded to a call and gave themselves to care for others what is our response to Jesus’ 100% commitment to God the Father? God sent his Son, our Lord to earth in one grand finale, last ditch effort to get us to repent of our sins and turn out lives back to him.

What is your response to God’s call to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”? (Matthew 28:19-20) We have the assurance—the promise—as we respond to God’s call of his eternal presence. What have we to fear? We have everything to gain—eternal life.

Can you, will you say it with me, say it with Jesus: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit? To God be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.