...The Weekend Pace

"For those who over the course of reading this book became a Christian or for the person who recently became a Christian, consider the Easter weekend. During Easter, Christians observe Good Friday that marks the day Jesus gave his life, in our place, for our sins. Easter Sunday marks the day he rose from the grave defeating sin, satan, demons, and God’s wrath. Strive to keep the Easter weekend first in your mind. The Christian life is not to be lived only in the shadow of Good Friday, mourning your sins, counting the losses, and trembling in the shame of sin. There is also Resurrection Sunday’s bursting light that brings us hope, security, and promise of new life! It’s easy to get stuck on either Friday or Sunday. Some Christians you’ll meet along the way will only sing a dirge of Good Friday and seem to have forgotten that they might not remember that Sunday was just around the bend. There are others who live only in Resurrection Sunday, skipping about and acting as though sin didn’t kill God’s Son. They tend to strike up the band only to drown out the world’s sorrows. The reality of the Christian faith paces back and forth between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, reminding us of who we were apart from Christ and where we were headed while simultaneously bursting with joy that we are forgiven, will wear white on the last day, and that suffering, sin, and pain in this world will expire."

– The Reckless Love of God: Experiencing the Personal, Passionate Heart of the Gospel, p. 175.