The dripping blood our only drink,
The bloody flesh our only food:
In spite of which we like to think
That we are sound, substantial flesh and blood–
Again, in spite of that, we call this Friday good.
—T.S. Eliot
It’s been 20 years sine I first heard that TS Eliot poem and every year on Good Friday that one line comes to my mind; in spite of that, we call this Friday good. Christ’s body and blood given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins is what we can hold to in this life.
We mourn on this Friday when we think of our Savior bearing the awful load of our sins but:
Here we have a firm foundation;
Here the refuge of the lost;
Christ, the rock of our salvation,
His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded,
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on him their hope have built. source
So “we call this Friday GOOD.”
And we eat our Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns. Once again my baking skills are not on par visually but boy these were so tasty.
I had some of these frozen pretzels on hand from the Fall. I really needed to free up the freezer real estate so out these came, the perfect snack for the day. Pretzels are traditionally a Lenten staple. And I believe the form of prayer was once folded arms instead of hands? Thus the shape of this bread.
The big kids had school on Good Friday. That’s a rarity for us. I think only a few times has that occurred. They wore black and the cross necklaces they had made the night before. Again I sent the bigs over for the evening service and stayed home with the littles. I’m hoping in another year or two I’ll be brave enough to attend this service with all the babies. It’s just never been one that I wanted to be in and out of the entire time with crying, tired, fussy babes.
