Goodbye Dan

Dan has struggled for life since I met him but early this morning Dan passed away. I/we will miss him.

But it is Good Friday -- the day that we remember the horrid execution of Jesus some 2000 years ago. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross death is not the end for all who put faith in Jesus. At 3 pm on the first Good Friday, Jesus gave up His spirit and died. It was the same time of day that the daily lamb was sacrificed at the temple. But on this day, something very different happened.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom "at that moment" (Matthew 27:51). The curtain divided the most holy place of the temple from other parts of the temple. It was 60 feet high and 30 feet wide. A LOT of force was required to tear it -- and it was torn from the top to the bottom -- as though God Himself did it. Normally, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. Suddenly, because of Jesus' death the Most Holy Place was accessible. Through Jesus we have access to God our Father. There is no longer any separation! We have confidence to enter God's presence in the name of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22). And that confidence makes all the difference, particularly when each one of us, like Dan did today, steps into eternity.