Prayer On Black Friday In Thanks For God's Ultimate Deal Offered To Us

Finding A Better Deal Than A Black Friday Deal

It’s “Black Friday” in United States.  I’m not sure how it happened by in the past few years I’ve seen and heard so much more about Black Friday here in Canada than I ever did growing up.

Apparently the name originates in reference to the volume of shoppers that created traffic accidents and sometimes even violence.  As one of the more profitable retail days of the year, Black Friday began to take on a positive connotation and retailers now offer deep discounts only available on that day.

As good as any deal might be in some store on Black Friday, there’s an infinitely better deal offered to us that we celebrate on a Friday – Good Friday. 

Jesus Christ offered His perfect life in sacrifice for the punishment of  we deserved for our sins.  God demonstrated the greatness of His love for us by buying us back from the hand of the evil one who seeks only to steal, kill, and destroy. 

And so today we pause to remember and to give thanks for what Jesus Christ has done for us.

At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:6-8

We are stopped dead in our tracks, so to speak, in amazement, Lord Jesus, at the depth of Your love for us.  While we didn't care, while we scorned You and Your involvement in the earth and our lives You acted on our behalf at huge personal cost.  You were misunderstood and misjudged.  You were beaten and mocked.  You were discriminated against, falsely accused and even though an innocent man, You were condemned to death. 

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.  John 10:17-18

Until the last moment you could have escaped becoming sin and the death and separation from Your Father that resulted, but You voluntarily laid down Your life. 

During horrible days of suffering and death across the earth due to the covid-19 virus pandemic, we pause to remember how You have entered into suffering and death on our behalf.  We remember with amazement and our hearts are filled with gratitude.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

We try to look today at all You did for us from our little pinprick of time and it's hard to take in. You did so much more for us than we will ever know until we see you face to face in heaven.  For some of us that may come sooner rather than later due to things like the covid-19 virus.

We not only want to be amazed by this valuable gift You won for us on the cross but we want to be sure that we are living the full benefit of this gift. –

We receive what You did for us on the cross, Jesus.  We receive the forgiveness, the new life, the hope for today and for eternity.  We receive all the love and grace that sustains us in these challenging times of pandemic but also through all the other ups and downs of life. This truly is the deal of a lifetime for us.

While we don't understand the depths of it all, we know that there is something new and different when we surrender our will and our life into Your care and begin to know and follow Your will for our daily lives.  These famous words in the Bible try to describe that in terms of the cross and we want this to be our affirmation today. 

I have been crucified with Christ. I don’t live any longer, but Christ lives in me. Now I live my life in my body by faith in the Son of God. He loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 NIRV