On Good Friday: The Cricketer and the Policeman

At the open air service on Good Friday at the Blue, I spoke about two men who had been in the news this week.

The first, Aussie cricket captain, Steve Smith, who had tearfully confessed to ball tampering live on national TV, breaking down in tears when he thought of the effect the scandal had on his family, not least his dad who was standing beside him.

The Australian PM has branded the team a national disgrace, and abuse has been heaped upon them from all over the world.

Today's Times reported Smith saying he would regret his actions for the rest of his life and that he hoped in time he could earn forgiveness.

For Steve there is some real good news - and how I pray God brings some Aussie Christian across his path to share it with him - he doesn't need to earn forgiveness.

Indeed, he never could even if he tried, but, here's the real great news: Jesus can wash his sins away.

And when the God who made you says your sins are forgiven, they are. Forever.

The second man, Arnaud Beltrame, swapped places with a woman held hostage by a terrorist, and
paid with his own life.

The President of France described him as a hero, but the French Ambassador to the UK, went further.

He told the BBC that Beltrame was a Christian martyr.

Beltrame grew up as an atheist but became a convinced Christian in his thirties. The chaplain to the French police said that Beltrame radiated his faith. and lived it out in his life, including that day just a week ago, when he gave his life to save another.

The Ambassador made the link with the words of Jesus from John's Gospel: 'Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.'

That's right. That's what Beltrame did, and his inspiration was his Lord and Saviour who did exactly this on the cross.

That brings us back to Good Friday at the Blue and the wonderful Good Friday message of hope: whatever you have done, God can wipe away your sins COMPLETELY.

And all that is because when we were hostages to sin, death, and the devil, Jesus swapped places with us.

Our God, clothed in human flesh, took our place to set us free.

Greater love hath no man than this. God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.

It really was a good Friday, when Jesus achieved that for us.