Good Friday

Today is Good Friday. It is also called Holy Friday. In German it has a name that is translated "Mourning Friday." Perhaps in English we get the name "Good" from "God," in much the same way as we get "goodbye" from "God be with ye." Maybe originally in English it was "God's Friday." At any rate, it is a good day for us because it is a celebration of the day that Jesus bore our sins on the cross. One of my favorite old hymns (from the 12th century) telling the story is "O Sacred Head Now Wounded."

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown:
how pale thou art with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
which once was bright as morn!

What thou, my Lord, has suffered
was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
vouchsafe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for thee.

I had a good eight mile run today, about 9:15 pace. So far I have 45.8 miles in for the week, including Sunday's long run, so it's been a good week. Tomorrow I expect to do around 16 miles, maybe with a few miles at the end at marathon pace (I'm considering that to be around 8:30 or so right now, though I am not quite sure I am conditioned enough to hold that pace for the full marathon). After the run I will go to church and help set up for Easter services, and then I hope to make it to the TU track meet and visit some with my high school buddy who is track coach at Wichita State University. Go Shockers!