I’m a bit of a failure as a good Lutheran, I suspect. Unlike most others, my celebration of Easter starts on Good Friday. Not at 6 am on Easter Sunday, when we traditionally celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but rather at around 3 pm in the afternoon at the reported hour of Jesus’ death.

I’m also a bit of a failure as a good Lutheran, because I love it when God does things with a bang! Our modern church seems to have forgotten to expect ‘big things’ from God as much as little miracles – but I still love many of the Old Testament stories of God intervening in the lives of humanity because they are so gob-smackingly theatrical! Sea’s parting, food falling out of the sky, Jericho’s walls falling down (my personal favourite), Elijah calling down God’s flaming fire on water-soaked wood! Now there is some great flash and bang and kaboom and oomph!

And of course, Easter Sunday has wonderfully spectacular rolling stones, and the miraculous reappearance of our resurrected Jesus!

So, why do I celebrate Easter at 3 pm on Good Friday?

Because at the moment of Jesus’ death, the curtain of the temple was ‘torn in two, from top to bottom’. Matthew also tells us ‘the earth shook, and the rocks split and the tombs broke open’ – great dramatic stuff … but oh, THAT CURTAIN!!

This is a great pic of the ‘average’ layout of the temple (remembering it started as a tent in the wilderness, was then built by Solomon, then destroyed and rebuilt a couple more times) … the ‘version’ at the time of Jesus’ death was similar to this in the key areas.

Source of the picture is here – and a great brief read if you have time!

You can see that the ‘outer courts’ often referred to in the Psalms are for Men Only. Sigh! If you imagine we are travelling left to right along this image, on a sort of ‘spectrum of sacredness’, you can see that the next section is the Court of the Priests (once again, men only, from the genealogical line of Levi). There the priests conducted the ceremonies around the varies burnt offerings.

But on the far right, you can see the section of the Temple known as the Holy of Holies. Here was where the Ark of the Covenant was set: and here was where the Israelites believed God’s very presence dwelt. Hooooeeee! ONLY the (male) High Priest, after observing certain rituals, was able to enter this space, once a year, on the day of atonement – you can see it is separated from the rest of the temple area by a curtain.

And it is this curtain into the Holy of Holies that was torn in two at the hour of Jesus death.

Why is this so worth celebrating??  Because here is the moment every human being is granted access to the very presence of God.

There is no more need for burnt offerings as sacrifices – Jesus himself is our sacrifice. There is no more need for priests as intermediaries: Jesus himself is our eternal High Priest through whom we can enter into the very presence of God at any time!

There have been times in my life when the pain of living, including difficult external circumstances, has been so overwhelming, and the presence of God so seemingly invisible, that I have spat the dummy, pulled a hissy fit, and at times even told God I quit! Sometimes my sulking and anger and hurt and self-created distance has lasted for years … but it is the 3 o’clock miracle that has sought me out, found me, and tucked me under the wings of grace again … there is NEVER a time when I don’t have access to the presence of God, despite what external circumstances might tell me.

It is this 3 o’clock rescue that brings me to my knees before our awesome God!

More importantly, this is amazing news for humanity!

And for women, the destruction of that barrier means that we no longer have to rely on a human male intermediary. This is utterly profound and life-changing for us.

There are no barriers for any of us anymore to the presence of God, with the sacrifice of Jesus’ life to cover us and that has erased our sins – regardless of gender! Not only that, Jesus also promised that he and the Father and the Spirit will come to us, and live in us, and make us all one, just as he and the Father are one – and again, gender is irrelevant here!

I read nowhere in the Gospel’s any words from Jesus that talk about putting curtains or barriers back up. Jesus is all about breaking down walls of hostility, not putting them up!   If he can do it with Jew and Gentile, he can do it between male and female!

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility. Ephesian 2.14.”

All I see in Scripture is a faithful and loving Saviour who reminds us of the great commandment, and the second like it, of loving our neighbour as ourselves.

Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22.37-40

I don’t read anything there that says this is dependent on whether we’re male or female.

And when we also consider Jesus’ words to Photini, the Samaritan ‘woman at the well’, we have a profound message about worshipping God. You will recall she raised the common complaint about Samaritans by the Jews, that they didn’t worship in the correct geographical place (the temple in Jerusalem). Jesus’ response was a game-changing inversionistic call:

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. John 4.23.

There are many reasons why we’ve ended up with a semi-replica of the Hebrew temple and practice, some based on the pattern of Jesus’ journey and our journey to him – that’s another story.

But at around 3 o’clock on Good Friday, what I hear is that Jesus has freed us from rules and regulations about how to access God and how to worship him.

I hear a curtain being irreparably ripped in two. No more division. No more separation.

And so I have hope. The role of High Priest has ultimately been filled by Jesus, and we are ALL – regardless of gender –  part of the Royal Priesthood along with him.

I believe Jesus’ work on the cross and the tearing of the curtain both enables and calls us to be a church where we ALL, male and female alike, now have direct access to the very presence of God. And that the call to lead worship and shepherd his flocks is not restrained or held back by any barrier based on gender.

Anytime. Anywhere. In Spirit and truth. With no need for a human male mediator.

The curtain is gone.

Hallelujah, Jesus! We thank you for your 3 o’clock rescue.