Good Friday at CERC: The Cross, the Priest, and the Lamb

by Nathan Punithen

On Good Friday evening, members and guests of Christ Evangelical Reformed Church (CERC) gathered at the GSS Banquet Hall in Bandar Sunway for a special evangelistic event reflecting on the death of Jesus Christ. The night was marked by solemnity and purpose, as the church turned its focus to the heart of the Christian faith—the atonement. 

Guests arrived to a dimly lit hall, where the centrepiece immediately caught their attention: an altar bearing real cuts of raw meat. Stark and unsettling, the display served as a visual representation of the evening’s theme—sacrifice. It was a visceral reminder of the bloody rituals once required for atonement under the Old Covenant, pointing forward to a greater sacrifice yet to come. 

The event began with an original song performed by Reuben Chua, written especially for the occasion. The haunting melody and reflective lyrics invited the audience to consider the weight of sin and the cost of forgiveness: 

The priest alone, with trembling tread 

Enters where even angels dread… 

Atonement made with crimson hands. 

As the song unfolded, its lyrics echoed the rituals of Leviticus 16: the casting of lots, the scapegoat, the shedding of blood. One verse especially struck a chord: 

And then I lay my hands upon its head  

Knowing full well, it should be me instead… 

Oh cut off! Condemned and alone 

But here I stand, fully atoned! 

Pastor Jerome Leng then took the stage to preach from Leviticus 16, the passage detailing Israel’s annual Day of Atonement. In his sermon, Pastor Jerome spoke about the nature of sin—the deep-rooted rebellion against God that requires atonement.  

“Because our sins are highly offensive in God’s sight, none of us can be accepted by God unless there is atonement. Atonement is what makes sinners and God “at one” again—at-one-ment. It’s the act by which God deals with our sin, removes it, and restores our relationship with Him.” 

He explained how the sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed to the gravity of sin. Yet, these rituals were never enough. The people’s sin, he noted, was far too great for a mere animal to atone for it permanently. “God makes the issue plain: If you and I are to be accepted by Him, our sins must be punished. And only the sacrifice of another life in our place can truly deal with our guilt.” 

Pastor Jerome pointed to Jesus Christ as the true high priest and the Lamb of God who, through His sacrifice, enables believers to live holy lives, empowered by His Spirit.

“Nothing was sufficient to atone for your sin and for my sin except the perfect life and sacrificial death of the Son of God.”  

In the end, atonement is not just about the forgiveness of sin, but about transformation. The congregation was challenged, especially those who were hearing the gospel for the first time, to recognise that true reconciliation with God calls for holy living. 

The event closed in quiet reflection. As conversations lingered and guests slowly made their way out of the hall, there was a sense that something weighty had been heard—something not easily brushed aside. For Christians, it was a call to return to the cross with renewed seriousness, and to live in the holiness their Saviour died to secure. For those hearing the gospel for the first time, it was an invitation: to reckon with sin, to behold the Lamb, and to receive the mercy of a God who made atonement.