Thanks Victorianlady79 for beta'ing.

Molly looked over at her husband, who was buttoning his suit jacket over his navy blue shirt. As usual, he looked gorgeous, she thought. She herself was dressed in a new black maternity dress with a wrap-over top and long sleeves. She had on her maternity tights and black slip on shoes. There would be no more heels until after the baby came. Besides, her poor feet were constantly swollen now, and even the slip on shoes hurt after awhile. As soon as they got to church, she would take them off in the pew.

"So, tell me what happens during a Good Friday service," asked Sherlock. "All these years I've never thought about what it meant. Why is it called Good Friday anyway, when it is the worst day on the Christian calendar?"

"It was the worst day for Jesus for sure, because it's the day we recognize as when Jesus gave his life for us. It was the best day for humanity though, for the same reason. The moment Jesus bore our sin on the cross and died is the moment we were redeemed by his blood. His one perfect sacrifice was made to save the world. Unfortunately, most people reject it and want to go their own way."

"Well, the idea of relinquishing control of your life can be a hard concept to grasp," observed the sleuth.

"I don't think it's so much giving up control as it is allowing God's leading in your life, living in a way that pleases Him." She kissed his cheek.

The detective smiled at her. "I'm trying, but I know I have a long way to go."

"You do please God, Sherlock. Even before you believed in Him, you did a lot of good for people. You just needed to realize why you had such a strong sense of right and wrong."

"I do feel my life has a purpose now in a way I didn't understand before," he agreed.

"I know it does, and that includes you being here for me." This time, she stood on tiptoes to kiss her husband. "Now, let's go, or we'll be late for church."

Half an hour later, the couple was in the church sanctuary. The church was not as brightly lit as it had been on Christmas Eve and there was an air of solemnity.

A large wooden cross stood on a stand next to the pulpit. It was lit from below by a single spotlight. At the other side of the pulpit was a branch of candles. A white one was in the center, with three other white ones to either side, in a descending pattern.

Molly made a quick stop at the sound desk, handing a cd to the person who was sitting there, then she and Sherlock walked to their usual pew, acknowledging various church friends along the way. There were only hushed whispers of conversation before the service began. Sherlock gave Molly a curious look. She had not told him why she was seeing the sound technician. "I'll tell you later," she whispered, knowing no explanation would be needed soon.

As the service began, a child acolyte went to the front and lit the Christ candle from the branch of candles. For the past 6 weeks, as Lent progressed, the other candles were left unlit one by one in the countdown to Good Friday.

Molly kicked off her shoes and breathed a quiet sign of relief. Sherlock squeezed her hand in sympathy. Undoubtedly he would give her a nice foot rub once they got home. He was very aware of her discomfort, and always ready to ease it in any way he could.

The service progressed. There would be some reading from one of the Gospels with one of the phrases Jesus had said on the cross, then a short observation about those words, followed by a hymn or worship song. "The Old Rugged Cross" was sung, as was a lovely modern worship song called "Lead Me to the Cross."

Molly started to feel nervous by the time the sixth reading was made. Sherlock looked at her curiously as she slipped her shoes back on.

As soon as the reading and explanation were concluded, the pathologist stood and made her way to the front of the church. She took a handheld microphone from where it lay on the piano and waited for the music to come through the system. It had been quite awhile since she had sung a solo in church, and it was the first time Sherlock had heard her in this way since their wedding day almost eight months earlier, when she had sung at their reception as a surprise for him. Singing wasn't the easiest thing to do when you were heavily pregnant and the baby was pressing on your diaphragm, but she had been practicing while Sherlock was out on a case. She had wanted this to be a surprise for her husband.

Then as the music to "Via Dolorosa" began, Molly lost herself to the beautiful music and just thought about the lyrics as she sang -

"Down the Via Dolorosa, in Jerusalem that day,

The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street,

But the crowd pressed in to see the man condemned to die on Calvary."

She continued with the song, which also had a verse in Spanish. Molly was pleased with how well the song went. As the song ended, she saw Sherlock's big smile and he raised his hands as if to applaud. She hastily shook her head slightly and he put his hands back down.

When she re-entered the pew though, Sherlock took her hand and raised it to his lips in a gallant fashion, murmuring, "Beautiful, Molly." She could see how proud he was of her and smiled back at him.

The last reading was done, Luke 23:46. "Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last."

Molly blinked back tears. Every time she heard that, it made her emotional, knowing what the Saviour had done, the sacrifice he had made to save the world; it was astounding. To die for your friends is one thing, but to die for your enemies as well? Who but Jesus would have done that?

As the reading concluded, the reader snuffed out the final Christ candle and everyone left the service in silence, as the organ played the deep sounds of a tolling bell 33 times, to represent the 33 short years of Jesus' life on earth.

Once outside, the detective whispered, "That was an amazing service. I had not really understood until now the depth of Jesus' love for us, and the sacrifice he made."

The pathologist nodded soberly. "Don't forget the suffering he endured too, the beatings and lashes from the whip. He was tortured beyond what anyone could imagine."

"What I endured in Serbia was nothing compared to that," commented the detective, in more of a normal tone, as they reached the kerb and he flagged down a taxi.

They got into the taxi and continued their conversation.

"I'm always reminded of what happened in the garden," remarked Molly. "Jesus showed his humanity there more than at any time, when he was anguished on the Mount of Olives. He feared death just like any other man, but he said to God, 'Not my will, but Yours be done.'"

"I'm starting to understand that more," noted the sleuth. "By the way, that song you did, it was so moving, and so lovely. You moved my heart with it, my love."

"Thanks, sweetheart, that means a lot to me. It's hard for me to get up and sing, but I did feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when I was singing."

"My wife, the pathologist and the singer. You are a woman of many talents," chuckled her husband.

"You're one to talk. You're a consulting detective who plays violin, plus you sing really beautifully as well. We still need to do a duet sometime."

"I think that might have to wait for awhile," pointed out her husband, gently rubbing his hand across her belly. "I think Victoria is going to keep us very busy for awhile when she arrives."

The taxi arrived at Baker Street, and the two of them went inside.

"So," Molly asked, once they were back inside the flat and seated comfortably on the sofa, "what did you think of your very first Good Friday service overall?" She had kicked off her shoes and had her feet now resting on the coffee table.

"I thought it was very eye-opening. I see things in a way now that I would not have a year ago."

"That's because you are now seeing with the eyes of faith. Remember the verse in Amazing Grace we sing sometimes at church? It says, 'I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.' Unless we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit we can't see anything beyond ourselves."

Sherlock kissed his wife sweetly. "It was your faith first that drew me into wanting to learn more about it. I hope you know how much I thank God for you, my love." He placed his arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head into him.

"I thank God for you too, Sherlock. Now I'm really looking forward to you experiencing church on Sunday when we celebrate the resurrection."

"Are you singing on Sunday as well?" asked her husband.

"As a matter of fact, I am," she smiled up at him.

"I can't wait," responded Sherlock, resting his cheek against her head, and the pathologist smiled contentedly. Sunday would be yet another first for them to experience together as a couple - the most important day in the Christian calendar, the celebration of Jesus coming back from the dead, His resurrection.

Author's note: Well, I am pretty sure nobody has ever written a Sherlolly story where Sherlock experiences Good Friday and Easter through the eyes of faith.

If you are not familiar with my writing, I apologize if you find the pregnancy talk confusing. This story, as well as my other works, relates to the same Sherlock and Molly from "A Journey to Love, Faith and Marriage."

I hope you find this story moving enough to leave me feedback. I love hearing from my readers and I always respond to each person who takes the time to leave their feedback. Your feedback is a blessing to me. I hope I may also be a blessing to you.

Additional note - If you are curious about the song "Via Dolorosa," check out the Sandi Patti version on YouTube. If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about when Molly sings it, that is because I do. I will be singing it at my own church (as I have done before on several occasions) for the Good Friday service.