First Reading: Mark 15:16-20.
First Word: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
- Luke 23:32-38
- 30 seconds of silence
- The first word is a word of Forgiveness.
- Listen for God’s Spirit: Who needs my forgiveness? Who needs God’s forgiveness?
- Where do I need forgiveness? How have I been hurt? Injured by others? Neglected by others?
- Consider writing down our hurts, our pains. Write down names. Our transgressions.
- 5 minutes of prayer
Second Word: Today you will be with me in paradise.
- Luke 23:39-43
- 30 seconds of silence.
- The second word is a word of Salvation.
- Jesus gives a promise to this man. This criminal would live among the righteous of God. Jesus made him fit for entrance into God’s dwelling space. An offer to us all.
- Read 17 verses that speak of this salvation.
- Invitation: Posture. Prayer shawl. Candle. Cross. Use your notepad. What word/phrase does God’s Spirit press onto you in this moment? Write it down.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ephesians 2:10 We are God’s craftsmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
1 Peter 2:9 You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
John 1:12 But to all who did receive Jesus, who believed in his name, God gave the right to become children of God,
Romans 8:17And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, we may suffer with him but we will also be glorified with him.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake God made Jesus to be sin, the One who knew no sin, so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in this mortal body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
2 Peter 1:4 We are partakers of the divine nature.
2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ
Romans 6:18 And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Ephesians 1:7-8 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:22 God has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, God has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
1 Corinthians 3:9 You are God’s field, you are God’s building.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace with God, and by his stripes we are healed.
Third Word: Woman, behold, thy son!… Behold, thy mother!
- John 19:25-27
- 30 seconds of silence
- The third word is a word of Relationship
- Think of those relationships in our lives that are closest to us, whether they be blood family or who have become family.
- Acknowledge loss of family. Thank God for them.
- Acknowledge surrogates in our life. Thank God for them.
- 5 minutes of prayer time.
Fourth Word: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
- Mark 15:33.
- 30 seconds of silence.
- The third word is a word of Abandonment
- These words are the opening line from Psalm 22
- 1) Read Psalm 22 (as a group). 2) Share w/God our abandonments. 3) Silent Reflection
- Consider your posture.
- Five minutes of prayer.
Fifth Word: I Am Thirsty
- Read John 19:28-30
- 30 Seconds of silence
- The fifth word is a word of Distress: Both b/c of those who injure him and mock him, and b/c of his human frailty.
Psalm 69:19-21: You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
they offer me sour wine for my thirst.
- Five minutes of prayer.
- 1) Own physical frailty. 2) Silence. 3) Prayers for our nation and world re: pandemic.
- I will finish with a short prayer and then I will take a drink of my glass of water.
- Prayer: Jesus on the cross you said you were thirsty. They gave you a bitter drink. Our world is filled with thirst. We ask that you give us water and living water. For we are frail. We pray for our world in the midst of this pandemic. Protect us and heal us, for we are frail. And we pray for courage, as we live life as fragile jars of clay. Oh Lord, give us water and living water. Amen.
Sixth Word: It is finished.
- John 19:30
- 30 seconds of silence.
- The sixth word is a word of Victory
- These words are a cry of victory, not of failure. Jesus completed what he came to do. God’s plan is fulfilled; salvation is come; love has won. He has taken our place. He has demonstrated both humanity’s brokenness and God’s love. He had offered himself fully to God as a sacrifice on behalf of humanity. It is finished.
- I invite you to reflect upon this as Rob plays What Wondrous Love Is This.
Seventh Word: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
- Luke 23:44-46.
- More than a minute of silence
- The seventh word is a word of Reunion. Also a word of last breath.
- With these words, the noblest person who ever walked the face of this planet, God in the flesh, breathed his last breath.
- Blow out your candle.
- May the smoke from the candle remind us that Christ gave up his life fully. May the smell of the extinguished flame remind us that his body is lifeless.
- May we know It is okay to grieve what is lost. It is okay to let the sorrow in and let the sorrow out.
- May we enter Holy Saturday acknowledging our loss, acknowledging what has been stripped from us. Let us admit that the future is uncertain.
- May we know that what is lost is now in the hands of our God. And so, let us now wait for our God.
- Oh Lord, hear our prayers. Amen.
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