A Good Friday Reflection

It's Good Friday again Dear Ones!

A year has passed with heavy hearts as we remember where we were on April 10 2020 and beyond! The hymn "Were you there?" rings in my heart and mind today. Let us pray the lyrics before we spend time in holy reflection and write down where we were this past year!

1 Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

3 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?


4 Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?



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Ask yourselves these question as you reflect upon the year past: Are you still here? Were you there? Who was still here? Who is not here now as you are meditating upon these question? These answers need not be exact. Our memories may be fleeting.

I am here

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I was there.

George Floyd was there.

The Atlanta 8 were there

Tony McDade

Those killed in Boulder.

Deaths revealed later.

*Breonna Taylor -Died in March 2020

* Ahmaud Arbery -Died in February 2020

The Capitol Police officers who were killed.

The 4 killed in Orange California.

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These children of God and others were alive on Good Friday Last year with the exception of those who had already died from Covid 19.

George Floyd.

Tony McDade

The Atlanta 8.

Those killed in Boulder.

The Capitol Police officers who were killed. On the 6th of January and today.

The 4 killed in Orange California.

Those who have died from Covid 19

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The big questions to ask ourselves and to reflect upon this weekend before Easter Sunday and beyond are these: How are we going to be resurrected and transformed into better people for the good of all? Are we going to be the change that God wants to see in us? Are we going to follow Jesus in the Way of Love/? Are we ready to do the hard work of the heart, hands, and feet? Are we ready?

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Let us ponder these quotes on Good Friday!

"Good Friday and Easter free us to think about other things far beyond our own personal fate, about the ultimate meaning of all life, suffering, and events; and we lay hold of a great hope." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"When Good Friday comes, these are the moments in life when we feel there's no hope. But then, Easter comes." ~ Coretta Scott King

"I am convinced that when we bring our griefs and sorrows within the story of God's own grief and sorrow, and allow them to be held there, God is able to bring healing to us and new possibilities to our lives. That is, of course, what Good Friday and Easter are all about." ~ N. T. Wright

"Every day of the year is a good day to think more deeply about Good Friday, for Good Friday is the drama of the love by which our every day is sustained." ~ Richard John Neuhaus


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Because by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ you have reconciled all things to yourself, not counting our sins against us and renewing our hearts to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Christ became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and has given him the name that is above every name.Philippians 2:8–9


All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.Isaiah 53:6


Jesus our Lord was given up to death for our misdeeds, and raised to life to justify us.Romans 4:25


O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! For I redeemed you from the house of bondage, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.Micah 6:3-5




The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.Matthew 20:28


Whoever serves me, must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; the Father will honour anyone who serves me.John 12:26


Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.1 Corinthians 5:7


For as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.1 Corinthians 11:26


Out of love for the world God gave the only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16 (adapted)


If while we were God’s enemies we were reconciled by the death of God’s Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.Romans 5:10


As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.


Tonight we do not light candles but we do bring our stones and ourselves to the foot of the cross:

                             









The Prayer from the movie The Way!
‘Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross, weigh the balance in favour of my good deeds some day when the deeds of my life are judged. let it be so.’


Help us to forgive as you have forgiven us.
Help us to trust you, even when hope is failing.
Help us, if we are called to suffer,
to take up our cross
and to follow you in your redeeming work.


Book of Common Prayer: Forgive Us, O God
Forgive, O God, those national sins which so easily beset us: our wanton waste of soil and air and water; our desecration of natural beauty; our heedlessness of those who come after us, if only we be served; our lust for money; our contempt for what is small and worship of what is big. For wrongs done to our land, our people, our heritage, and our future, as well as for things left undone, forgive us, O God.


Samuel H. Miller: Forgive Me
Forgive me, God, for prayers my lips too easily speak, for prayers made out of words which are nothing but words. Forgive me for the prayers I borrow from the agony of others without suffering myself, for prayers of light and glory unballasted by the darkness and depth from which such things bloom. Forgive me for prayers unwashed by the si lences of mystery. Forgive me, God, for prayers wherein I pampered myself and consecrated my false faith. Forgive me, and teach me how to pray.


Howard Thurman: Prayers
I LAY BARE BEFORE YOU
The concern which I lay bare before You today is:
Whatever disaffection there is between me and those who are or have been very close to me—I would seek the root or cause of such disaffection, and with the illumination of Your mind, O God, to understand it.
I give myself to Your scrutiny that, whatever there may be in me that is responsible for what has happened, I will acknowledge.
Where I have wronged or given offense deliberately or without intention, I seek a face-to-face forgiveness.
What I can undo I am willing to try; what I cannot undo, with that I seek to make my peace.
How to do these things, what techniques to use, with what spirit—for these I need and seek Your wisdom and strength, O God.
Whatever disaffection there is between me and those who are or have been very close to me, I lay bare before You.

Reconciliation and Forgiveness

God of compassion, you have reconciled us in Jesus Christ who is our peace: Enable us to live as Jesus lived, breaking down walls of hostility and healing enmity. Give us grace to make peace with those from whom we are divided, that, forgiven and forgiving, we may ever be one in Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns for ever, one holy and undivided Trinity. Amen

From the Arusha Call to Discipleship.


Loving God, we thank you for the gift of life in all its diversity and beauty. Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we praise you that you came to find the lost, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, and to convert the self-centred. Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you breathe in the life of the world and are poured out into our hearts. As we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the Spirit. Grant us faith and courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus: becoming pilgrims of justice and peace in our time. For the blessing of your people, the sustaining of the earth, and the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

"Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love?' These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will be many fruits, here in this world and the life to come." ~ Henri Nouwen

Psalm 22

Deus, Deus meus


1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *
and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?

2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *
by night as well, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are the Holy One, *
enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

4 Our forefathers put their trust in you; *
they trusted, and you delivered them.

5 They cried out to you and were delivered; *
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.

6 But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *
scorned by all and despised by the people.

7 All who see me laugh me to scorn; *
they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

8 "He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *
let him rescue him, if he delights in him."

9 Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *
and kept me safe upon my mother's breast.

10 I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *
you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb.

11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *
and there is none to help.

12 Many young bulls encircle me; *
strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

13 They open wide their jaws at me, *
like a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water;
all my bones are out of joint; *
my heart within my breast is melting wax.

15 My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *
and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.

16 Packs of dogs close me in,
and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *
they pierce my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.

17 They stare and gloat over me; *
they divide my garments among them;
they cast lots for my clothing.

18 Be not far away, O Lord; *
you are my strength; hasten to help me.

19 Save me from the sword, *
my life from the power of the dog.

20 Save me from the lion's mouth, *
my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.

21 I will declare your Name to my brethren; *
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob's line, give glory.

23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when they cry to him he hears them.

24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *
"May your heart live for ever!"

26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *
and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; *
he rules over the nations.

28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *
all who go down to the dust fall before him.

29 My soul shall live for him;
my descendants shall serve him; *
they shall be known as the Lord's for ever.

30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *
the saving deeds that he has done.


Isaiah 52:13-53:12


See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.

Just as there were many who were astonished at him
--so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals--

so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;

for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.


Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;

and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.


Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.


He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?

For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.

They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,

although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.


Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.

When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;

through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;

he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.



Hebrews 10:16-25

The Holy Spirit testifies saying,

"This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds,"

he also adds,

"I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Optional Meditation Practice from A Disciple's Prayer Book for use with the Passion Gospel According to John.

Reflect and Respond to the Gospel of the Day

1. What word(s), idea(s), or sentence(s) stand out for

you in the Gospel of the Day?

(Reread the Gospel.)

2. What is Jesus (the Gospel) saying to you?

(Reread the Gospel.)

3. What is Jesus (the Gospel) calling you to do?

John 18:1-19:42

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus replied, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, "I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law." The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death." (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate asked him, "What is truth?"


After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" They shouted in reply, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God."

Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor."

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, "Here is your King!" They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says,

"They divided my clothes among themselves,

and for my clothing they cast lots."


And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken." And again another passage of scripture says, "They will look on the one whom they have pierced."

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.


Collects and Prayers from A New Zealand Prayer Book, A Disciple's Prayer Book, and The Book of Common Prayer.

Blessed Savior, at this hour you hung upon the cross,

stretching out your loving arms: Grant that all the

peoples of the earth may look to you and be saved,

for your mercies’ sake. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, “Peace

I give to you; my own peace I leave with you:” Regard

not our sins, but the faith of your Church, and give to

us the peace and unity of that heavenly City, where

with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and

reign, now and forever. Amen.

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Lord Jesus Christ,
crucified for us,
we kneel at the foot of your cross to watch with you.
Help us to see the cost of our forgiveness
so that we may be made new through your love;
for the glory of your holy name.
Amen.


Crucified Saviour, naked God,
You hang disgraced and powerless.
Grieving, we dare to hope,
as we wait at the cross
with your mother and your friend.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.


Lord Jesus Christ,
as we kneel at the foot of your cross,
help us to see and know your love for us,
so that we may place at your feet
all that we have and are.

Almighty and everlasting God,
by your Spirit the whole body of the Church
is governed and sanctified;
hear the prayers we offer
for all your faithful people,
that in the particular ministry
to which you have called us,
we may serve you in holiness and truth;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Crucified saviour, naked God,
you hang disgraced and powerless.
Grieving, we dare to hope,
as we wait at the cross
with your mother and your friend.

God of all the world
whose Son was born a Jew,
have mercy on your ancient people;
on all who have not known you
or deny the faith of Christ crucified.
Fetch us home to your fold
so that we become one flock
under one shepherd,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Merciful God,
creator of all the peoples of the earth
and lover of every soul;
have compassion on all who do not know you,
let your gospel be preached with grace and power
to those who have not heard it,
turn the hearts of those who oppose it,
and bring home to your fold
all who have gone astray;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For the Human Family

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

For our Enemies

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love

our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:

deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in

your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 For those who suffer for the sake of Conscience

O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he

was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer

for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them

from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them

from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from

despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their

witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be

cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus

Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

For Social Justice

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so

move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the

people of this land], that barriers which divide us may

crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our

divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

For Prophetic Witness in Society

Almighty God, whose prophets taught us righteousness in the care of your poor: By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, grant that we may do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly in your sight; through Jesus Christ, our Judge and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 In Times of Conflict

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us,

in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront

one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work

together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus

Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Unemployed

Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer

want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this

land so to use our public and private wealth that all may find

suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive just payment

for their labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Poor and the Neglected

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you

all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us

to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,

and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those

who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow

into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for

our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Oppressed

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this

land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as

their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to

eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those

who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law

and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of

us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Prisons and Correctional Institutions

Lord Jesus, for our sake you were condemned as a criminal:

Visit our jails and prisons with your pity and judgment.

Remember all prisoners, and bring the guilty to repentance

and amendment of life according to your will, and give them

hope for their future. When any are held unjustly, bring them

release; forgive us, and teach us to improve our justice.

Remember those who work in these institutions; keep them

humane and compassionate; and save them from becoming

brutal or callous. And since what we do for those in prison,

O Lord, we do for you, constrain us to improve their lot. All

this we ask for your mercy's sake. Amen.

For those who Influence Public Opinion

Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many

voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where

many listen and write what many read; that they may do their

part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and

its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For a Person in Trouble or Bereavement

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that

thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:

Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom

our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy,

nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of

thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give

him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Victims of Addiction

O blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look

with compassion upon all who through addiction have lost

their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of

your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset

them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to

those who care for them, give patient understanding and

persevering love. Amen.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to

be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is

in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we

are born to eternal life. Amen.

Of the Holy Cross

Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

From Walk With Me On Our Journey

Loving and gracious God, we  pray for peace in the world and that we may become peace makers and Children of God.

Gentle and compassionate God, we pray and  remember all those who have died and those who are mourning.

Holy God, help us to  remember and pray that we may always acknowledge the sacredness of life and that each day is holy.

Loving and creator God, we  pray for children that they may be protected from harm.

God of many names we  pray for strong bonds of love and friendship may grow among all faith communities.

God  we pray for peace in our hearts, minds, and spirits as we prepare for the coming days of Holy Week when we follow Jesus into Jerusalem, the Upper room, the foot of the Cross, and on Easter Morning at the entry of the Empty Tomb,

God of Health and healing, we  pray for all those who are ill and those who are in need of healing.  May we remember especially this night___________

God who loves us and includes us all we pray for all the least of these and that we may lovingly respond to their needs. Help us always to remember they are our family members too.


Loving God we lift these our prayers in the Name of Your Son Jesus. Amen.

Or these:


Thank you God for placing us on this journey towards you and by giving us time to reflect how we would prepare our selves for the Last Supper and Jesus' Betrayal.

God we pray that we may allow Jesus tomorrow to wash our feet and that we may call Jesus friend and yes that we may finally know that God is Love and that Love is the key to healing this world's misery and discord.

God we pray that we may be surefooted as we follow Jesus on the Way of Sorrows and not be afraid to help carry His Cross and Wipe His bloody and sweaty brow.

God we pray that as we draw ever closer to the Foot of the Cross we may not be afraid but see this as an opportunity to check in with you and our lives.

God tonight may we find ourselves resting and praying and taking time to be with you  and listening for your still small voice.

God teach us to love and be loving and shine your light to a world that seems only to know darkness.

God teach and show us how to be peacemakers so that we may be called Children of God.

God thank you for this day, a day to remember you and continue to be on this holy journey with you.

God we offer our prayers and thanksgivings in the silence of  our hearts for ourselves and on behalf of others:

Jesus accept these our prayers in your most Holy Name. Amen.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and for ever.    Amen.

or this form of The Lord's Prayer from A New Zealand Prayer Book.

Eternal Spirit, 

Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, 

Source of all that is and that shall be, 

Father and Mother of us all, 

Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! 

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! 

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! 

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us. 

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. 

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. 

From trials too great to endure, spare us. 

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,  now and for ever. Amen.

The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh: A Litany for Peace


As we are together praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.
Silence
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Silence
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Silence
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Silence
Let us be aware of the Source of Being common to us all and to all that is.
Silence
Evoking the presence of the Great Companion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—towards ourselves and toward all living beings.
Silence
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all nourished from the same Source of Life.
Silence
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of needless suffering.
Silence
Let us pray that we may live in a way which will not needlessly deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live in health.
Silence
With reverence for Life and with awareness of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.

Stay here for awhile and pray for all our family members who have unspoken prayers and remember to pray for all the families of those who seek to do evil that they may find solace and help in time of need. Remember that everyone is not excluded from our prayers even our enemies and those who wish us harm. 

May the cross carry you through whatever pain and suffering assails us. May we go forward with courage in the faith of Christ...

Christ crucified draw us to himself...

May we find in the cross a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven...

and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be with us always.

Amen.

Good Night Dear Ones ! I love you! Have a blessed rest. Remember we are on our Pre-Easter Mini Retreat! A good time to reflect on our Lenten devotions and how we did with picking up and laying down things in our lives.

With love and peace,

Sara

Our resources for today are from :

Walk With Me On Our Journey.

Book of Common Prayer

A New Zealand Prayer Book.

The Lectionary Page

Prayers of Power

A to Z quotes

Hymnary

Oremus Bible Browser - Passion Narrative

Questions to ponder- Tonight place yourselves in the different roles and write down how you feel and what it would mean to you if you were given the harder roles. Also why was it so important to identify Annas' and Caiaphas' relationship? How far was the Kidron Valley from the Upper Room? Could you walk to the Garden of Gethsemane in the dark?

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

according to John

Dramatis personæ:

John: the narrator

Jesus: the president, or another

On Good Friday, it is appropriate that the following parts are not spoken by the whole congrgation:

Soldiers

the Chief Priests

some or all of the following roles may be shared:

Peter

Pontius Pilate

a Woman

a Soldier

a Slave

John: Hear the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John. 

(John 18.1 – 19.end)

John: Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them,

Jesus: Whom are you looking for?

John: They answered,

Soldiers: Jesus of Nazareth.

John: Jesus replied,

Jesus: I am he.

John: Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he,’ they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them,

Jesus: Whom are you looking for?

John: And they said,

Soldiers: Jesus of Nazareth.

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.

John: This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.’ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

Jesus: Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

John: So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him.

First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter,

a Woman: You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?

John: Peter said,

Peter: I am not.

John: Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered,

Jesus: I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.

John: When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying,

a Soldier: Is that how you answer the high priest?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?

John: Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him,

Soldiers

and Slaves: You are not also one of his disciples, are you?

John: Peter denied it and said,

Peter: I am not.

John: One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked,

a Slave: Did I not see you in the garden with him?

John: Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said,

Pilate: What accusation do you bring against this man?

John: They answered,

Chief Priests: If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.

John: Pilate said to them,

Pilate: Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.

John: The Jews replied,

Chief Priests: We are not permitted to put anyone to death.

John: (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him,

Pilate: Are you the King of the Jews?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?

John: Pilate replied,

Pilate: I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.

John: Pilate asked him,

Pilate: So you are a king?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.

John: Pilate asked him,

Pilate: What is truth?

John: After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them,

Pilate: I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?

John: They shouted in reply,

Chief Priests: Not this man, but Barabbas!

John: Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying,

Soldiers: Hail, King of the Jews!

John: and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them,

Pilate: Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.

John: So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them,

Pilate: Here is the man!

John: When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted,

Chief Priests

and Soldiers: Crucify him! Crucify him!

John: Pilate said to them,

Pilate: Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.

John: The Jews answered him,

Chief Priests: We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

John: Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus,

Pilate: Where are you from?

John: But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him,

Pilate: Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?

John: Jesus answered him,

Jesus: You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.

John: From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out,

Chief Priests: If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.

John: When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. Pilate said to the Jews,

Pilate: Here is your King!

John: They cried out,

Chief Priests: Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!

John: Pilate asked them,

Pilate: Shall I crucify your King?

John: The chief priests answered,

Chief Priests: We have no king but the emperor.

John:

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,

Chief Priests: Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’

John: Pilate answered,

Pilate: What I have written I have written.

John: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another,

Soldiers: Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.

John: This was to fulfill what the scripture says, ‘They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.’ And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother,

Jesus: Woman, here is your son.

John: Then he said to the disciple,

Jesus: Here is your mother.

John: And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture),

Jesus: I am thirsty.

John: A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said,

Jesus: It is finished.

John: Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘None of his bones shall be broken.’ And again another passage of scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced.’

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In this version, a few pronouns have been changed to the corresponding proper nouns for clarity in a dramatic reading. No other changes have been made to the text of the NRSV.

This arrangement copyright © Simon Kershaw 2000, 2003 simon@oremus.org may be freely used, provided the NRSV acknowledgment is left intact.