Good Friday
April 2, 2021
Opening
Holy God, quiet us this day and deepen us that we may be present to you in it.
Reflection
Oh Lord, how do we begin to take in the day’s events? Make us like the women who journeyed with you to the cross and remained there with you.
Invitation
Read the scripture through slowly, pausing where you are drawn. Take as long as you need. Imagine you are there as one of the women who journey with Him there. As you read, keep your eyes on Jesus. Listen to His words. Imagine His face as He speaks. What do you see in His eyes? Watch His actions. How does He respond? Stay focused on Him as you read. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your prayerful reading.
Scripture: Read John 19:1-6, 14-19, 28-30
“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…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… 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.”
Prayer of Response
Oh God to whom we belong,
our hearts are full and heavy within.
Your heart, your eyes were ever on us.
Even in your darkest hour
Your eyes, your love took us in.
Our tears were on your face.
Oh such love we cannot comprehend.
We sit in silence, and gratitude for all of it.
Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff
Founder and Executive Director