Good Friday Hour At The Cross 2016
Welcome & Introduction
Welcome to
our service of prayer and reflection for Good Friday.
Today Europe
faces the largest migration of
people since the Second World War, as hundreds of thousands of people flee
poverty, war and persecution.
The stations of the cross are a series of images which tell
the story of Christ’s crucifixion. Today
in our service we are going to be using an artistic re-interpretation of the traditional
'stations of the cross', using images and stories of refugees taken in
Lebanon, Calais and the UK, to help us reflect on Jesus’ death on the cross.
So let us
begin our service….
“For God so loved the world that
He gave His only Son….” John
3:16
gather round
I have a story to tell of one who reached inside himself
and took a handful of love
like a pile of stardust and said:
this is for you
it is all you need
it is all you will ever need
there is enough here
to change the whole world
take it
many laughed at him
mocked him
and ignored the invitation
but some dared to take it
and those who did
noticed something about this love
they found they could do
what the gift-giver could do
they could stand with the lost
welcome the refugee
eat with the hungry
they found themselves doing what the man first did to them
give something of themselves to others
they became like the man
offering themselves
and as they offered themselves
others took the invitation
and many still do
and many still trust
it is enough to change the whole world
Hymn There is a green hill
Bible Reading Matthew
26:36-46
36 Then Jesus went with
his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit
here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the
two sons of Zebedee along
with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My
soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to
the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little
farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is
possible, may this cup be
taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to
his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t
you men keep watch with me for
one hour?” he
asked Peter. 41 “Watch
and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The
spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second
time and prayed, “My
Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it,
may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he
again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and
went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to
the disciples and said to them, “Are
you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has
come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise!
Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Bible Reading Matthew
26:47-49
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the
Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent
from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now
the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man;
arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
57 Those who had
arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the
high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled… 59 The
chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were
looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find
any, though many false witnesses came
forward.
Finally
two came forward 61 and declared, “This
fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three
days.’”
62 Then the high priest
stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony
that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained
silent.
The
high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by
the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the
Son of God.”
64 “You
have said so,” Jesus
replied. “But I say to all of
you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the
Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest
tore his clothes and
said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now
you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”
“He
is worthy of death,” they
answered.
Bible Reading Matthew
26:69-75
69 Now Peter was sitting
out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus
of Galilee,” she said.
70 But he denied it
before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Then he went out to
the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there,
“This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 He denied it again,
with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while,
those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them;
your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to call
down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
Immediately
a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered
the word Jesus had spoken: “Before
the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside
and wept bitterly.
Hymn O sacred head, sore wounded
Bible Reading Matthew
27:1-2, 11-18, 20-26
27 Early in the morning,
all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have
Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him,
led him away and handed him over to
Pilate the governor.
11 Jesus stood before
the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“You
have said so,” Jesus
replied.
12 When he was accused
by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked
him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no
reply, not
even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
15 Now it was the
governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had
a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had
gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus
Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was
out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.
20 But the chief priests
and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus
executed.
21 “Which of the two do
you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,”
they answered.
22 “What shall I do,
then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate
asked.
They
all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why? What crime has
he committed?” asked Pilate.
But
they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that
he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was
starting, he took water and washed his hands in
front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he
said. “It is your responsibility!”
25 All the people
answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”
26 Then he released
Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and
handed him over to be crucified.
Bible Reading Matthew
27:27-31
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the
whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They
stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his
head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and
mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the
head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and is love unknown put his own clothes on him. Then they led
him away to crucify him.
Bible
Reading John
19:16-17
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying
his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called
Golgotha).
Bible Reading Luke 23:26
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon
from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put
the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
Bible Reading Mark
15:22-23
They brought Jesus to the place
called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him
wine mixed with myrrh, but
he did not take it. 24 And they crucified
him.
Hymn My song is love unknown
Bible Reading Luke 23:44-46
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 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.
Hymn When I survey the wondrous cross
Closing Prayer
Most merciful God your blessed son, our Saviour, was betrayed, whipped, and his face spat upon. Grant us grace to endure the sufferings of the present time, to remember those who suffer, especially refugees, and to overcome all that seeks to overwhelm us, confident of the glory that shall yet be revealed; through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.
May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, keep you and strengthen you, now and forever. Amen.
