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| Image by Peter Kurdulija |
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A GREETING
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
(Psalm 130:1)
A READING
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. when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil 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.
(John 19:16-18;28-30)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSES
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
(Psalm 22:1-2)
A PRAYER
Out of the bud of the wood of the Cross
wherefore hearts' love embraces
whence out of extended arms
You lovingly take us.
- from the prayer of St. Francis Xavier
found on briarcroft
VERSES OF THE DAY
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
‘therefore I will hope in him.’
(Lamentations 3:22-24)
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| Image by Bo Insogna |
It is in the theology of many Christian denominations to reflect on the Crucifixion by considering a Jesus who takes on the burden of our sins, so that we might be freed to start again. However much this may be real for us, and an important part of Good Friday for many, it poses the risk of making the Crucifixion something that does not really belong to anything in our life: an event that Jesus undertook for us, which we solemnly mark each year, but which we do not have to be accountable for in our day to day life. The dialogue of the passion narrative, however, especially in John, suggests strongly to us that we participate in crucifixions every day.
How can we take the Crucifixion away with us, beyond Good Friday, as a point of reflection throughout the year? How can the way of the Cross become a new way of seeing?
One way might be to consider crucifixion as any action that willfully removes a human being from all forms of love. If we can ask ourselves the question, “where is/was the source of love?” for particular individuals or peoples in a situation, and find no answer, we can wonder if the Crucifixion is present. Jesus went to the Cross in the hope that as we gaze on his suffering, we will gaze on all suffering, and the power of it will be so great that we won’t want anyone to suffer ever again. We will feel the intense annihilation of love that led to that event. We will feel also the deep love of Jesus in undertaking that suffering. The Cross offers us the hope that whenever we see suffering, we will see Jesus suffering too and not only feel that pain, but want to take it away.
We can start by examining our own lives. Where have we intentionally annihiliated love from others? When did we knowingly leave someone without any resources or possibility of helping themselves? As you pray on these moments, invite the suffering Jesus into that space. What is the commitment you can find that will help you restore life — if not to that remembered person, then toward others?
In today’s music we hear Mahalia Jackson singing “Were you there..,” a hymn that many of us sing on Good Friday. This recording was made in 1960, on the Ed Sullivan show, at a crucible time in the American Civil Rights movement. Many rights and freedoms that have since been enshrined in laws in both the United States and Canada, did not yet exist. The work of those who sought change helped to realize the hope that lies underneath all suffering. If we work together for change in any situation of injustice, our weeping has the capacity to transform us into those who build up the realm of God.
How can we take our awakened minds, open-eyed to suffering, and pray our hands and hearts into the embodied hope that Jesus calls us to?
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| Image by Jan Maklak |
LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!