For Our Sake

In our Good Friday sacred:space we took the 4 phrases of the apostle's creed as our focus - 'suffered, crucified, died and buried' based entirely on the narrative of Luke 23

Images were from the 'Christ we share' pack (CMS/USPG 3rd ed, 2007) and prayers and meditations from John Carden's excellent classic 'A procession of Prayers: meditations and prayers from around the world' (WCC 1998)

A mixture of Hymns and songs, music and meditation, with 'The Passion of the Christ' playing silently in the background and images of the cross from around the world.

In this blog, I simply share one quotation from each section and the responsive activity

1. SUFFERED LUKE 23:1-25

‘A god who cannot suffer is poorer than any human. For a God who is incapable of suffering is a being who cannot be involved. Suffering and injustice do not affect him. And because he is so completely insensitive, he cannot be affected or shaken by anything. He cannot weep, for he has no tears. But the one who cannot suffer cannot love either. So he is a loveless being’ Jurgen Moltmann (1974) the Crucified God

Activity: Prayers for a suffering world - light a candle or write a post-it prayer and place on World Map Globetrotting c/o Early Learning Centre

2. CRUCIFIED LUKE 23: 26-43

The meaning of the story is found in every detail, as well as in the broad narrative….. The death of Jesus…. is either the most stupid, senseless waste and misunder-standing the world has ever seen, or it is the fulcrum around which world history turns’ Tom Wright: Simply Christian (p95)

Activity: Hammer large nails into simple, large wooden cross

3. DIED Luke 23: 44-49

‘God’s act of universal forgiveness is the whole train of action he sets working through Christ, through the Spirit, through the Church, through all-embracing providence, towards the reconciliation of the unreconciled, whether in this world or in a world to come. And of this great process Christ’s blood was, once more, the cost.’ Austin Farrar Saving Belief (p 107)

Activity: contemplate an image of a cross or hold a crucifix in silence - write a prayer of thanksgiving

4. BURIED Luke 23:50-56

‘God in Christ has united our human nature to himself…. And demonstrated to us that supreme love of which Christ himself speaks: ‘Greater love has no-one than this (John 15 13), We are thus joined through his grace to him and our neighbour by an unbreakable bond of love….’ Peter Abelard

Activity: bury a bulb in soil and take it home as a sign of hope - we planted GLADioli (not SADioli) It was after all GOOD Friday !