GOOD FRIDAY 18th April 2003

THE SERVICE

Welcome & Notices

Opening Acclamations
Christ became obedient unto death for us:
even death upon a cross.
He was pierced for our sins:
bruised for no fault but our own.
His punishment has brought us peace:
and by his wounds we are healed.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches and wisdom:
strength, honour, glory, and praise.  Amen.

166 Give me a sight O Saviour

Mark 15:33-37

We will say all the Psalms together. Each psalm or group of psalms ends with...
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

Psalm 22

Sermon Part 1

745 Were you there

Confession
God shows his love for us in this: while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. Sure of reconciliation
through the death of his Son, we confess our sins to God.
Romans 5.8
Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess we have failed you as did your disciples. We ask for your mercy and your help. Our selfishness betrays you: Lord, forgive.
Christ have mercy.

We fail to share the pain of your suffering: Lord, forgive.
Christ have mercy.

We run away from those who abuse you: Lord, forgive.
Christ have mercy.

We are afraid of being known to belong to you: Lord, forgive.
Christ have mercy.

May the Father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in his service to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Wonderful grace

Luke 23:32-46

Psalm 31

Sermon Part 2

A Creed
Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God:
Though he was divine,
he did not cling to equality with God,
but made himself nothing.
Taking the form of a slave,
he was born in human likeness.
He humbled himself,
and was obedient to death
even the death of the cross.
Therefore God has raised him on high,
and given him the name above every name:
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.  Amen.
Philippians 2.9-11

465 Meekness & majesty

John 19:25-37

Psalm 34

Sermon Part 3

85 Come and see

Prayers
Father, Simon from Cyrene was forced to carry the cross for your Son. Give us grace willingly to lift heavy loads from those we meet
and to stand with those condemned to die.
Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.
Your Son watched the soldiers gamble to share his clothes.
Look with forgiveness on those whose hearts are hardened by their work, and those who know not what they do. Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.
The thief looked for the coming of the kingdom, and heard Christ say 'Today you shall be with me.'
Give pardon and hope, healing and peace to all who look death in the face. Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.
In Mary and John your Son created a new family at the cross.
Fill us with your love, and give all your children a secure hope for the future. Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.
The centurion was astonished to recognise your Son in the crucified Messiah.
Open the eyes of those who do not know you to grasp in your Son the meaning of life and death.
Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.
Nicodemus came to take your Son's body away. Give hope and faith to the dying and bereaved, gentleness to those who minister to them, and courage to those whose faith is secret. Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.
Simon and Nicodemus, Mary and John were drawn into the life of your church in Jerusalem.
Bring into your Church today a varied company of people,
to walk with Christ in the way of his passion,
and to find your salvation in the victory of his cross.
Lord of the Church:
hear our prayer, and make us one in heart and mind
to serve you with joy for ever.  Amen.

458 Man of sorrows

Blessing
May he send us out to glory in his cross,
and live no longer for ourselves but for him,
who died and was raised to life for us.  And the blessing. . .

THE ( THREE-PART ) SERMON

Mark 15:33-37
33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

Psalm 22

SERMON PART 1

Today we will be looking at the words of Jesus from the cross and, at times, seeing how they, or the circumstances of the cross link to the Psalms.
Psalm 22 is an anguished prayer of David as a godly sufferer victimized by the vicious and prolonged attacks of enemies whom he has not provoked and from whom the Lord has not (yet) delivered him. The words written by David found their ultimate fulfilment 1000 years later in the death of Jesus. No other psalm fitted quite so aptly the circumstances of Jesus at his crucifixion. Therefore, on the cross he spoke these words. This psalm is quoted more than any other in the NT.
The words "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"  were spoken in Aramaic (but with some Hebrew characteristics), one of the languages commonly spoken in Palestine in Jesus' day. They reveal how deeply Jesus felt his abandonment by God as he bore the sins of mankind.
Many people here will not have to imagine the pain of bereavement. The distress of being separated from someone we have loved, perhaps for a long time. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have since before time began been united in love and fellowship. But, on the cross Jesus the Son voluntarily took upon himself the punishment for the sins of the world, which is separation from God. That is why he cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" At that moment in time the Godhead was shattered, soon to be restored. It was not that God the Father ceased to love God the Son. But justice had to be done, and by taking upon himself the punishment of many, Jesus allowed them to be free and forgiven.

Luke 23:32-46
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." 44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 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.

Psalm 31

SERMON PART 2

Dividing up his clothes. It was the accepted right of the executioner's squad to claim the minor possessions of the victim. Jesus' clothing probably consisted of an under and an outer garment, a belt, sandals and possibly a head covering. Unwittingly the soldiers were fulfilling the words of Ps 22:18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
In this whole episode God is in control, carrying out the plan he made before time began to save the human race.
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
There is a sense in which this criminal symbolizes all Christians. He acknowledges that he has done wrong and deserves punishment. He realizes that Jesus is unjustly punished, and he asks Jesus to save him. Although he may not have seen his conversion in quite the way we may, you might say that this man was the first ever Christian. The first to be saved by Jesus' death.
Paradise actually means a walled garden. It looked forward to a coming age of the Messiah where man and God would be together, like the garden of Eden before the fall. The Jews thought that the righteous would go there after death, as shown by the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19ff.
We should not get too worried about the time aspect, today you will be with me in paradise, if we remember that God is outside time. So we should see paradise and heaven as the same, a dwelling of humankind and God, free from the constraints of time, sin, and death.
This is the kingdom, or reign of God that we can look forward to. We are called to live under his reign, now and into eternity.

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
The word for 'Spirit' literally means 'breath' or 'wind'. Jesus was deliberately offering back to God His human life using the words of Psalm 31:5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;  redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
Jesus uses this Psalm deliberately to show that, although He seems to have been defeated by evil men, He still will rely on God to 'redeem' him. To restore Him to His previous condition.
Jesus gives up His life for others to God trusting that God will vindicate Him.
Jesus' life was a gift from God and belonged to God. His life and death was a testimony to this. In life and death He surrendered Himself to God the Father.

John 19:25-37

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37 and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

Psalm 34

SERMON PART 3

Verse 26 Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."
Mary was one of a group of women who followed Jesus and this may have caused a gulf between her and Jesus' brothers. John records that 7:5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.  This may have motivated Jesus asking John to 'adopt' his mother.
John is the only one of the apostles with courage enough to take his stand with the women by the Cross. Women remained at the cross until the burial and were first at the empty tomb. Women joined the men in prayer between Ascension and Pentecost (Acts 1:14). The disciples in Jerusalem met in the house of Mary, mother of John Mark (12:12). Women were the first converts in Europe, including the prosperous business woman Lydia at Philippi (16:13-15). We should not forget the role that women played in Jesus' life and ministry, and the way he treated them as people. In contrast many of his contemporaries would have seen a woman as inferior, a 'thing'.
Jesus was motivated by love to provide practical care for his mother. Even whilst he was suffering physical and spiritual pain on the cross he could still do this. He even called her 'dear woman' rather than 'mother'. This was an act of compassion. Using the word 'mother' could have been too difficult for Mary as she watched her first born son hanging in pain on a cross. Calling Mary 'mother' might have been heard by others who were jeering at Jesus, and they could have turned their derision onto his mother.
Jesus response to Mary would have been inspired by love and compassion, but also by the Scriptures. Exodus 20:12 12 "Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;  you lay me in the dust of death.
Even though he was in terrible physical and spiritual pain Jesus could still think of fulfilling the Bible and say that he was thirsty. However, there were some things that He had no control over, yet God the Father had control over.
We saw this in Luke 23:34 when the soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothing.
We also see this:

29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.
Psalm 69:21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"
Psalm 34: 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
It is finished was not a cry of defeat but of a goal that had been reached, something that had been accomplished.
Adam Clarke's commentary: It is as if Jesus had said: "I have executed the great designs of the Almighty - I have satisfied the demands of his justice - I have accomplished all that was written in the prophets, and suffered the utmost malice of my enemies; and now the way to the holy of holies is made manifest through my blood."
The way to God is open for those who put their lives in Jesus' nail scarred hands. This was the symbolism of the tearing of the Temple curtain in two ( Luke 23:45  ).  The kingdom of heaven is available to all those who follow the way of Christ, dying to their old selves and rising to a new life. A new life free from the condemnation of God, free to follow the way of God the Father and God the Son in the power of Hod the Holy Spirit. This is the Easter, resurrection faith that is there waiting for those who turn to Jesus. Let us live that life afresh this Easter, and beyond.