John 18:1-19:42 KJV; Good Friday; The Good News is that because Jesus died for us and yet lives, we too shall live.

 

Tried And Crucified

Good Friday:  John 18:1-19:42 KJV; Jesus was tried and crucified. There can be no resurrection without first a death. There can be no Easter without Good Friday.

Holy Week Should Not Be Ignored

Luke 22:1-23:56 KJV; Palm/Passion Sunday; Holy Week and most emphatically Good Friday should not be ignored. Without this Good Friday, without Jesus' death there would be no Easter Sunday. There would be no resurrection. There would be no salvation.

Isaiah Prophesied Jesus' Suffering

Isaiah 53:3-7 KJV; Isaiah prophesied Jesus suffering and dying for our sins.

Were You There? Where are you?

John 19:17-27; Good Friday; Were you there? Where are you now? It is Good Friday - please don't forget to observe it and remember what happened on that Good Friday so long ago. There is no Resurrection without death.

Palm Sunday 2024

John 23:12-13; Palm Sunday; The week of passion. I will try to keep up... Just a bit under the weather which seems is a bit typical for Lent for me.

Good Friday 2023

Matt 26:69-75 KJV; We Are All Betrayers.

Palm Passion Sunday Matthew 27 2023

Matthew 27; KJV Palm-Passion Sunday - a reading from the day of Jesus' execution.

Good Friday

Psalm For Good Friday

Psalm 22 is a reminder of one of the darkest days in history. But, the darkness of that day has brought us great joy as the darkness turned to light for all who believe in him. With tears of both sorrow and joy for the covenant sealed with his blood as we observe his death with our eyes looking forward to the resurrection.

Psalm 22 KJV

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.

All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. 

Passion of Christ According to St Matthew

Were You There: Are You There?

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

                                                                                     (Isaiah 53:3-8 KJV)

Who was there? Were you there when they crucified our Lord? Who had the courage to witness the crucifixion of Jesus? The two criminals who were crucified with Jesus were with him. The soldiers who nailed him to the cross were there. Many of the Jews may witnessed his crucifixion, from a distance, as Golgotha was not too far from the city. Were they were able to read the sign? Did they read the words "JESUS OF NAZARETH. THE KING OF THE JEWS" as he struggled to carry his cross to his death?

The three Mary's were there to witness his death; Jesus' mother, Mary, and her sister Mary and Mary Magdalene were there. Where were the close disciples whom he had called? Was Peter there or was he still in hiding? But, John was there. John, the disciple who loved Jesus, was there.

As Jesus was being tried and brutalized and killed, he was pretty much alone. The majority of his flock had deserted him to protect themselves. In these days when the majority of the country has been told to shelter in place; I wonder if we are there, if we are even able to be there for those who are suffering and dying.

Just a reminder on this Good Friday of something that Jesus told us: 

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

                                                                                           (Matt 25:41-45)

On this Good Friday as we recall that the sheep deserted the shepherd when he was put to death for the very sake of the sheep, let us consider if we are truly there for Christ in our fellowman today? Do we continue to desert him?

God's Peace - Pr. J