Good Friday: At the Foot of the Cross

At the foot of the Cross

Good Friday at St Mary’s 12-30

As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’

Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.

It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ 

Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 

Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.” ’ 

Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’ 

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.’ This was to fulfil what the scripture says,
‘They divided my clothes among themselves,
   and for my clothing they cast lots.’ 
And that is what the soldiers did.

Hymn:  There is a green hill far away

Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ 

In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself.  He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, “I am God’s Son.” ’ 

The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

2 minutes silence

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’

2 minutes silence

Hymn:  O sacred head sore wounded

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Silence

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Silence

When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ 

Silence

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.

Silence

Hymn:  My song is love unknown

 the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Silence

Having said this, he breathed his last

Silence

When I survey the wondrous cross

Crucified, dead and buried.

on the third day he rose again from the dead

And so, on Easter Sunday, every church in Cheltenham will meet to celebrate Resurrection!

And at 8-00 on Easter Sunday morning you are invited to the Imperial Gardens and after for breakfast at St Andrew’s.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him may not perish

but may have eternal life.

‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ 
‘Where, O death, is your victory?
   Where, O death, is your sting?’ 
… thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen