This page contains the entire service but without the poems by Nell Hodgson for which I do not yet have copyright release or the Audiovisual Meditation (Powerpoint Presentation) which was too large to be included.
Hymn: You laid aside Your majesty (Noel Richards)
Sentence of Scripture: "Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed." (Isa 53:4-5 NRSV)
Heavenly Father, we pray, as we come to worship you
and to meditate on the saving work of your beloved son, Jesus Christ,
that our minds might be lifted above the worries of this world,
to focus on you and you alone;
fill us with your Holy Spirit that we might understand
the height and depth and breadth of Christ’s love for us.
In your name we pray. Amen.
Jesus in Gethsemane
One thing the Bible is realistic about is the cost of discipleship. There’s no false triumphalism in the Bible. The Psalms speak loudly about the questioning of David when things don’t go the way he expected. Ps 22, which we’re going to look at today, is a lament that expresses his fear that God has left him alone. It expresses the difficulty of waiting with patience for God’s promises to be fulfilled. David had been anointed as king but the closest he’d got to the throne had been playing the harp for a king who seemed to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. And out of his despair, or perhaps as a way of dealing with that despair he penned these words, words of both despair and faith, of desperation and of hope, words that are taken up by Jesus as he hangs on the cross nearing death and the agony of separation from God his Father.
Jesus’ suffering begins in fact, not on the cross, but in the garden of Gethsemane. And it’s made greater by the failure of his own disciples to remain awake and praying with him. In the end he has to face this moment alone. He’s even forsaken by his faithful disciples at the last moment.
"Jesus Alone" Nell Hodgson
Jesus denied
Not only do his disciples let him down, but later that night, after he’s arrested, Peter, the leading light of the disciples, the one who was first to acknowledge him as Messiah, God’s anointed one, denies even knowing him, not once, but three times, just as Jesus had predicted.
(Mat 26:69-74 NRSV) Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." 70But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." 71When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." 73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." 74Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed.
"Peter" - Nell Hodgson
Prayer of confession:
Lord Jesus Christ, you lowered yourself even to death that we might be forgiven.
We bring to you now our failings, our disobedience,
our unwillingness to put ourselves out for others,
our desire to rule our own worlds rather than submit to your rule.
Lord, these are the reason you needed to die.
Forgive us, cleanse us and change us.
By your Holy Spirit enable us to live for you.
We ask this in your gracious name. Amen.
Declaration of forgiveness: God desires that none should perish, but that all should turn to Christ and live. In response to his call we acknowledge our sins. God pardons those who humbly repent, and truly believe the Gospel. Therefore we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hymn: At The Cross (Philip Percival and Bryson Smith)
Jesus in despair
Jesus, hanging on the cross, cries out, in agony, the first line of Psalm 22. He knows the rest of the psalm. He knows that just the first line will remind those around him of the rest. So he cries out his agony and desperation at the thought that God would leave him at this moment of suffering.
(Psa 22 NRSV) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? 2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
It’s impossible to imagine the depths of pain, of desolation, Jesus must have been feeling at that moment. His entire life he’d enjoyed perfect communion with his Father in heaven. When his forty days in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan, were finished, God had sent his angels to minister to him. It was his habit to go out to a quiet place to spend time with God at the beginning or the end of a busy day; to be strengthened and refreshed by his communion with the Father. But now, at the end, as he faced this terrible death by asphyxiation, God was gone! He was separated from God by the sins of the whole world. He was at that moment experiencing the true horror of hell; total separation from all that is good and worthy and pure in human life.
Yet, his choice of Psalm 22 is not random. He knows that even though there’s a gulf fixed between him and God, a gulf caused by the sins of the world, God is a God who can be trusted. His death is part of the plan set in motion by God from the beginning. God is still sovereign, even if he seems distant, even if it seems that God has abandoned him.
Ps 22: 3Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
Hymn: You Gave your Life (Steve Tilbrook)
Jesus Scorned
(Mat 27:39-44 NRSV) Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads 40and 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." 41In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42"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. 43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ’I am God’s Son.’" 44The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.
Jesus’ suffering was not just from the disciples letting him down. It wasn’t just from the pain of crucifixion. Not even just the abandonment of God. It was also the fact that his own people were mocking him. Those hundreds, maybe even thousands who had streamed out of Jerusalem just a few days before to welcome him as the king, the promised Messiah, who had thrown down palm branches, even their coats, in homage were now laughing at him, throwing insults, making a joke of his claim to be God’s anointed king.
Ps 22: 6But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. 7All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; 8"Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver-- let him rescue the one in whom he delights!"
Perhaps the hardest thing of all is when fellow believers question your faith in God, your faith in God’s ability or willingness to help you. When they cry out in that sarcastic voice: "Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver-- let him rescue the one in whom he delights!" The effect that sort of thing has on us is to make us question our own belief in God. Have we got it wrong? Is God’s apparent inaction a sign that we were wrong about him? Are we foolish to trust God to look after us?
What can we do to keep our faith strong? Well, again Palm 22 helps us. David knows where to look when doubt arises. Not to our inner fears. Not to the voices of the mockers. Not to the world around us that’d have us deny the God who’s saved us. No, he looks back to what God has done for him in the past. He looks back to what he knows about God and that gives him confidence in what God might be doing at the moment.
Ps 22: 9Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast. 10On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
Prayer Response:
Merciful God, you have made all people,
and hate nothing that you have made,
nor do you desire the death of a sinner,
but rather that they should turn to you and live:
have mercy upon all who do not know you,
or who deny the faith of Christ crucified;
take from them all ignorance,
hardness of heart, and contempt of your word;
and bring them home to your fold, blessed Lord,
so that they may become one flock under one shepherd,
Jesus Christ our Lord;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn: When I survey the wondrous Cross (AHB 258)
When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down:
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of Nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!
As Jesus is approaching Calvary, God gives him a small reminder of his presence with him, through the intervention of an otherwise unknown man, Simon of Cyrene. Just as Jesus finds it impossible to carry the load of the cross, Simon is enlisted to help him.
Simon of Cyrene - "Simon" Nell Hodgson
(Luke 23:26-35 NRSV) 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. 27A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. 28But Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For 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.’ 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ’Fall on us’; and to the hills, ’Cover us.’ 31For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" 32Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33When 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. 34Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" (3 readers)
Hanging on the cross, Jesus is an object of scorn, a lost cause; a dead man with the vultures circling overhead waiting for the final death throes. As far as the soldiers are concerned the only good thing about him is that he has some decent clothes to gamble over. That at least passes the time and gives some of them some extra profit from the day.
Jesus - a Lost Cause?
Ps 22: 11Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled; 17I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; 18they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.
As David continues his psalm it’s with both a plea for help and a confidence in the salvation of God, a confidence that leads him to proclaim that salvation even before it’s accomplished.
Ps 22: 19But you, O LORD, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! 20Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! 21Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
Intercessions: God of the crucified Jesus, we pray:
For the church:
that we may be courageous in carrying the cross,
compassionate in forgiving our enemies:
and willing to use our resources
in love for all for whom Jesus died.
For Australia:
that our Australian nation may be both just and generous:
and experience the grace that comes
from losing life and finding it.
For the suffering:
that sick, hungry and suffering people
may know your love and receive your help
which they need physically, mentally, or spiritually:
In the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings,
may they know there is a God who understands.
For our families and friends:
that, according to their individual needs,
your divine strength may be experienced in human weakness:
and that hopes that have been buried
may germinate and grow by your power,
and be ready for a resurrection.
For each of us here:
that we may be lifted above anxieties, guilt,
bewilderment, pain, or fear,
and, by the mercy of Jesus,
who bore our sorrows and carried our shame,
find peace at the foot of the cross.
Blessed be your name, God of the Crucified,
Friend of the needy and forsaken. Amen.
Hymn: You are my Hiding Place (Michael Ledner)
(John 19:25b-30 NRSV) Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." 27Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), "I am thirsty." 29A 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. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
It Is Finished
Jesus knew that his work was done. Perhaps his consciousness of God being absent was over. Perhaps he knew that the power of sin was broken in those hours of darkness when God had abandoned him. Whatever the reason, he was able to cry at the end, "It is finished." His work of redemption, the removal of sin was complete. It’s almost a sigh of relief that we hear as he breathes his last. Now all that waits is his resurrection on Easter morning. For us, his followers, there is only praise and thanksgiving to be offered to the God who brought this salvation plan to fruition, who gave his only begotten Son so that we might not perish, but might have eternal life. Let’s read the final words of Ps 22 together and join David in praise of the God who has brought about such a great salvation.
Ps 22: 22I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him. 25From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever! 27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 29To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Hymn: Hear our Praises (Reuben Morgan)
Final prayer:
As sentries look for the morning, so we wait eagerly for you, O Lord. Come with the dawning of the day, and make yourself know to us in the breaking of the bread, for you are our God forever and ever. Amen.
Meditation: Jesus Dies
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