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| Image by Jay Huang |
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A GREETING
Out of the depths I cry to you, O God.
(Psalm 130:1)
A READING
So they took Jesus;
and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull,
which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus between them. When Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture),
‘I am thirsty.’ 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. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
(John 19:16-18;28-30)
MUSIC
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, is from a 13th century Latin hymn that outlines in detail
the grief experienced by the Virgin Mary at the Crucifixion.
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
(Psalm 22:1)
A PRAYER
Out of the bud of the wood of the Cross
wherefore hearts' love embraces
whence out of extended arms
You lovingly take us.
- from the prayer of St. Francis Xavier
found on briarcroft
VERSE OF THE DAY
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
‘therefore I will hope in him.’
(Lamentations 3:22-24)
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| "What our Lord saw from the Cross," by James Tissot (bet. 1886 and 1894) Tissot inverts the classic image of Good Friday by taking the point of view of Jesus looking down. Can you see yourself in the crowd...? |
On Friday, the human Jesus dies. His murder is a slow brutal killing that expresses the capacity of human beings for evil. The human body of Jesus has interacted with countless people and animals too. The hands of Jesus that have healed suffering and restored life are now nailed to a cross. The feet which have walked endless miles to teach and preach, are also pierced. The back that has bent over in nurturing and caring, is now flogged and pressed to wood. The face that has gazed into the eyes of many, now hangs and is limp.
The violence of the murder of Jesus is what sometimes feels unrelatable to us --- as most of us have not ever witnessed a murder or seen its aftermath. As much as Jesus wanted us to see how much good we are capable of as human beings, perhaps he also yearned for us to see our capacity for evil. We learn from Jesus just how wide a range of good and evil can be embodied by humanity.
The execution of Jesus calls us to look at the places where such unabashed killing exists in our own time. The crucifixion continues in many forms in our world. If we are all made in the image of God, and if we are meant to see Christ in our neighbour, then whenever we intentionally and willfully cause harm to our neighbour, we are participating in the crucifixon. Jesus allows his mortal body to undergo agony and death, so that we might see for ourselves how much that murderous impulse continues to exist in human beings. The slow incremental loss of his power over the days of ministry and the days of Holy Week, is how he lays down his life for his friends. The crucifixion is all about us -- about what human beings do to each other. He was willing to take that on .
We are not at Easter, so it is only brokenness.
And yet, at the foot of the Cross are the women who stayed.
There are also in our own time witnesses, the people who do the work of attending at the moment of unconscionable suffering. Those who rescue migrants, those who intercept human trafficking, those who bring aid to war zones, who take risks with their own lives to save others -- are the women at the feet of Jesus.
There is so much killing in our world today, in the name of power and empire. How do we dismantle the systems of injustice that lead to human slaughter? What are we willing to do to sit at the foot of the Cross?
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| Image by Jay Huang |
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Scripture passages are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition.
For those who may wish to pursue an imagined narrative of the events of Holy Week as told through the eyes of Mary Magdalene, this blog was created in 2009 by Deacon Sherry and then republished in 2020.
Palm Sunday.
Holy Monday.
Holy Tuesday.
Holy Wednesday.
Maundy Thursday.
Good Friday.
(A new day will be made visible here each day.)
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LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!