When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
We observed Good Friday in worship at Ken Mawr. It was good to worship where there was a visible cross. There were only two children but the pastor did a youth message. I was glad he didn’t skip it since our Savior would have died for just one of us.
In his message, “The Cross We Do Not Want to See,” he mentioned a cross no one wanted to see because it was made from weapons welded together. It reminded me of a woman I knew in a Bible study whose Bible was a loose leaf binder…the cross and any other part she didn’t like were easy to remove.
It was said that Christ would lament that most would pass Him by and not notice Him on the cross, but now could you see His beaten body hanging there and ever doubt His love for you?
The closing story was of a pilot lost at night who found a large lighted cross he used as a beacon to safely land the plane and to find his way back to Christ.
When we lived in Crafton I had a 40’ tall cross in Christmas lights on the back of my house. The cost of lighting it from about Thanksgiving until Easter when the trees would leaf out and block it, the cost of bulbs, and the work of dragging the ladder out, etc., would occasionally make me think it was time to quit. God would allow me meet someone who told me how much they looked forward to seeing that cross, and that would make it all worthwhile. The best thing was there was a church across the street and everyone assumed that was where the cross was.
The pastor has a good speaking voice. I wish he would let more of his passion come through in his preaching.
I thought Communion was never offered on Good Friday; however Communion was served by intinction although there seemed to be some confusion about which direction the congregation should approach from. The bread was offered silently, and I wished the elder had served the pastor after she was served.
The highlight of the service was a member’s presentation of Mary. As parents who lost a son, it was very moving for us, painful and very much appreciated.
I was unexpectedly able to attend mid-day worship this day, and we were led to Ken Mawr. We arrived just as the service started.
The most powerful part was the monologue by the woman as Jesus’ mother. It had me in tears almost from the start. Her voice cried as she wondered aloud how “this” (the crucifixion of her Son) happened, why, for what purpose; she agonized over His condition, how He’d been beaten, and seeing the nails through His wrists and feet. She recalled her joy at His birth and her pride when they had to return to Jerusalem and found Him in the Temple teaching. And her bewilderment, anger, and torment as she watched her Son dying on the cross.
The words were exactly right, and I briefly wondered if someone had been reading my devotions from the first year I was writing, they sounded that familiar. It was hard to listen to, and I was glad I had a package of Puffs in my purse. I was also very glad to witness it.
Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You open the hearts of this congregation that they would see how much You love them, that when they see the cross there would be no doubt. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.