Tonight we encourage you to personally reflect, gather online with friends, or gather with your family and read below a portion of the lectionary reading for Good Friday. Allow yourself to remember that, even in our current circumstances, God is near. God is with us. God is pouring God’s self over into creation. This virus is not theological, it’s biological. We do not suffer alone, but we have a God who suffers with us. A God who knows isolation, fear, despair. We can trust God in this season precisely because God, in Christ, inhabits our humanity.
After reading, allow yourself to reflect on the questions below and share with each other if you'd like.
John 19:16-30
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. 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 fulfill what the scripture says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill 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: 40-42
They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
- What currently causes you fear or grief?
- What life circumstances may feel like loss or death?
- What life circumstances have brought you life?
- Where has God proven to be faithful?
- Where may the Spirit be inviting you to trust God?
Jesus knows our suffering, our grief, our pain and promises to walk through it with us - even leading the way. Our hope is that like him we too will experience resurrection life.
Peace be with you my friends,
Ashley