it’s a short ride to Hades no stopping no coming back it’s not much of a place but better than no life at all Jesus went there descendit ad inferos he didn’t stay long less than forty hours he said Hades wasn’t the end of the line he said the last stop was New Jerusalem […]
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Prepared by Washington Park United Church of Christ, Denver, Colorado Background “The Good Friday Vigil Against Gun Violence emerged out of what Denver experienced as the Summer of Violence in 1993, when there was a high incidence of gun deaths in the metro region. The staff of Washington Park United Church of Christ thought it […]
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Inspired by Michael Rosen His were the hands That shaped the wood That smoothed the knot That summoned the friends And launched the boat His were the hands That touched the blind And opened ears That held the child And cast out fears His were the hands That fingered the coin That plucked the corn […]
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Cross Friday not Good, that strange completely unbiblical, not to speak of theologically incorrect, adjective for the Friday. I will not say or write or pray that torture and killing are ‘good’, though Jesus anticipated it, God worked with it, and the Spirit wasn’t nicknamed ‘Comforter’ for nothing. Calling someone ‘martyr’ is not defining a […]
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Wild God – words to Jesus It seems to us that things would be much easier if you would just do what we ask, Jesus, If you were more compliant and co-operative, more flexible and adaptable, more open to follow agendas other than your own. But frustratingly, you refuse to be tamed, Jesus. You won’t […]
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Tune: Williams, ‘Yes God is good’ Do you bring peace, will your peace last? Do you bring justice to this place? Do you bring hope when all is lost? Do we respond and share your grace? Do you plant seeds on barren land? Do you bring wine to quench our thirst? Do you speak words […]
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Originally written for Good Friday Jesus, man of sorrows, give me the courage to be a faithful witness to those who are suffering. Help me to overcome my awkwardness and fear to sit with them among the ashes, and to stay alongside. Help me to not recoil from sickness or death, but to be a […]
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‘We stand for…’, a Litany of Love We do not stand against, We stand for: Love, inclusion, life, and dignity, Offering a hand to those in need, Or a shoulder to those who weep. We do not stand against, We stand with: The fearful, the oppressed, The rebels and truth-tellers, Those who take action. We […]
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The next time it gets light I will awake with hope And tonight as it gets dark I will not fear The next time it grows light I will welcome the dawn The next time morning comes I’ll be reborn The next time it grows dark I will not hide away The darkness does not […]
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Psalm 22 arises in the Revised Common Lectionary on Good Friday, Lent 2 (B) and Proper 7 (C) and 23 (B). Oh, vacant sky! Oh, empty land! Oh heart of mine, bereft of hope! Why do I even bother crying? What’s the use Of even complaining? When there is no one to hear And no […]
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There you are In quieter moments In fragile sunrises In delicate tapestries There you are In words of encouragement In the tenderest touch In a subtle embrace There you are In sweeping majesty In roaring oceans In crashing thunder There you are In a stable On a cross In hope you are there
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Isolated Broken Spreading Infecting Darkness descends How did it come to this? God groans The world whimpers. We cower Fearfully crying out, ‘Now what?’ What about our old age? What about our grandchildren? Be not afraid. Follow the light. Follow peace. Where? Into the brokenness. Into this new reality. Fear not. Into the unimaginable. Cling […]
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Luke 23:33-43 – Jesus and the two criminals Told from the perspective of three Roman soldiers present at the crucifixion of Jesus. Appropriate for Good Friday or the 24th Sunday of Pentecost, Year C. Ready-to-print scripts: Luke 23, 33-43 drama PDF Luke 23, 33-43 drama Storyteller: Today’s Gospel reading, from Luke’s account, reminds us how […]
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Words to still the soul . . . used perhaps as one enters a worship space, or prepares to. Now, for this space, I put them all aside, the awesome things for which no words will come. Such grief must go where only God is guide. Our lovely plane darkens. Nightmares ride. The sunlit waters […]
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Mary’s Lament – a reflection originally written for a Good Friday service. This dramatic monologue revealing Mary’s anguish and distress has been read effectively at a Blue Christmas service, also. 2 Readers: Mary, mother of Jesus, and a Storyteller (narrator) Ready-to-print downloads: PDF Mary’s Lament dramatic reading WORD Mary’s Lament dramatic reading Life often overwhelms […]
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You could have given up on the world, left us God-forsaken, abandoned to darkness and despair. You could have shut your ears to our groaning, your eyes to our bleeding, your heart to our tears. You could have left us to live with our choices, our death-dealing, our cries of ‘Crucify him!’ But you are […]
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Written April 2018 during a time of personal reflection in the Lady Chapel, Ely Cathedral, UK, following the bombing of Syria by the US and the UK. Broken Bombed Darkness descends How did it come to this? God groans The world whimpers. We cower Fearfully crying out, ‘Which way?’ What about our grandchildren? Follow the […]
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Begin with a moment of silence and listen, for God is still speaking! In the silence, O God, I long to hear your words. In the breaking of dawn’s early light, I long to experience your presence. May the voice I hear this day be your voice, speaking a word of hope and healing into […]
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John 11:47-53 Caiaphas said, “…to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” Insights just occasionally an unexpected insight cuts through the veneer revealing the veneer revealing a layer that no-one, not even the prophet, has seen From Poets and Painters, page 34, by Richard Kidd (2015 published privately) Richard, previous principal of Northern College, […]
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The Empire Feeds Cold and dark clamp down on us. The Empire feeds itself, human bodies as fuel, boots tracking blood. Rachel weeping for her children, we’ve heard it before. The person with the megaphone doesn’t care. The emperor has spoken. Only the most fragile voice cries out for hope. The gentle bear it, weeping […]
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First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a […]
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WORD Good Friday Confession, Lawrence Moore Pause before the prayer, allowing God’s Spirit to search your heart. Make your own confession. Pause after the prayer to experience the reality of God’s forgiveness. I want to keep my hands smooth, my skin unbroken, my feet unscarred. I don’t want the imprint of the cross on my […]
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The clear pain, the death has brought me back, Submitted to your arms, almost a child. You don’t know whether to be thankful Or to cry For such happiness, Mother. My body, stripped of the mystery Is yours alone. Sweet your tears drip onto my shoulder And gather obediently near the blade. How good it […]
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Mark 15:25-39 Response I didn’t sign up for this. Not whips and nails, splinters and thorns, blood and stink and agony. I didn’t sign up for this. Not failure and despair, discouragement and derision, ignominy and ridicule. If it comes to this, I want to walk away too – flee; deny having ever known you. […]
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WORDS Ready-to-print – Prayer for Good Friday, Lawrence Moore O God, you are rich in mercy. For when I was nothing, you made me something. When I wanted nothing to do with you, you came looking for me to bring me home as a lost child, rejoicing. When I swore I never knew you, […]
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This service involves each member of the congregation through actions. Each worshipper receives a large nail upon arrival and is invited to interact with their nail at different points in the service. Following the reading from John 19 and Luke 23, they are invited to hold the nail for a personal reflection. Later they are invited to […]
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This litany was first used at an ecumenical Earth Day service in Denver, Colorado USA, sponsored by Eco-Justice Ministries and the Colorado Council of Churches. (slightly adapted for inclusive language) Biblical references include: Lamentations 1:20 (Holy Week), Psalms 5:1 (Sixth Sunday of Pentecost, Year C), Psalms 31:14-15 (Holy Week), 25, Psalms 71:14 (Holy Week), Romans 15:13 (Second Sunday of […]
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Might be used as an opening meditation at a confessional reflective service such as Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. Can be read by a single voice, multiple voices or responsively. Start in Silence. A drumbeat begins, getting louder than softer. The drumbeat tapers off into a soft background beat for the prayer. O Steady One, […]
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Mark 14:27-31 (Year B) Jesus: “You will all become deserters…” Peter: “Even though all become deserters, I will not!” Jesus: “Truly I tell you… this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” Peter: “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you…” Disciple 1: (stand in […]
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Originally written in response to police shootings and deaths in the USA… God, You who are ultimately in control, the fury and pain and death of this world are before us this day. We weep over the hunger, war, conflict, and hate cursing the landscape of the earth, wasting lives that barely had a chance, […]
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God, you are not distant from us You came to us in vulnerability You offered yourself as a gift of love. We pray today for those who are in the midst of darkness The darkness of poverty The darkness of loneliness The darkness of grief The darkness of despair Wherever shadows threaten to overwhelm Wherever […]
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