Prayer for Holy Saturday

Jesus Dies

#12 Jesus Dies

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
take me along that holy way
you once took to your death.
Take my mind, my memory,
above all, my reluctant heart,
and let me see what once you did
for love of me and all the world.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. (John 19:30-34)

Surely he took up our pain, and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

(Jesus), being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus Laid in the Tomb

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Your journey through the stations of the cross is coming to an end. Spend some time pondering your journey. What have been the results of your journey in regards to your image of Jesus, your appreciation for who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for you? What are the invitations and challenges, in terms of how you are to live your life, that are implicitly contained in these stations? Spend some time exploring this with Jesus.

Closing

I adore You, O Christ, and bless You, for by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world and You have redeemed me.

FINAL CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,
your passion and death is the sacrifice that unites earth and heaven
and reconciles all people to you.
May we who have faithfully reflected on these mysteries
follow in your steps and so come to share your glory in heaven
where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit
one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer for Good Friday

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
take me along that holy way
you once took to your death.
Take my mind, my memory,
above all, my reluctant heart,
and let me see what once you did
for love of me and all the world.

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. (Mark 15:25-32)

(Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:14-15, 18)

Jesus extends his hand and a man takes a long heavy nail and feeling for the space just above the wrist, he feels for the place to drive the nail. Once finding the spot, he raises the hammer high and sends it crashing down on the head of the nail driving it through Jesus flesh and into the wooden cross beam below. He will repeat this with the other hand and then the feet. All the while Jesus is mocked, his identify denied, his power still masked. He is there by choice; he is enduring this agony for something far more precious to him than comfort, notoriety, earthly power or riches. There is a joy for which Jesus reaches that exceeds all he is currently enduring.

Spend sometime pondering the joy that fuels Jesus’ desire and ability to endure the cross (Hebrews 12:2). What is this joy? Spend some time considering what you would say to Jesus as he is nailed to the cross. What does Jesus say to you and how are you a part of the very joy Jesus is seeking?

Closing

I adore You, O Christ, and bless You, for by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world and You have redeemed me.

Psalm 46: Contemporary Version

Psalm 46

The Beloved is our refuge and our strength,
a Loving Presence in times of trouble.
Therefore we need not fear though
the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the
heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble
with its tumult.

There is a river whose streams
make glad the Holy City,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
The Beloved is in the midst of it,
it shall not be moved;
Our loving Creator is an
ever-present help.
The nations may be at war,
countries left in ruins,
yet is the Voice of the Almighty
heard, slowly breaking through
hearts of stone.
The Beloved is ever with us,
the infinite Heart of Love.

Come, behold the works of the Beloved,
how love does reign even in
humanity’s desolation.
For the Beloved yearns for wars to cease,
shining light into fearful hearts; loving
even those who oppress the weak,
refining hearts of steel!

“Be still and know that I am Love,
Awaken!  Befriend justice and mercy;
Do you not know you bear my Love?
Who among you will respond?”
O Blessed One, You know all hearts,
You are ever with us;
may Love ever guide our lives!