God of hope,
God of promise, God of light
on this day
we gather to hear a story that speaks of hopes dashed,
promises left
unfulfilled,
of death and
darkness crushing life and light.
Today we
remember a betrayal,
a trial,
a conviction,
an execution.
We remember
that when one speaks out against the powerful there is often a price.
We remember a
story that took place long ago in a far away land.
And yet....
Today we
remember that crosses and injustices are not only a distant reality.
We remember
that the world still strikes back against visions that,
somehow, are
“not right”.
And so...
As we
remember the old story today, help us also to hold in our prayers:
those who are
punished for doing or saying the right things,
those who are
condemned and rejected for being who You have made them to be,
those whom
the world has called expendable, whom Jesus calls “the least of
these”,
the ones we
are called to serve, to protect, to nurture – as if they were
Christ staring at us.
As we recall
the powers of the world, may we always remember those who are crushed
by that power
...time of
silent prayer...
God of life
and death, God of hope in despair, God of light in the darkness,
today as we
tell the story, may we be reminded of its truth.
Today as we
hear again of how few remained to watch at the cross,
may we be
challenged to think of when we take the easier road.
Today as we
hear the anguished words “it is finished”,
may we
remember that it is not finished,
may we
remember that as people of faith, people who follow the one on the
cross,
we have a
duty and a calling to share and preach his vision of a world
transformed,
to pray and
yearn and work for the day when the Kingdom is full and real around
us.
And
accordingly...
Even as we
mark the darkness falling on this day, in this moment,
remind us of
the hope and mystery that:
light
replaces darkness,
hope defeats
despair,
and life
conquers death.
As we await
the dawning of a new day, may we be filled with the passion of Jesus
of Nazareth,
the passion
for a world that could be so much more than it is.
And, filled
with that passion, may we live it out in our daily lives,
willing even
to risk a cost equivalent to a cross outside the city gates.
We pray in
His name.
Amen.
