5 Last Words 6 Living Hope The Gospels record that Jesus spoke seven On Good Friday we rightly remember the times from the cross before He died. As you read sufferings of Jesus—the mocking, the flogging, each one, think about who He was speaking to and the crucifixion. And we shouldn’t forget that and why He said these words. the most agonizing part for Christ was enduring • “ Father, forgive them, because they do not the wrath of God on our behalf. These realities know what they do.” ~Luke 23:34 defy a light-hearted reaction. But this doesn’t 3 mean that Good Friday is not good. Start/End • “ Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me Bridge in paradise.” ~Luke 23:43 While it’s healthy for us to be reminded of the seriousness of our sin, and to be arrested by its • “ Woman, behold your son,” and “Behold dreadful consequences, we shouldn’t treat Good 1 your mother.” ~John 19:25-26 Friday as if we don’t know what comes next. The • “ My God, My God, why have you forsaken empty tomb hangs over the entire day, reminding me?” ~Matthew 27:46 us that • “I am thirsty.” ~John 19:28 • Christ’s suffering wasn’t pointless • “It is finished.” ~John 19:30 • His enemies did not get the best of him 2 • “ Father, into your hands I commit my • God the Father did not abandon him Swing Spirit.” ~Luke 23:46 • Our sin debt is not still outstanding Read and reflect on each statement and why • Jesus is no longer suffering for our rebellion Trellis Jesus said it. Which one resonates with you the most? Is it the forgiveness spoken over the “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord crowd who was jeering and mocking Him? Is it Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given 4 the tender way He treated His mother? Is it his us new birth into a living hope through the Water physical thirst – the reminder that He was fully resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Wall God, yet fully man. Is it the reminder that “It is ~1 Peter 1:3 finished” - words that seal our redemption and Spend some time praising God for the living hope secure our eternal home? you now have because of Christ’s sacrifice on that Good Friday. Adapted from David Burnette, “Approaching Good Friday 5 with Easter in Mind”, www.radical.net 6 Fountain For further reflection, read one (or all) of the crucifixion accounts in the gospels. Gazebo • Matthew 27:11-66 • Mark 15:1-47 • Luke 23:26-56 • John 19:16-42 Good Friday Prayer Walk - Dorothy B. Oven Park Instructions: 2 Betrayed 3 Jesus Paid It All 4 The Crucifixion Today we invite you to take a break from the Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. People know deep down that there is something “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a busy-ness of your life. In the quiet and stillness Not only was he with Jesus every day for nearly wrong with our world. Things aren’t right. The man of suffering, and familiar with pain. of this beautiful park on Good Friday, take time to three years, he witnessed everything Jesus did world has been damaged and defaced by sin. Like one from whom people hide their faces he reflect and pray. There are six places around the – feeding the 5,000, walking on water, raising We see it in our relationships, in the toil of our was despised, and we held him in low esteem. park to pray. The places are shown on your guide, Lazarus from the dead, healing the sick, and work, the brokenness of our marriages, and the and they are marked with small numbered signs. preaching to the crowds. He was even given rebelliousness of our own hearts. Surely he took up our pain and Find a bench to sit, read each corresponding bore our suffering, power along with the other disciples to cast out And yet, we are more than damaged by sin. We entry in your guide, reflect, and pray. Thank you demons, heal diseases and proclaim the kingdom are complicit. We are not merely victims of evil yet we considered him punished by God, stricken for coming. We pray God will use this time to of God (Luke 9:1-2). We don’t know the exact but also perpetrators. We must not deceive by him, and afflicted. draw you closer to Him as you prepare your heart moment when everything changed for Judas. ourselves into thinking that all the problems of sin But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was for Easter. Perhaps he was hoping Jesus would usher in are out there and that we are being affected only crushed for our iniquities; a new political kingdom with no more Roman by the sin of others. We too are involved in evil the punishment that brought us peace was on oppression. Maybe he thought Jesus wasn’t doing and selfishness, idolatry and greed. him, and by his wounds we are healed. 1 Good Friday? things the way he thought they should be done. What is so good about Good Friday? For the After all, he thought a woman using perfume God, in his mercy, has laid upon Jesus Christ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us believer, it is a somber day of reflection. It is a to anoint Jesus was just a waste of money. the iniquity of us all. We receive his perfect has turned to our own way; righteousness and he receives our sinfulness. time to remember and understand the depths of Ironically, He was also the treasurer of the group and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity All the debts we owed, all the sins we have ever abandonment, mockery, pain, suffering, and death and secretly helped himself to the moneybag of us all.” ~ Isaiah 53:3-6 that Jesus Christ endured for us. We know the (John 12:1-6). When Jesus started talking about committed: Jesus, God’s Son, is the One who rest of the story, and we know Easter Sunday is his upcoming death, perhaps Judas decided he’d pays the price. Bible scholars believe Jesus hung on that cross coming. But today we remember the day where had enough. So he found the chief priests and “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew for six hours before he died, and that was after He Jesus hung on the cross, beaten and bloodied, agreed to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver no sin, so that in him we might become the had been beaten and whipped and made to carry struggling to breathe, thirsting for something to (the price paid to a master if his slave was righteousness of God.” ~2 Corinthians 5:21 His own cross. Crucifixions were used as a social drink, yet strong enough to powerfully declare, “It deterrent to humiliate and make an example of accidentally killed). Are you quick to confess your sins to God or do is finished!” and give up His spirit into the hands the guilty criminal. It is hard for us to imagine the It’s easy to skip right over Judas. We know he you think your sins aren’t so bad compared to of His loving father. It is a day when darkness pain and suffering Jesus went through to take on betrayed Jesus with a kiss. We know he regretted others? Do you have trouble fully accepting God’s fell and the earth quaked and the veil of the God’s wrath for our sins to restore our relationship his actions later, after it was too late. But do we all forgiveness for your sins – all sins? Spend some temple was torn in two. A day in which even the with God. As you think about the nails piercing have a little Judas in us too? Have we hoped that time thanking God that we are forgiven of all unbelieving centurion declared, “Surely he was His hands and feet and Jesus’ suffering on the Jesus would act on our behalf in a certain way, our sins through Jesus’ death on the cross. The the Son of God” ~Matt 27:54 cross, re-read Isaiah 53:3-6 above and replace then gotten frustrated when He didn’t? Have we penalty of death we deserved for our sins was your name everywhere you see “we” or “our” or Pray “that (you) may know Him and the allowed secret sins to sneak into our lives? Are paid by the perfect, sinless Son of God in order “us”. (Ex. “Surely He took Steve’s pain and bore power of his resurrection, and may share his we tempted to try to manipulate God for our own to restore our relationship with God forever to all Steve’s suffering . .” What do those verses sufferings, becoming like him in his death” agenda? Have we traded our relationship with our who believe! Praise God! mean to you? Spend some time praying and ~Phil. 3:10 Savior for something the world has to offer? Adapted from Trevin Wax, “The Cross of Christ: thanking God for the ultimate sacrifice of His son. Pray and ask God to show you any areas in your God Instead of Us”, www.thegospelcoalition.org life where you are pursuing your own agenda instead of letting Him lead you. .