Good Friday

The Gospel reading – John 18:1 to 19:42

A prayer :

Matthew 27:46 My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

In all our human fragility, we bring to mind

all who feel desolate or afraid,

all who long to hear a human voice,

all who yearn to feel the touch of a loved one;

those who have long been discarded by others,

disowned or renounced by family;

those locked-in to themselves by illness, or despair.

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.

John 19:28. I thirst.

Give me a drink

The journey has been long and hard,
the territory strange;
and parched throats need refreshing –
give me a drink.
And ancient springs fulfilment give
and quench a passing stranger.

—

But now the thirst returns once more 
(the way is lined with grief) -
shamed, debased, excorified,
absolutely stricken.
No ancient springs relief can give
to one so close to passing.

—

A yearning from this place of fear -
the end is now in sight,
and parched souls need refreshing:
give us to drink
from ancient springs contentment’s cup
poured out for us in blessing.

Isaiah 53:4-6

⁴ Surely he has borne our infirmities
   and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
   struck down by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions,
   crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
   and by his bruises we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
   we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

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