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<\/a><\/p>\nLord of love,<\/p>\n
This is not a good day. It is a terrible day. A violent day. A tragic day.<\/p>\n
You came to seek and save and serve, and we betrayed you, we convicted you, and we made you a cross.<\/p>\n
But on this day, you showed the full extent of your love for us. A love that abounds far beyond our guilt and shame. A love that breaks the curse of sin and death. A love that shows us the way to the Father. A love that loved us to the very end. A love that conquers all.<\/p>\n
But before we rush ahead, let us be willing to linger here a while longer under the intersecting shadows. Let us feel the cries of the mockers resonate in our throats, the impact of each hammer blow in our palms, the futile resistance of your flesh against the spear\u2019s tip. We need<\/em> to remember what happened, we need to place ourselves there.<\/p>\nWe are like children, caught in the act of wrongdoing, frozen, only beginning to comprehend the weight\u00a0of what we\u2019ve done. Teach us what it means to be truly sorry. As we are stricken by\u00a0the horror of your\u00a0death, let our muscles be freed from the paralysis of fear, so that as we remember your death, we can follow you in life. Let us be wholeheartedly willing to pray the words of the hymnwriter:<\/p>\n
May I be willing, Lord, to bear
\nDaily my cross for thee,
\nEven thy cup of grief to share-
\nThou hast borne all for me.<\/p>\n
Holy One, you could have avoided the pain and agony, but you willingly took on the ultimate experience of human suffering. With one breath, you cried out in pain and lament. With another, your forgave your assailants.\u00a0In the silence, let us hear your final cry, \u201cIt is finished.\u201d Let it echo across time and space, and into our lives this very day.<\/p>\n
It is finished.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nFor those who are trapped in Friday\u2019s darkness: hear the good news:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those\u00a0crumbling beneath the weight of sin and guilt:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those struggling to break free from\u00a0addiction:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those grieving loss:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those who are in the perpetual night of mental illness, anxiety, and depression:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those of us who live in apathy:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those who suffer\u00a0want:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those that are abused and neglected:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those who mourn broken relationships:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those haunted by the past:
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
For those who are persecuted by evil regimes :
\nIt is finished!<\/p>\n
And though\u00a0our sins and sicknesses and pains and guilt and injustices may persist for now, their end has been secured. Love has won.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, it is finished, and because it\u2019s finished, this is<\/em> a good day.<\/span><\/p>\nIt is finished. And yet, it\u2019s only just begun.<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s only Friday\u2026<\/p>\n
These things we pray\u00a0in the name of the crucified, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray:<\/p>\n
Our Father, who art in heaven,<\/em>
\nhallowed be thy name.<\/em>
\nThy kingdom come,<\/em>
\nthy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.<\/em>
\nGive us this day our daily bread.<\/em>
\nAnd forgive us our trespasses,<\/em>
\nas we forgive those who trespass against us.<\/em>
\nAnd lead us not into temptation,<\/em>
\nbut deliver us from evil.<\/em>
\nFor thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,<\/em>
\nforever. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\nPhoto:
\nFlickr, Rob Deutscher<\/a>, creative commons 2.0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lord of love, This is not a good day. It is a terrible day. A violent day. A tragic day. You came to seek and save and serve, and we betrayed you, we convicted you, and we made you a cross. But on this day, you showed the full extent of your love for us. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2297,"featured_media":1933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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