Scripture Reading

And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This Is The King Of The Jews. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? More. Luke 23:36-49

Prayer

Lord, we are overwhelmed by the reality of the cross today. Most of us have been at the cross before, but we commit to a fresh response on this Friday. With sorrow we realize we are the ones who put the stripes on Your back and the nails in Your hands and feet. With gratitude we receive forgiveness, healing, and direction from the light of the cross. We reject unfaithful responses as well as anything in us that tries to stand at a distance. We draw near with our whole being. We leave different from when we came. We joyfully shoulder our own crosses until we join You in Paradise.

Discussion

1. Which response to Jesus leaves you with the most sadness? What are the factors that made that person or group respond in that way? What change would they need in their perspective in order to embrace the cross?
2. Why must the natural world respond to Jesus along with humanity? How does the natural world cry out to Jesus in the 21st century? How can we pay attention to nature’s response to Jesus now just as they must have when the sun turned to darkness then?
3. What is your response to the cross this Easter season? What factors play into your response? How does this differ from past Easters? If you gave your response on the first Good Friday, what do you think Jesus’ words to you would be?