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The Man on the Cross © 1999 Alcress Communications There is a certain starkness about Good Friday. We clear away all the trappings and all that remains is the bare cross. It is a time of stark reminder about the centrepiece of our religion. For without the Cross, Christianity would be nothing. It is at the cross we must pause to focus again on the price that Jesus paid for our redemption - for our freedom from the power of sin and to restore us to the arms of the father. On this the day that we remember the death of our Lord. Let us pause for a moment on the dark side of the cross. Let us stare together at the stark wood on which salvation was wrought and think again of our Lord as he hung and suffered there Were you there when they crucified my Lord? The soldier stood. He watched. The scene before him was the same as usual and yet something seemed different. The sky became overcast. Darkness began to roll in. Three men were hanging there before him: forlorn and suffering. A small group of women stood at the foot of the crosses weeping….., wailing…… The air was heavy and close. The Roman soldier remained on guard, watching the scene. The man in the middle was different somehow. The other two were criminals, hardened to a life of crime, but the middle one was different. They called him 'King of the Jews' but he didn't look like a King, maybe a servant but not a King. And yet he carried with him the air of authority, as if he was in complete control. It seemed that he wanted them to nail him to the cross. The soldier looked away, yet there was something that drew his eyes back to that man. It was getting later and the crowds were going home. The darkness was depressing. It ruined the show. The centurion still stood guard and watched. Suddenly the man in the middle gave a loud cry, the curtain in the temple was torn apart and the sobbing increased. He breathed his last. The soldier watched still and saw the hand of God in the scene before him. The man was a prophet, a good man, a teacher and God smiled on him as he died. This man reminded him of someone or something. It was time to go. The relief had come at last. As the soldier marched back through the streets, he remembered. That's what the man reminded him of, the lambs that the Jews were keeping in their houses. But they were gone now and so was the man. Only the blood on the doorposts remained. When we come to Easter, it is easy to forget the cross. To forget the pain and suffering the Christ took on our behalf. To forget the cruel and barbaric death he suffered. To forget the agony of being separated from His Father. God died for us that we might live for Him. No sacrifice that we can, make is to great. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? O….sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble; Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they pierced him in the side? Were you there when they pierced him in the side? O….sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble; Were you there when they pierced him in the side? Were you there when the sun refused to shine? Were you there when the sun refused to shine? O….sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble; Were you there when the sun refused to shine? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? O….sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble; Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Negro Spiritual Father God. You, who loved us so much that you would allow your son Jesus to die for us. Make us mindful today of this sacrifice on our behalf that as Jesus died for us, we might live for him. AMEN . | ||
| The man on the Cross Good Friday (A) Preached at Cressy: April 2, 1999 Author: Father Andrew Lang. © 1999 Alcress Communications | ||
| The act of writing a sermon is a complex process which involves both the inspiration of God and the drawing together of the ideas and thoughts of God's people. Whereas every attempt is made to identify the sources of ideas, often the good ones remain fixed for years and while knowledge of the source fades, the image or idea lingers. I apologise for those ideas of others presented here with out acknowledgement and will rectify the same if advised on the email address below. Similarly, I do not feel a proprietry right to this material and I am happy for it to be passed on to others should it help them on their faith journey. I only ask for acknowledgement of the source. | ||
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