GREETING
Darkest of all the dark nights,
this night would steal from us
Jesus, our friend and our Savior.
O Creator of night and day,
light the way to your sanctuary,
so we may pray as Jesus taught us.
Holy Spirit of God and Son,
take our hands, calm our fears,
walk with us where we cannot see.
Jesus, our Savior and Friend,
come, ignite your galaxy of light
in our songs, prayers and lessons.
HYMN 282 “’Tis Finished! The Messiah Dies”
PSALM 22:22-31
PRAYER
(Think back to the beginning of this day. Start there, and mentally walk through the day again, while you thank God for the day's blessings and God's continuous work of love. Confess and repent of those times when you forgot, ignored or rebelled against God. Continue to pray with your personal prayer list.)
SCRIPTURE LESSON
(Choose a passage of scripture to read. It can be a chapter, a paragraph, or a particular story. Daily lectionaries are available online or in print that assign a lesson each day from the gospels, epistles, Old Testament and psalms on a three-year cycle. Or you can create a plan to read a book of the Bible, or the whole Bible. Then follow the steps below.)
Read a passage of scripture. Read it out loud, very slowly and carefully as if for the first time. Continue reading until a word, phrase or sentence captures your attention. Stop there to repeat the word, phrase or sentence over and over, listening to it deeply in your heart.
Reflect on why the passage got your attention. Consider the area of your life to which this may apply. Is God saying something to you in this passage? Take time to listen carefully to whatever God may be saying to you.
Respond to God in prayer (or with journaling, music, art or whatever you choose) about what you have heard. Ask questions. Open yourself to God’s will for you.
Rest in God’s company. Be still and quiet. Move beyond thinking, practicing interior silence. Let yourself be open to God’s presence. Savor this moment with God.
PRAYER (Hebrews 10:16-25)
“It is finished,” we heard your Son say, Almighty Father;
then darkness settled upon us, and everything grew quiet;
and now we wait, with loneliness weighing heavily upon us.
Without Jesus how can we hear your voice, dear Father?
Jesus was our bridge. In Jesus we gazed upon your face.
Through him, we knew your care, and the depth of your love.
“It is finished.” Does that mean our connection is lost?
Or does it mean that he has established a new connection,
a new covenant, one that can never be broken or terminated?
Paul has explained that when the church baptized us,
we died with Jesus and were buried with him by baptism;
which means we were also united with him in resurrection!
Jesus has already returned to your heavenly sanctuary,
does this mean that we have also been united with him,
and we too have entered into your heavenly sanctuary, God?
Is it time for us to wake up to the new reality of Jesus?
Have you set up Jesus as a great priest over your house?
You have, haven’t you? Christ rules the heavenly sanctuary!
With his sacrifice he has made a new covenant for us.
He has written your laws in our hearts and on our minds!
His blood is the one key that has opened the sanctuary to us!
Now, Father, we stand upon the threshold of eternal life!
Now, with confidence we enter the sanctuary Jesus opens!
Now Jesus is the great priest leading worship in your house!
Now, Almighty Father, we thank you and we praise you!
We come before you with bodies washed with pure water,
and with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience!
We come with true hearts in full assurance of living faith.
Let us now provoke one another to love and good deeds,
never neglecting meeting together, encouraging one another.
Jesus has opened the way into your heavenly sanctuary!
Our Great Priest bridges the gap between us, dear Father!
We hear your voice, gaze upon your face, know your love!
The children Jesus washed clean are welcomed by you.
The horrible Friday Jesus died is known forever as good!
And finally our hearts and minds are fully open to you, God!
You rule over night and day, loss and gain, death and life;
you stand with us in troubles, and provide all our blessings;
our Heavenly Father you are, and we, your children forever!
Amen!
SILENCE AND COMMITMENT
(Pause to reflect and listen. Work to push out of your mind any distracting or irrelevant thoughts. Concentrate your thoughts on the words of the hymns and choruses you have sung, the prayers you have spoken and the scriptures you have read. Be aware of what you are feeling. Listen for anything that God might be saying to you in this time you have spent together. As God responds to your prayer-time, seek guidance for how you can best respond to God’s will. Then commit to serving God’s will for you.)
HYMN 296 “Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle”
CLOSING PRAYER
Two thousand years ago, God,
Jesus was lost to us for three days.
Never again, God. We hold on,
determined to be with him forever.
Never again, God. We believe
his promises, leadership and life.
Totally convinced he is the way,
we are determined to serve him.
Totally convinced he loves us,
we have opened our hearts to him.
We are his, and he is ours, God.
Together, we love and serve you.
Together we seek to please you,
Together, we thank and praise you. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
