bs
3
nds
he
“
oO
‘y

Good Friday Candlelicht Service

TRE DYING CHRIST

A few short months «fo we celebrated the coming of the light into the

world. In the dariness of a cendlelirht service such es this, we re-enacted

the coming of licht in the birth of Jesus Christ. |We lighted our candles

and symbolically felt the warmth of God's love in our midst\ We recalled
— ne
the words from Bhe Gosvel according to John,\ "In him was life, and the life

wes the hight of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness

has not overcome it.”

But this evening we assemble here to observe the death of Jesus Christ.

Using the metanhor further - we are here to remember that day in history

when the lisht of the world wes snuffed out. \ What haprened to Eim? \ What

hepnened over the brief course of 33 vears - that one born amidst such soodness
Epnee at aed

and love should die so shamefully - so ingloriously?

Throuch the eves of feith we see one who was light - one who shined a

a,

bricht rav of pure light into the derk corners of men's vives. \ rerhaps at

_—_e

was too bright - too vure: perhavs men préfer not to be made so transparent.

He offered those about him a new life - and they
rejected him.

He taught that authentic life was found in loving

their neighhors. \ meir response was to hate and despise him.

He said that the truly blessed men is the peacemaker,

the merciful - and they answered hiw with cynicel cruelty.

He embodied a new life - a new glorious dimension of
Ao REY Se :
life, and he paid for it with his deeth.
In the otherwise dark streaw of human experience - he

wae licht - and they executed him.

Wheat happened? | Who were the wen who did it?\ Who are the imversonal
accra ’ ——

+

"they" who cormitted this dastardly deed? - this "towering crime of history".

the .egro Spiritual eloquently answers - were you there when they

crucifixion Grama is the fact that the "they" represents the common,

crucified my lara?” You. see, the really disturbing factor in the

ordinary, good veovle of the day - people like you and me.\ They were not

Godless, immoral Leachers.\ In fact, they were pious peovle - neorle who

vraved in the Terple: peovle devoted to their religion and their way of

—

—

life. \ They were the leaders - the priests end scribes end pharisees;: the

responsible veonle in whom public trust was lodged.

t

Harry Kmerson Fosdick summed it up articulately when he said, ‘We were

there; in a deep sense we are there. All the major factors in that traredy
involve you and me. The blindness of religious leaders who cennot see a new
end lerger truth; the selfishness of a business community that does not want
the profitable traffice in the Temple disturbed; the disloyalty of Judas,
who was more for himself than for Christ: the political shrewdness of
Pilate, who does his best to free Jesus but findine it costs too much,
washes his hands of it; the emotionelisr of the crown, stirred by effective

propoganda, to cry for they know not what; the cowardice of the disciples

~

who ran away. Who of us was not there? J

This is what havnened. Men curcified God incarnate; \men who ought to

*

remain nameless and faceless - hecruse upon close examination - surely we

would find ourselves in their midst. \ They are our brothers in the farily

—

of man - and we have no reason to believe that we would have reacted any

———

differently to the presence of Jesus Christ in ovr midst than thev did.

oS ws

Were this all there was to say - it would be a dav of utter gloom and

) i

— this the whole story, we would do well to feel cuilty, to confess

shame.

and confess again - cur involverent in the crucifixion.

But it is not a1. \ Sonethine else apenas | sanwons else was also

ne

responsible for his deeth, \ met someone is God. | He willed the crucifixion -
He cameto die.| #ven in the ect of dyine, he took uvon himself the terrible

burden of the guilty - for he looked down and forgave then. | And so we dare

to call it Good Friday - this day in which we find ourselves so intimately

involved. | Gooa Friday - hecause God was there - because the crucifixion
— a ,

of Jesus Christ is not so wuch man's way with God es it is God's eternal

way with man.

——

His intent was to redeem ran; \to heal the breech which exists) to give

—

men a new isi eh Ba for this he came; for this he suffered; and for this
he died.
"Is it nothing to ell_ye that pass by?" | It is this --God is with us

even in death.\ Jesus Christ dying thet you and I might know his love - the

—_——

lengths to which that love will go for our sakes.
Why did it havpen? wWhet does it mean? \nisten epaein to the words of

the beeutiful hymn we heve been singing:

"Who was the guilty? Who brousht this upon thee?

Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee.

Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it wes denied Thee:

I crucified Thee."

"Therefore, kind Jesus, since I c.nnot pray thee,

I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,

Think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,

Not wy deserving."

Amen.

~h-

Almight God, Father Iverlasting, who sent thy son Jesus Christ to live
and die for us and for all men; Be near to us in this hour of meditation.
Cpen our hearts to the shattering significance of this dav. Give us
understandins to comprehend the power of the death we have remembered. Let
@ portion of the Sririt,which led our Saviour to the cross, descend upon
vs and fill our hearts with the love of God and wan. Cleanse our hearts
of every selfishness - crant us freith - and may thy peace which vasseth all

understanding keep our thoughts in Jesus Christ our Lord. Armen.