Good Friday: Soul Support
Friday 18 April 2025
Nourished by each other when times are tough
Bible readings
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night but find no rest.
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not human,
scorned by others and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they sneer at me; they shake their heads;
“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”
Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls encircle me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they bound my hands and feet.
I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me
but heard when I cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
John 19:13-19:42
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross by himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe.
His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth, so that you also may continue to believe.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Songs and hymns
- Brother, sister, let me serve you (StF 611)
- Eat this bread and never hunger (StF 582)
- God give us life when all around spells death (StF 612)
- Guide me, O thou great Jehovah (StF 465)
- Mijn God, mijn God, waarom verlaat U mij (“My God, my God, why have you left me here?”) Klaus Heoroma, God Welcomes All Hymns Ancient and Modern) #2
Opening liturgy
Remove everything from the Lenten cross.
Give us this day our daily bread to face the sorrows of our soul…
To face the pain, the anguish, the agony,
the injustice, the violence of the world around us.
Give us this day our daily bread to face the sorrows of our soul…
To face the love and the hate, that bring tears to our eyes,
to face the confusions that leave empty hollowness.
Give us this day our daily bread to face the sorrows of our soul…
To hold fast to our faith in a world that tries to strip us of worth and value,
to live with our faith, our belief despite all around us.
O Lord our God, on this Lenten journey,
let us face our sorrow, feel our sorrow and trust your Word. Amen.
Background notes
There they crucified him...
The Gospels give few details about Jesus’s crucifixion, simply noting it occurred.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
A community united by love gathers at the cross, a sign of hope and new relationship for all.(1) Jesus instructs his mother and “the disciple whom he loved” to treat each other as mother and son. Family is not always defined by blood relationship.
...a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds...
Jesus’ burial is wildly abundant: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus bring an extravagant amount of spices, a hundred times more than Mary used earlier – a burial fit for a king.(2) Joseph and Nicodemus were surprising people to do this; both perhaps can be classed as ‘secret disciples.’(3)
1 David Ford, The Gospel of John, (2021) Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, pp. 378-381.
2 Ford, pp. 392-393.
3 Craig Keener. The Gospel of John: A Commentary (2003) Baker Academic, Grand Rapids pp. 1158-1162.
Questions for discussion
Here are some discussion questions based on the themes in this passage. These questions prompt reflection on themes of sacrifice, the power of presence and the expressions of love and devotion in the face of grief and loss.
- “There they crucified him…” The Gospels offer few details about the crucifixion itself. Why do you think this is? How does this simplicity affect the way we reflect on Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice?
- A community of love at the cross In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ mother and several others stand at the foot of the cross. What might it have meant for them to be present at such a painful moment? How does this image of a loving community gathered in suffering encourage us in times of hardship?
- A wildly abundant burial Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus as a King, revealing something about what he meant to them. What does Jesus’ death mean to you? How might you, a humble disciple like Joseph or Nicodemus, show others what Jesus means to you, today?
Prayer ideas
The service for Good Friday in the Methodist Worship Book (pp. 255ff) contains appropriate prayers.
The good news to get across
Even in the most challenging times, we can draw strength and resilience from both those close to us and from strangers. Their support and kindness can provide encouragement and hope, reminding us that we are never truly alone in our struggles.
Ways people can respond
The traditional end of the Good Friday service involves people leaving in silence, without saying goodbye. Invite participants to reflect on the experience of this silent departure and the sense of solidarity and mutual support that exists within the congregation, achieved without the need for audible communication.
Prayer of blessing
May the God, who suffered pain beyond our comprehension,
grant that your soul is supported through the hardest times.
Amen.