Suggestion for Daily Use

Follow the ‘Daily Prayer’ at the side+++Suivez le ‘Prière Quotidienne’. Read the bible passages and then the meditation. Pray, tell God how you felt about the reading and share the concerns of your life with him. Maybe you will continue the habit after Lent. Lisez les passages bible et après la méditation. Priez, dites à Dieu que vous avez ressenti à propos de la lecture et de partager les préoccupations de votre vie avec lui. Peut-être que vous allez continuer l'habitude après le Carême. Daily Prayer Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4.1-2 Now is the healing time decreed For sins of heart, of word or deed, When we in humble fear record The wrong that we have done the Lord. (Latin, before 12th century) Read: Read the Bible passage. Read the meditation Pray: Talk to God about what you have just read. Tell him your concerns - for yourself, your family, our church family, our world. Praise him. Pray the collect for the week – see next pages. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Prière Quotidienne Jésus, rempli de l'Esprit Saint, revint du Jourdain et le Saint-Esprit le conduisit dans le désert où il fut tenté par le diable durant quarante jours. Luc 4.1-2 Maintenant le temps de la guérison est décrété Pour les péchés du cœur, de la parole et des actes, Lorsque nous nous souvenons avec humilité Le mal que nous avons fait au Seigneur. Lire : Lisez le passage de la Bible. Lisez la méditation. Prier : Parlez avec le Seigneur de ce que vous avez lu. Parlez-lui de vos préoccupations pour vous-même, votre famille, notre famille de l’église, notre monde. Louez-le. Priez la collecte pour la semaine. Voyez les pages suivantes Mon âme, bénis le Seigneur ! Que tout qui est en moi bénisse son saint nom. Mon âme, bénis le Seigneur, et n’oublie aucun de ses bienfaits !

10 April 2020

Day 45 of Lent +++ Good Friday +++ It is finished







It is finished



“It is finished” - These were the final words uttered by Jesus on the cross, and as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus and prepared it for burial, I’m sure that they thought it was all finished too; a senseless end to a wonderful life , the sealing off of wisdom, insight and hope as the stone is rolled across the tomb.……..

They have yet to understand that the cry from the cross was not one of defeat but one of completion; the meaning of the cross is yet to be revealed. Understanding comes gradually, bit by bit over the weeks  months and years that follow, just as it does for us.

Below is a poem I wrote a few years ago on a quiet day during Holy Week as I contemplated how those final words of Jesus spoke to me. What is it that he brought to an end when he finally bowed his head and gave up his spirit?

It is Finished
Finished is the myth of Godly Glory,
Entered into easily without enduring pain.
Finished is the need to be triumphant,
Use of power forfeit, no need for personal gain.

Finished is the image of a sentimental Jesus,
Haloed, soft and gentle, his nature meek and mild!
Finished is the view of some distant separation,
Our savior suffers with us; when pain’s hideous and vile

Finished now, the frightened friends’ betrayal,
Loves ultimate rejection by those who have free will
It’s finished now, the lifetime of obedience,
The Fathers will complete; now at last he hangs there…..still.

Fiona Simon

Descent from the Cross, Girolamo da Cremona, active 1451–83
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Jules Bache Collection, 1949, www.metmuseum.org.

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