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First Station:

Jesus in Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane

We Adore you, O Christ and we bless you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading Mark 14:32-36

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Reflection:

It is tempting to imagine that life was easy for Jesus: that so sure was he about who he was and who he was called to be that he faced suffering and death with calm and equanimity It is certainly the case that at other points in the Gospels, Jesus appears to face what lies ahead with profound composure, so much so that he even prophesies about his own death on numerous occasions.

Any thoughts in this vein that we might have about Jesus’ emotions at his death, are firmly pit in their place by Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. The words used to describe how he feels her communicate an overwhelming sense of anguish, distress and grief. Indeed, against the backdrop of Jesus’ composure elsewhere, his distress and agitation (which the passage, implies were as much

physical and verbal) must have been horrifying to behold. Even more than that, the passage makes clear that Jesus would do anything at that point to avoid what lies ahead.

It is often said that bravery is not found in people who feel no fear but in those who face their fears head-on and do it anyway. Jesus, here, models for us the what true

bravery looks like. He knows exactly how terrible the next few days will be for him and is profoundly distressed at the prospect. Nevertheless, he agrees to face them anyway. Brave is not normally a characteristic associated with Jesus, but this passage makes it clear that brave is exactly what he was.

(Paula Gooder)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you entered the garden of fear and faced the agony of your impending death be with those who share that agony and face death unwillingly this day. You shared our fear and knew the weakness of our humanity: give strength and hope to the dispirited and despairing. To you, Jesus, who sweated Blood be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.

Amen

Holy God , holy and strong holy and immortal have mercy upon us

Second Station:

Jesus betrayed by Judas and arrested



Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him. Reflection:

Why a kiss? It seems a very odd way to betray someone. Couldn’t Judas have simply of pointed at Jesus? Kissing is what a parent offers a child, what a lover offers to their beloved. It is the deepest sign of human affection. Yet here it is disfigured and distorted. The kiss of love becomes the sign of betrayal as Judas kisses Jesus to his death. Why? Because the people who betray us are usually the ones who love us.

Of all the pastoral situations that priests and pastors hace to handle, the most distressing usually involve betrayal. A wife betrayed by an adulterous husband. A child betrayed by an abusive parent. A teenager betrayed and abandoned by friends.

One reason why such situations are so difficult is that they demonstrate to us the innate fragility of all human relationships. We desperately need the people in our lives. We cannot be ourselves

without their love, their presence and their support. Yet ne know that human affection is fickle and so the loneliness we fear is an ever-present danger.

Here, the man whose relationship with Jesus is so intimate that he can kiss him uses that gesture of love to give him away to men who will crucify him.

Yet as Jesus suffers the fragility of one relationship, so he shows us

the utter reliability of another. Jesus placed his life into the hands of his Heavenly Father. A relationship with the God of perfect love is one that can never suffer betrayal. (Phillip North)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you were betrayed by the kiss of a friend be with those who are betrayed and slandered and falsely accused. You knew the experience of having your love thrown back in your face for mere silver: be with families which are torn apart by mistrust and temptation. To you, Jesus, who offered your face to your betrayer, be honour and glory with the Father and Holy Spirit now and for ever.

Amen


Third Station:

Jesus condemned by the Sanhedrin

We Adore you, O Christ and we bless you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.Reading Mark 14:55-64

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

They all condemned him as worthy of death.

Reflection:

He wouldn’t really answer their questions. That frustrated us as much as them. We wanted him simple. We wanted him plain. But he comes to us in the frail, undignified vulnerability of flesh.

I am that’s what he kept saying. “I am the bread. I am the vine. I am the truth. I am the way.”

That was all he had to say when they arrested him. “I am he.” And it was all they needed him to say to kill him. For these are the words that God said to Moses when he refused to answer his question straight. “I am who I am. I will be what I

will be.”

So they didn’t look for anything else. They missed the overwhelming silence of his presence before them which was, if they could have seen it, the breath that is taken between one movement of the dance ending and another about to start.

I didn’t see it either. I was too disillusioned; I too was unprepared for the music he would sing. Though I am learning that he is like bread. Broken. And he us like wine. Poured. And he is a truth I never dreamed of. He is a way I find it hard to follow. How is it that the way to life leads straight to dying? (Stephen Cottrell)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you were the victim of religious bigotry: be with those who are persecuted by small-minded authority. You faced the condemnation of fearful hearts: deepen the understanding of those who shut themselves off from the experience and wisdom of others. To you, Jesus injustly judged victim, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen

Holy God , holy and strong

holy and immortal have mercy upon us

Forth Station:

Peter denies Jesus


Reading Mark 14:72

Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice[ you will disown me three times.” And he began to weep.Reflection:

What’s worse than doing something that undermines someone whom you love? Mark’s account seems to give us an answer here: letting someone down when were warned about it in advance and were absolutely confident that you would never do it.

This short verse encapsulates powerfully Peter’s horror at doing something he swore he would never do. The Greek for “he began to weep” is slightly odd here and not at all easy to translate. In fact, scholars do not agree on how to translate that phrase that literally means something like: “and having lain upon he began to weep.” In a sense, however the clunky awkward Greek makes the sentiment even more powerful. Peter was beside himself with horror and grief; the fact that the Greek is uncomfortable and makes you trip communicates this powerfully. Peter had done the unthinkable and now had to live with what he had done.

The Gospels, each in their own way, remind us that this catastrophic failure was not at an end for Peter. In each Gospel the resurrection account makes it clear that Jesus forgave Peter for his denial. Mark’s own version of Peter’s restoration is the message given by the angel to the women at the tomb. There the angel says: “But go, tell

his disciples and Peter…” (16:7) This could be read as a suggestion that Peter is no longer a disciple but it is more likely that the explicit naming of Peter is a sign that he is very much included;

We know that, after the resurrection, Jesus forgave Peter; what we don’t know is how long it took Peter to forgive himself. (Paula Gooder)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as Peter betrayed you, you experienced the double agony of love rejected and friendship denied: be with those who know no friends and are rejected by society. You understood the fear within Peter: help us to understand the anxieties of those who fear for the future. To you, Jesus, who gazed with sadness at your lost friend, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever.

Amen


Fifth Station:

Jesus judged by Pilate



“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.Reflection:

Pilate wasn’t interested in bread. Nor in the enigmatic declarations that had so enraged the scribes. He was after truth. And like all weak men, especially those with too much power, he wanted a truth that would set him free – free from responsibility, that is. So when he realised he couldn’t bargain with Jesus, he made friends with the crowd. And they all to predictably, bayed for blood in return. That was , after all, the usual price.

Did I say “they”? Did I pretend I wasn’t in the crows? Did I try to give the impression I was standing at the edge, a mere observer? Don’t believe it. I too love to run with the crowd, and feel the exhilaration

of a moral certainty that can crush another. I too love to count some in and rule others out.

Of all people I am to be most pitied. I cannot even muster up the courage to confess my sins, too proud to be forgiven. Why, I’d rather burn in hell than face the embarrassment of my actions. I am just like Pilate. I don’t want to be responsible. I don’t want to have to be forgiven. And even As I say this, as my shrinking heart becomes less willing to be touched by love, I cry out.

Where can I find transfusion for my heart? Where can I find irrigation for my dried up soul? Where is the blood and the water I crave?(Stephen Cottrell)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you were condemned to death for political expediency: be with those who are imprisoned for the convenience of the powerful. You were the victim of unbridled injustice: change the minds and motivations of oppressors and exploiters to your way of peace.

To you, Jesus, innocent though condemned, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever.

Amen


Sixth Station:

Jesus scourged and crowned with thorns


Reading: Mark 15:17-19

They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spat on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.

Reflection:

It must be revolting to be spat at, for your face to be covered in someone else’s salvia and mucus, to taste it in your own mouth. Yet that is just one part of the appalling abuse that Jesus faces as the soldiers rough him up, ready for the cross.

The abuse is not just physical. It’s mental. It’s emotional. They pretend to worship him; they mock the kingly title that some had used of him; they press the thorns of a fake crown through his skin. It’s horrible, humiliating abuse. And there is nothing Jesus can do. there is no point in fighting back or objecting. He just has to sit and take it.

As Jesus does do, he puts himself in the place of human suffering. Here je identifies himself with the child bullied in school, with the employee mocked in the workplace and with the victim of torture. Here he is alongside the victim of coercive control, the abused, the raped and the enslaved. Here he abides with the fearful and the anxious and those for whom the future is a thing of terror.

There are no quick fixes, no simplistic, instant solutions. He is just there with those who suffer, and remains there, lifting their pain onto his shoulders.

In Jesus, God locates himself with the victimized and the suffering. So when you suffer, Jesus is there with you in the midst of it. (Philip North)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you faced the torment of barbaric punishment and mocking tongue: be with those who cry out in physical agony and emotional distress. You endured unbearable abuse: be with those who face torture and mockery in our world today.

To you, Jesus, the King crowned with thorns, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever.

Amen


Seventh Station:

Jesus carries the cross


Reading Mark 15:20

And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Reflection:

There is no easy way to carry a cross. There is no Handle. Its weight is sharp and crushing. Its mening obvious. Those clever men who divsed such clever ways of killing perfected with these beams of wood a tortuous cycle of almost unremitting suffering, the crucified man switching weight from nailed ankles to nailed wrists: buying time,

relieving pressure, eking out the hours, so that sometimes crucifixions would go on for days.

It meant the crowd got their money’s worth, and that was no small consideration. Obediance was demanded and it was exacted with fear, and your own self-righteousness could be coddled with the morbid spectacle of someone else’s dying. It was, therefore, an additional indignity to be made to carry the cross, like having to fumble with the rope to tie the know of your own noose.

But he carried it well. Tramping through the crowded lanes around Jerusalem. Seeing the crazy chaos of the crowd. Hearing their abuse and their grief. Everyone loves a good killing. As long as it’ not your own.

And he carried so many other things as well. Our sins. Our sorrows. And a million disappointments about all the ways that we had got him wrong. And these were heavier still.

(Stephen Cottrell)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you carried the cross through the rough streets of Jerusalem: be with those who are loded with burdens beyond their strength. You bore the weight of our sins when you carried the cross: help us to realise the extent and the cost of your love for us.

To you, Jesus, bearing a cross not yet your own, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever.

Amen


Eighth Station:

Simon of Cyrene helps to carry the cross


Reading Mark 15:21

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.

Reflection:

Why Simon? Why was it him who was forced to undertake this demeaning, disgusting job of helping a condemned man to his place of death. Why pick on Simon?

It could be his origin that gives iy away. Simon was from Cyrene, A Libyan whose face or dress would have stood out in the crowd. He was an outsider and so easy prey for a gang of bullying soldiers.

Yet today we remember his name. And not just his name but also the name of his sons. By drawing near to Jesus in this hour of need, even though he had no choice, Simon found the dignity, the humanity, the personhood that the soldiers sought to deny him.

It’s all to easy to label people. Poor. Gay. Black. Jew. Immigrant. Youth. Then once we have labelled someone, we can bury their identities and strip them of their personhood. Labels negate the need for proper relationship and so are the first step in justifying prejudice and abuse.

Through his encounter with Jesus, the man from Cyrene becomes not a label, but Simon. So often in the Gospels it is the outsider – women, children, the outcast and the marginalized – who are closest to Christ and that is because in relationship with him they find an identity that others deny

them.

To look at others as Christ looks at them is to see not labels, but precious individuals, loved beyond their wildest imaginings.

(Philip North) Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you were worn down with fatigue be with those from whom life drains all energy. You needed the help of a passing stranger: give us the humility to receive aid from others.

To you, Jesus, weighed down with exhaustion and in need of help, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever.

Amen


Ninth Station:

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem


Reading Luke 23:27-31

A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and

the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”Reflection:

One of the most haunting encounters during Jesus’ journey to the cross is that between Jesus and the women of Jerusalem. Compassion swirls through the narrative. The women wept for what would happen to Jesus, but Jesus, even as the horror of his death loomed near, revealed that they were in even greater need of compassion than he was.

The climax of the conversation (“if they do this when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”) can sound odd but is, in fact, a clear-sighted appraisal both of human nature and the society in which he lived…and would soon die. His was a society that was acting out of fear and self-interest. Its primary aim, to preserve the status quo, caused

a knee jerk reactions that led them to killing someone like Jesus. Such reactions could only lead to one outcome; widespread destruction and terror.

Luke’s Gospel was probably written after AD 70 when the temple was destroyed and the population ravaged. It would have been hard for its author not to read this event into Jesus’ words. We cannot know whether Jesus foresaw exactly what would happen in AD 70, but in many ways this doesn’t really matter.

What Jesus was saying is that society that will do anything – even to kill – to protect its power, has already set itself on the path to self-destruction. As a result, the women of Jerusalem would do well to prepare themselves for the inevitable outcome of such behaviours – the question that hangs in the air so many years after Jesus is how different is our society to theirs. (Paula Gooder)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, the women of Jerusalem wept for you: move us to tears at the plight of the broken in our world. You embraced the pain of Jerusalem, “the city of peace” bless Jerusalem this day and lead it to the path of profound peace.

To you, Jesus, the King of peace who wept for the city of peace, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen


Tenth Station:

Jesus is crucified


Reading Mark 15:24

And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

Reflection:

One of Jesus’ most well-known quotations from the psalms is his cry from the cross “eloi eloi lema sabachthani” which means “My God my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). This is a quotation from the opening of Psalm 22. What is much less known is that woven through the account through the account of Jesus’ death on the cross are other allusions to the same Psalm. The two that stand out the most are: verse 7, “all who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads” (see Mark 15:29), and the one mentioned here in verse 18, “they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots”.

One of the remarkable features of Psalm 22 is that. Alongside the despair and hopelessness, we find extraordinary confidence and hope in the God who has been there since the Psalmist’s birth (Psalm 22.9) and whom the psalmist trusts for the future despite the dire circumstances in which he currently finds himself (psalm 22:27-31)

It feels as though Mark was communicating a powerful message by including Psalm 22 behind his telling Jesus’ death – even in the midst of despair, the psalmist looked backwards to his birth and forwards in hope, confident in the God whose love never changed. Mark hints that we should d the same: that even on this darkest of dark days, when

the savior of the world hung dying on a tree apparently forsaken by God, we should, like the

Psalmist, look backwards in confidence and forwards in hope. (Paula Gooder)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You bled in pain as the nails were driven into your flesh: transform through the mystery of your love the pain of those who suffer.

To you, Jesus, our crucified Lord, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen


Eleventh Station:

Jesus promises the kingdom to the penitent thief


Reading Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Reflection:

I saw myself crucified on either side of him. Each criminal had my face. On one side, I mocked him with everyone else. I saw his stupidity, the glorious audacity of his claims and their demise. He couldn’t even save himself.

And on the other side, I cried out to him. I cried out from the depths of my distress. Not out of penitence; it was something much larger and much deeper than that. I saw the heart of my own sorrow and its terrible loneliness. I saw myself cut adrift my life failing and falling into the endless abyss of the darkness that swallows those who put

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+23%3A39-43&version=NIV#fen-NIV-25978a

themselves outside of God. I wasn’t being punished. It would have been so much easier if I was. Then I could have protested my innocence. Or asked for leniency. But I knew I had done wrong and that love and forgiveness were available if I had the grace to receive them. So I didn’t turn to him – not straight away – but to the side of me that mocks him; after all, we are only getting what we deserve, but this man had done nothing wrong.

And still he has not spoken. He is waiting for me. Knowing that I must find this thing within myself, Not just penitence, but love. Not merely acquittal, but hope. “Remember me”, I say to him, “in that Kingdom of yours”. (Stephen Cottrell)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, even in your deepest agony you listened to the crucified thief. Hear us as we unburden to you our deepest fears. You spoke words of love in your hour of death. Help us to speak words of life to a dying world.

To you, Jesus, you offer hope to the hopeless, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen


Twelfth Station:

Jesus on the cross; his mother and his friend


Reading John 19:26-27

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Reflection:

Loneliness is the sickness of the age. In a recent BBC survey, one third of people said that they often felt very lonely, with the 16-24 age group the worst affected. The privatization of housing, the collapse of traditional places of association and the individualized nature of the online environment all mean that our culture is afflicted by a crisis of relationships.

At the very height of his agony, at a point when every single word must have meant unendurable pain, Jesu forms community. As he commits his mother and the beloved disciple to each other, he is doing so much more than making domestic arrangements. Here, through the shedding of his blood, he forms a new family of love, one that we call the Church.

The Christian thinker Sam Wells argues that the most important word in the Christin faith Is “with”. The life to which Jesus invites us through the cross is not just about eternal being. It s about eternal being with. So healthy relationships, mutual belonging and participation in the life of a community lie at the very heart of the Gospel. (Phillip North)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, your mother and your dearest friend stayed with you to the bitter end, yet even while racked with pain you ministered to them: be with all broken families today and care for those who long for companionship. You cared for your loved ones even in your

death-throes: give us a love for one another that is stronger even than the fear of death.

To you, Jesus, loving in the face a death, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen


Thirteenth Station:

Jesus dies on the cross



And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

Reflection:

There is a final ignominy that no one expected, a last gasp gallows humour to keep the sketch writers happy; as he dies, he cries out: My God, why have you deserted me?”

Isn’t this what they wanted to hear? That the fancy preacher with all his faux humility and big claims was just another lost soul screaming out to God in despair and battering his fists upon the locked doors t heaven?

But no one understands him. Like I never did. They think he is calling Elijah. They don’t hear his desolation, still loess construe what I begin to glimpse, that this howl of grief is the final plumbing of the depths of all that darkness that his light comes to dispel, and here on this hill, on this cross, on this afternoon, the tectonic plates

of the universe shift, and we are reconciled to God. God is in this dying man, and in this dying man experiencing the horrors and the grief and all the fear and isolation that is the daily currency of sin and death, for now I can even see myself in him. He is dying for me.

And in sharing in this death and in the consequence of sin, by succumbing to it, drawing the sting of its venom, all of it and for ever, and in loving it, it is defeated.

So the dying man gives up his spirit. “It is finished”, he says. (Stephen Cottrell)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you died on the cross and entered the bleakest of all circumstances: give courage to those who die at the hands of others. In death you entered into the darkest place of all: Illumine our darkness with your glorious presence.

To you, Jesus, your lifeless body hanging on the tree of shame, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen


Fourteenth Station:

Jesus laid in the tomb


Reading Mark 15:46

So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.Reflection:

Joseph of Arimathea slips into the story and then swiftly out again. No sooner has ne been mentioned than he disappears. His appearance may be brief, but his contribution is incalculable.

It was extremely rare for victims of crucifixion to be buried. I Roman law it was forbidden, though occasionally it was overturned by a

local magistrate. For the Romans, the public nature of crucifixion was the point – it acted as a powerful deterrent to others – and so the bodies were deliberately left on crosses to decompose as a reminder of what would happen if people stepped out of line.

An exception to this general rule was made in Judea because of the law set out in Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (“when someone if convicted of a crime punishable by death and is executed, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury him that same day). Even so, this usually meant hurried burial in a mass grave.

The intervention of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and influential member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council), meant not only that Jesus’ body was properly buried but it was buried in a new tomb (Matthew 27.60 and John 19.41). The significance of

this is that families were buried together n the tomb an old tomb could have within them the remains of many different people. The new tomb housed only Jesus’ remains, so that thee could be no doubt, after hi resurrection, that it was him.

Joseph’s intervention may have been mentioned only briefly but is was vital. Sometimes the most fleeting of contributions are the most important. (Paula Gooder)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Lord of life, you became as nothing for us: be with those who feel worthless and as nothing in the world’s eyes. You were laid in a cold, dark tomb and hidden from sight: be with all who suffer and die in secret hidden from the eyes of the world.

To you, Jesus, your rigid body imprisoned in a tomb, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen


Fiftteenth Station:

Jesus risen from the dead

We Adore you, O Christ and we bless you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.Reading Mark 16:4-8

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.Reflection:

What is the best news you have ever heard in your whole life?

Was it the news of a new baby to be born into your family? Or a cash windfall? Or a win on the lottery? Was it the news of a new job or a new home?

However good that news may be, it cannot be as good as the news we hear on Easter morning. The body is gone! Jesus is risen! If you accept that explanation of the events of Easter Day, then everything about your whole life is changed for ever.

If Jesus is risen, then the things he said about himself were true and we have been set free to live with him for ever, If he is risen, then we are forgiven from sin, liberated from death and called to share with others in a new and risen life.

If he is risen, then the pain and injustice of this world cannot last and the triumph of love is assured, if he is risen, then this is indeed his world, charged with his beauty and power.

Of course, it could all be a sham or a terrible mistake and the body of Jesus is still in a hole somewhere, waiting to be found. If that is the case, ten our lives are sad indeed: brutal, short and devoid of purpose.

But if Jesus is risen, then there is a new creation and we are a new Easter people. If Jesus is risen, we are free. That’s more than just good news. It’s the best news there can ever be. (Phillip North)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Lord of life, were dead but now you are alive: transform the torments of this world’s sin that we may see your radiant life: may the power of your resurrection live in us, that we may be channels of your true life beyond measure.To you, Jesus, who have broken free from the bonds of death, be honour and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen


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