For the season of Lent, I wrote a devotional for my congregation, Cayce United Methodist Church. I am sharing an adapted version of the adult version here on the blog.
The family devotional is similar but includes a TON of activities, coloring sheets, science and even some baking (maybe more than practical but I got excited). If you want to see the packets in their entirety you can download them on Cayce's website (www.cayceumc.com). On the website scroll down to below the upcoming events and there are download options: adult, family and the Jesus Storybook booklets.
Good Friday, April 2
Set-up: Prepare your spirit and your space, set aside distractions, gather your devotion packet and a Bible. Then, set out all the tea lights but do not light them. Have a napkin or a hand towel, something to drape over the unlit candles.
Read: John 18:1-19:42
Wonder: We have a longer reading today, and our inclination may be to rush through or even skip over the reading for Good Friday; but without Good Friday we might miss the significance of the resurrection. John’s gospel has some interesting perspectives to offer. John unifies the crucified Jesus with the resurrected Jesus. The crucified Jesus we behold (John 19:5) is our Lord and God and an atonement/sacrifice. The suffering Jesus is the glorified Jesus. This is worth noting. Jesus is always both/and. Jesus is both human and divine, suffering and glorified, crucified and at the same time victorious over death. One does not look upon the cross without anticipating the resurrection. We anticipate the resurrection, but at the same time today we sit with our humanity, our personal need for a Savior. Good Friday gives us pause, a time for self examination before we receive (the sometimes hard to comprehend) love, grace, forgiveness and salvation of God. Take some time to ponder today's reading. Is there a character you relate to? (Peter, High Priest, the two crucified with Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus…) Can you imagine being a disciple of Jesus and not knowing the rest of the story? What does it mean to know the rest of the story as we read about Jesus’ death?
Act: Gently drape the napkin or towel over the candles. (Note: do be careful not to damage the wicks; we’ll need the candles again for Easter.)
Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, You willed that Your Son should bear for us the pains of the cross, that You might remove from us the power of the adversary. Help us to remember and give thanks for our Lord’s Passion that we may obtain remission of sin and redemption from everlasting death; through the same, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Additional readings: A Dark Night in the Garden AND The Sun Stops Shining story booklet, Isaiah 52:13-55:12, Psalm 22, Hebrews 10:16-25.
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