WARNING

This book contains

Lion hunts
Giant death matches
Angel wrestling
Honeymoon Bride Mix-ups
Blazing Chariots
Talking Mules
Sorcerers
Sword fights
Fire-walking
Streakers
Supernatural apparitions
Shipwrecks
Exorcisms
Romance
Nights afloat
Blues songs
Bear attacks
Ambushes
Snake pits
Man-eating fish

This book cannot be tamed. It’s not a comedy of manners complete with tea and crumpets. It’s gritty. It is messy. It is divine. I had the wrong idea for a very long time. I used to believe that the Bible was an answer book when all along it was a book comprised of something much greater than answers.

The Bible isn’t just a set of archaic stories for scholars to debate. God help us all if we ever go the way of so many puffed up proof-texters debating Greek verb tenses and excoriating each other about immoveable objects and unstoppable forces.

The Bible wasn’t written for scholars. It was written for followers.

God didn’t give us the Bible so we could perform intellectual gymnastics. He gave us the Bible so that we would begin to pattern everything in our lives around it. He didn’t give us the Bible so we could make sense of it. He gave us the Bible so that it could make sense of us. In this Book you’ll find flawed heroes who faced giants, floods, betrayal, dungeons, wars, tornadoes, earthquakes, liars, starvation, bankruptcy, illness, shipwrecks, arrows, swords, divorce, and adultery.

This is a Book of danger. Sometimes the good guys die before they win. There are moments of last-minute rescues, unmerited grace, and ultimate victory because there is a Hero who walks over the face of this Book. He’s on every page. He’s in every heartbreak and mindbending moment.

He’s in the stone that sent a giant falling like a tree.
He’s in the furnace that blazes but never burns.
He’s in the deep closets of hopelessness.
He’s riding on the waves.
And we get to see Him soon.

The Bible will ambush your preconceptions and lay siege to the beachheads of your loneliness. I pray the revolution of Holy Words begins today—from your habits to your mission. I pray that everything will be focused around the voice of God; but not in a safe, calculating way but rather in a radical, holy way. It’s the only rabbit hole worth falling into. Listen to the whisper of God through Scripture. Let this journey consume every corner of your life.

When the journey is over, let’s meet up at the big feast. I’ll be the guy trying his darndest to shake hands with Jeremiah.

Waiting, Prodigals, and Prayer

As I wait for my prodigal to return, I am learning. I’m learning about family dynamics, addiction, and culture. I am learning about nights awake, bargaining, denial and anything to forget. I’m learning about doubt and all those things never spoken on “Christian” television. I am learning about how deep in the bones we are connected to our kids. And yet I know love is greater than anything else I’ve experienced. Love mixed with wonder not the wonder of the Rockies, of sunsets, or breathtaking moments. No, this is a different kind of wonder. I wonder if I will see the day he is free. I wonder if he’ll disappear one day taking a greyhound to the new far country. I wonder if all these days of praying will be climatically halted by the sound of door, a phone or a siren. Or will I just wait and wonder and wonder and wonder…

Everybody waits…

You’ve waited, mesmerized by the thought you might someday arrive. You ask- When am I going to find His will? Do I have to wait until? You’ve waited for your son to turn to God. You’ve waited for that love of a lifetime to show up. You prayed for a baby you could hold in your arms. You agonized over how that one word “malignancy” could shatter, scatter, all your preconceptions about God. Alone, you’ve wept bitterly. You’ve prayed consistently. You say, “It doesn’t make sense to me.” You laugh whimsically, about dreams you buried long ago. Every yes turned to no. So you are a Christian- but you have nothing to show. You wonder, “Why is everything so difficult for me?” You cry out to a silent God and wonder,

“Does he care?”
“Is He aware?”
“Why am I stuck here in a line that doesn’t move?”
“Who stole my groove?”
“God, sometimes You just don’t make sense.”

Sometimes. Many times. I wince at the thought that this whole thing is a joke on me Not any sort of divine destiny.

Waiting…

Praying…

Faithing…

But you fear. You fear that you’ve missed out

You shout: Are you even listening?

“I’m tired of watching sand fall through the hourglass.”

“When will I be free from pain?”

“Will I ever love again?”

“Why don’t you do something?”

“I’m in prison.”

“I’m stuck.”

“Where is this promised land?”

“All I ever see is sand.”

But as the noisy rush of life winds down. And we stop and listen. When we scan the horizon of our soul, we hear his voice.

Still and small

Over all

He is there.

In the middle of my mess.

In my brokenness.

In his time.

He is ready

We can stand in confidence blest

The teacher never talks during the test.

He IS watching

And I resolve to wait

He is near.

I will surrender my time

To his time

And in His time. I will stand.

Jesus is calling you to give up your temporary life for something eternal.

In a race, many run but only one wins the Gold. Go for the gold! Swing for the fences! Win the prize. If you want to be an athlete you work out, go through the drills, and treat your body like a temple. And if you win, that’s great! The crowd roars and the trophy is hoisted in the air. But after all the shouting, the stadium empties and the glory days fade. In the grand scheme of things, you don’t hold the crown forever. There will be other races, other teams, and amazing moments, but for us- the crown we get will never fade. This Championship is for the ages.

I Corinthians 9:24-25 (Conversational Bible)

If we really want to hear from God we must be prepared to hear what He says to us. Often, we treat him like Santa Claus. He knows the naughty and nice of our lives and if he checks it twice and we pass, then (as Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite promised) all of our wildest dreams will come true! This is not the economy of Heaven. To change the world we must pray harder prayers. Below is an ancient prayer that often wrecks me when I stumble across it.

The Franciscan Four Fold Prayer

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Here’s an important question I have to ask myself as I listen for God’s voice:

Am I willing to wait for the call of God?

So many times I try to do things that will somehow orchestrate a response from God. I forget that I am the one who is often impatient and unwilling to respond to His whispers.

God still answers our inquiries this way.

Me: I thought you were going to provide for my needs.

HIM: Yes, but I have something to teach you.

Me: Didn’t you say that you’ll answer my prayers?

HIM: Yes, but if you’ll just wait on me I’ll answer questions that are more important than your requests.

Me: Can I really know You more, deeper, with more certainty?

HIM: Yes, but it’s going to require everything you have.

We ask questions. He answers with even greater mystery.

The story of answered prayer throughout scripture is a testament to the irony of grace. I’ve experienced the same unpredictable God that my brothers who died thousands of years ago experienced.

They asked for multitude. God gave them a remnant.

They asked for comfort. God gave them a cross.

They asked for control. God showed them a whirlwind.

And some say God doesn’t answer prayers?

Waiting is personal for me as I wait for a prodigal to return to God.

I wait and wonder.

Pray again.

Question.

Pray some more.

Look under the hood.

Pull out the books.

Read.

Listen to way too many stories of other sons and other fathers.

Pray some more and then:

“Oh my! It’s been 10 years of waiting!”

I hear-tell some have waited much longer.

Fake News that Many Christians Believe

Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about fake news. Fake news draws in the gullible at an alarming rate. You’ve certainly had friends on social media post links about all sorts of deliberately crafted lies in order to press an agenda. And It’s not just the world outside the church. We see incredulous, hyperbolic news to support the Christian worldview also. But we all know that the concept of fake news is not new. And it’s not confined to social media. It’s not only from TV preachers and Christian music that doesn’t square up to the truth about life or God. Lots of fake news just sneaks into our consciousness like a theif, stealing our joy, courage and authenticity. The enemy has been posting fake news for centuries. Here are four examples of fake news many Christians believe.

God will accept you once you get your act together.

We so often fail to approach the throne with confidence because we feel that Jesus is angry and dissatisfied with us as followers. We magnify all our failures and live in a shadow of shame and self-condemnation.

Here’s a truth bomb from Brother Paul:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1

After the resurrection Jesus pursued a reunion with a denier, a doubter, and a number of deserting disciples.

He’s not the ogre waiting for us to forget to floss so he can swat us with his golden fly swatter. He’s not a passive god who sits around drumming his fingers on the throne, watching CNN for the latest on world-sized problems while yawning at our infinitesimal requests.

That’s not who God is. He is with you and He is for you.

Salvation happens when you get all the facts right.

Salvation is not an intellectual hoop to jump through. It is belief in Jesus even though you are sometimes struggling to understand everything. Children certainly don’t understand everything and yet Jesus tells us to come to Him as children with all our uncertainties and struggles.

The church often minimizes the process of salvation to a doctrinal game of jeopardy. On the contrary, your faith is not dependent upon you having the correct view of the 70 weeks of Daniel. Thank you, Jesus! It has always been about faith and faith is not without its mysteries. In fact, faith is all about the mystery. Celebrate the mysteries and love Jesus.

If you pray right, you’ll get everything you request.

One of the greatest struggles most believers experience is the perplexity of unanswered prayers. It’s easy for us to view prayer as a giant vending machine with the candy bar stuck in the machinery. The more we invest in it the more frustrating we become with the process. This is the time to move forward in prayer knowing that God has a better view of our lives than we do. Trust that He will work in His own way and His own time. But NEVER stop partnering with Him in prayer. You will find the reward of unanswered prayers: greater faith and dependence upon God.

God wants you to be pain free.

Pain is one of God’s greatest teaching tools. The pain you experience will further your growth, cause you to depend on Him, and allow you to help others.

Paul’s thorn in the flesh, though a mystery, was painful. Still he writes:

But he (Jesus) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Pain is actually a sign that God has not given up on you!

So there you have it–Four fake news items all Christians struggle with from time to time. What fake news have you discovered. I’d love to here about it. Hopefully discovering fake news is good news today!

Tell Me the Story

A hymn or worship reading.

#1:The gospel is the story that pierces,

#3: molds,

#1: feeds,

#2: reveals,

#3: penetrates,

#1: sanctifies,

#3: heals,

#1: humbles,

#2: and saves.

#3: “Tell me the story,” we sing,

#1: and they did—

#3: that great cloud of witnesses.

#2: And the story continues—

#3: the story of Abraham, the pilgrim,

#1: Isaac, the miracle,

#2: Joshua, the conqueror,

#3: Amos, the prophet,

#1: Moses, the deliverer,

#2: Elijah, the challenger,

#3: John the Baptist,

#1: Mary Magdalene, the redeemed,

#2: Peter the Rock,

#3: Paul the apostle,

#1: and John the Beloved,

#2: whose mortal ears heard what we long to hear:

#3: the voices of the angels singing around the throne of our King Jesus.

All: Holy—Holy—Holy!

#3: The story marched through the ages with resolve and purpose. These were the men and women who trusted the ancient truthes found on the pages of God’s word

#2: Martin Luther,

#1: Joan of Arc,

#3: St. Francis of Assisi,

#3: William Carey,

#1: John Knox,

#2: John Wesley,

#3: B. B. McKinney,

#1: R. G. Lee,

#2: Jim Elliot,

#1: Karl Bart,

#2: Annie Armstrong,

#3: Fanny Crosby,

#1: Lottie Moon,

#2: D. L. Moody,

#1: Corrie Ten Boom,

#3: Watchman Nee,

#1: Martin Luther King, Jr.,

#3: Mother Teresa,

#2: and all those who are called to listen

#3: and to serve

#1: and to tell the story.

#2: to write on their heart every word.

#3:And the story continues.

#1: What story will you leave on Earth?

#3: Will it be your story?

#2: Or will it be His Story?

#1: What story will you tell throughout your days?

#3: Let us tell it well.

All: (Whispered) Amen

Praying Before the Day

The second chapter of Joel reminds us to not only live for today. We must live for THE DAY. It’s a constant struggle to keep our focus on the fact that everything around us that we can touch with our hands will all be gone, leaving only our relationships and connection with our Source, Jesus. So how do we live for THE DAY when things once clouded will be seen face to face?

Return to God (v12)

“Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

Spiritual preparation begins and ends with prayer. All our striving to be somebody must be overshadowed and minimized. Our prayers should reach the throne of God in wholeheartedness. Turning to God means that we cast aside our own desires for a greater calling: knowing and trusting Him.

Reunite the Family (v.16)

Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.

God invites us into the celebration of the feast to come. Our task is to gather and unite the often splintered family to receive the groom.

This happens before THE DAY.
It requires forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of our deepest wounds.
We are instigators of grace in all its aspects.
This is the hard work that brings the Kingdom of God to this blue marble called Earth.

Receive the Savior (v. 19)

“Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them”

The symbolism of bread, wine and oil tells the entire story of redemption.

Bread- His Body
Wine- His Blood
Oil- the ointment of healing

Restore the blessings (v. 25)

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust.”

The locusts have ravaged the cosmos. They’ve wrecked our world. They eat into blessing. Whether it is a wound, a broken relationship, or a death. The story of redemption is a story of reconciliation of the things that were taken from us. God’s promise is strong. We must celebrate that He will make all things new.

Recapture the dreams (v.28)

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions.

Beloved, live in the reality of the redemption story and your dreams will be rekindled and will flourish like the opening of a rose. Dead dreams will rise from the ashes of our brokenness and pain. We will look forward and not backwards We will view life as the great saga of grace that it truly is. If only we will could celebrate the majesty and holiness of today! This morning we are one step closer to the coming of the Bridegroom amidst the perils of the present.

Even so Lord Jesus, Come!

Download Listening Sheet

Solving that Annoying Problem of Church Growth

For some people, church growth can be rather tedious. Parking problems, the new people to get to know, the reduction of political power due to the influx of new people that don’t know you, the extra wear on the carpet, the noise of young children, the overuse of bathroom facilities…you name it. So as we contemplate growth I thought I’d share a few ideas that could very well solve the spread of people throughout the foyer of your church’s worship center.

So, just for fun, may I submit to you 25 tried and true ideas for solving the annoying problem of church growth. Pick a couple and see what happens.

Begin your message with the phrase, “You know what’s wrong with you people…”
Place the Student Sunday school space near the “Ruth class” for ladies 70 and above.
Move Business Meetings to Sunday Morning and open up the floor by asking, “So does anybody have beefs?”
Begin that year-long sermon series on the 70 weeks of Daniel.
Place a Polygraph machine on the front pew to be used during the invitation time.
Place tire puncture strips in the parking lot for cars going the wrong way before Sunday School.
Pick a NASCAR driver as your favorite and complain about all the other drivers (this works best in Alabama).
Place the Roller Coaster “You must be this tall” sign at the entrance of the Worship Center. (And make it stand about 5’8 ½”)
Keep the Christmas Pageant livestock in the church choir room year round.
Announce that on high attendance Sunday, if the goal is met, everyone will kiss the pig!
If your auditorium slopes downward to the platform give every kid under 12 a handful of marble before the service.
Give the deacons the ability to “gong” the special music.
Place the outdoor welcome center tent a few feet from the septic tank.
Replace the pictures of former pastors with pictures of Larry, Moe, and Curly.
Start arranging marriages in the single department.
Put a blank for weight on the membership forms.
Invite the “Cops” crew along during hospital visits.
Demand madatory drug tests for all senior adult excursions.
In order to feel relevant, say “Dude” 15 times from the pulpit each Sunday.
Have organist play hockey cheers at pivotal moments of the sermon.
Place armed guards in front of the Sunday School Supply Closet.
Before the offertory hymn have the worship leader scream, “Show Me the Money”
Charge tolls for use of restrooms.
Illustrate all sermons or Sunday School lessons with scenes from “Walker Texas Ranger.”
Use the “The Voice” format for staff hirings.

Holy From Beginning to End

Before the first man had first breath

Before the mystery of death

Angels worshiped the Holy one

The majesty of God’s own Son

From infinite past he was and is and is to come

Holy

Holy above all living things

Before the glory of every king

Holy beyond man’s striving for power

Holy beyond man’s grandest hour

Holy

His fingers cast the stars in place

Holy

The fiery jewels in distant space

Separating land from sea

The master of eternity

His grand design, His perfect plan

To reconcile the fate of man.

Holy

He could not look on sin

Holy

And on a cruel hill

Among the vulgar accusation

The wreck of every wayward nation

He took the cruel condemnation

The dagger deep of dark damnation

The angels watched in disbelief

The sky was torn. a mother’s grief

This God who crafted night and day

This Son of God, had found a way

To take the burden of the sin

The holy one in human skin

No peace on Earth

No Kings would bow

Betrayed, alone

Our punishment- a tragedy

God, why have you forsaken me?

The grand moment of redemption and

The death sentence of hate

History’s darkest hour

The triumph of sins power

Or so it seemed

But in this act

Man’s deepest shame

Is now redeemed.

Saviors will Arise but…

Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the LORD’s.

Obadiah verse 21

We live among people longing for saviors. How great would it be if someone would ascend the hill and plant a flag of victory over the world’s conflict and injustice?

We cry out, “Give us prosperity. Give us equality. Give us revenge against the poorly measured scales of righteousness.”

Ever since our feet have trod on the terra firma east of Eden, we have experienced conflict. Political and social saviors emmerge, ascend and fall. But Obadiah reminds us in the midst of a difficult time in our nation’s history that there is a greater Kingdom to defend than health care, homeland security and the scandalous backroom deals of politicians whose hands drip with the blight of corruption.

There is an everlasting kingdom that isn’t shaken in the least.

The church must carefully avoid foolish arguements over predestination, judging each other’s spiritual or theological leanings and remember that there is a world we have been called to die for. It’s possible for people to have correct theology inside their heads and yet no courage, connection or compassion in their hearts. Even the demons know theology.

There will be a day of reckoning. We must be scrupulous with our words. We must focus on the King, not the president. We must test our thoughts.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

I don’t know what the future will hold. We are all in unknown waters today.

Lord, test our hearts and teach us to trust you in all the uncertanties of this pricarious moments.

The Final Hours

A worship experience around the cross.

by Matt Tullos

This is a simple, yet powerful Good Friday experience which includes Communion, readings, visuals, music, and candle. It’s yours to use and adapt.

Acoustic Instrumental Music

Reader 1: The greatest story ever told is grace.

Reader 2: The greatest man to ever walk the earth.

Reader 3: The greatest burden

Reader 1: laid on this one man.

Reader 2: The greatest injustice.

Reader 3: The greatest faith.

Reader 1: The greatest pain.

All: The greatest moment in history.

Reader 2: It is the reason guilty men go free.

Reader 3: It is the reason for all hope worth having.

Reader 1: Love worth giving,

Reader 3: And truth worth sharing.

Reader 2: Around a table God built a church.

Reader 3: This is My body.

Reader 1: Jesus said,

Jesus: “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat it again until it comes to fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.”

Reader 1: The Garden of Eden.

Reader 2: The flood.

Reader 3: The exodus.

Reader 2: The foreshadowing words of the prophets.

Reader 3: They all looked toward this meal.

Jesus: This bread is My body.

All: Broken for you.

Jesus: This is My heart.

All: Broken for you.

Jesus: This is My will.

All: Broken for you.

Jesus: This is My destiny.

All: Broken for you.

Reader 1: This is the Son of God.

Jesus: I am.

All: Broken for you.

Your Grace Still Amazes Me: Solo with video

Reader 1: In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying,

Jesus: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Reader 2: This cup is a promise that slips through the corridors of death.

Reader 1: It reflects surrender.

Reader 3: A cup of payment.

Reader 2: A cup of mercy.

Reader 1: A cup of grace.

Reader 3: Aware of the wrath to come.

Reader 2: Aware of betrayers.

Reader 1: Aware of the loneliness.

Reader 3: Jesus said,

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Aware of the wars to come.

Reader 3: Aware of the wretched nature of man.

Reader 1: Jesus said,

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Lonely wife.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 3: Angry son.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Disillusioned daughter.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 1: Helpless victim.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 3: Anxious father.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Broken child.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Lord’s Supper—Serve at stations near the front of the auditorium. “Instrumental: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

(after elements have been served)

Reader 1: See our Savior.

Reader 3: Praying in agony.

Reader 2: Alone.

Reader 1: See Him betrayed.

Reader 3: Deserted.

Reader 2: See Him innocent, yet arrested.

Reader 1: Almighty, yet submissive.

Reader 3: Dare to look at the face of grace offered to us.

Reader 2: Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.

Reader 1: Completely naked with His hands tied against a pole. A centurion held a cat of nine tails.

Reader 2: A whip laced with bones.

Reader 3: Glass.

Reader 2: And metal.

Reader 3: The whip would gouge into His back.

Reader 1: The full torture would occur with the return of the whip with a firm jerk that would tear His flesh.

Reader 3: They continued this process.

Reader 2: Thirty-nine lashes He would endure.

Reader 1: Thirty-nine lashes, tied to the whipping post.

Reader 3: Endure each blow in our place. Stand with us now in honor of this dark moment in history.

All: One.

Reader 2: For the times we proudly did what we wanted.

All: Two.

Reader 1: The weight of senseless violence.

All: Three.

Reader 3: The flattering tongue.

All: Four.

Reader 2: Gossiping lips.

All: Five.

Reader 1: Inhumanity.

All: Six.

Reader 3: Lust and perversion.

All: Seven.

Reader 3: Terrorist plots.

All: Eight.

Reader 1: Child abuse.

All: Nine.

Reader 3: Prejudice.

All: Ten.

Reader 2: War.

All: Eleven.

Reader 1: Blasphemy.

All: Twelve.

Reader 2: Stubborn disbelief in God.

All: Thirteen.

Reader 3: Thievery.

All: Fourteen.

Reader 1: Unforgiveness.

All: Fifteen.

Reader 2: Pornography.

All: Sixteen.

Reader 3: Lies.

All: Seventeen.

Reader 1: Abortion.

All: Eighteen.

Reader 2: Legalism.

All: Nineteen.

Reader 3: Greed.

All: Twenty.

Reader 1: Boastfulness.

All: Twenty-one.

Reader 3: Heretical teaching.

All: Twenty-two.

Reader 2: Pride.

All: Twenty-three.

Reader 3: Murder.

All: Twenty-four.

Reader 2: Contempt for holiness.

All: Twenty-five.

Reader 1: Apathy.

All: Twenty-six.

Reader 3: Betrayal.

All: Twenty-seven.

Reader 2: Gluttony.

All: Twenty-eight.

Reader 1: Drug abuse.

All: Twenty-nine.

Reader 3: Infidelity.

All: Thirty.

Reader 2: Cruelty.

All: Thirty-one.

Reader 1: Rape.

All: Thirty-two.

Reader 3: Jealousy.

All: Thirty-three.

Reader 2: Apathy.

All: Thirty-four.

Reader 1: Lynching.

All: Thirty-five.

Reader 3: Prostitution.

All: Thirty-six.

Reader 2: Witchcraft.

All: Thirty-seven.

Reader 1: Pride.

All: Thirty-eight.

Reader 3: Mocking.

All: Thirty-nine.

Reader 2: Sin.

Reader 1: Stand in silence as we remember that by His stripes we are healed.

Congregation stands for approximately 20 seconds, and then is motioned to be seated.

Amazing Love

Reader 1: He was despised.

Reader 2: “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

Reader 3: Pilate asked them.

Reader 1: And rejected.

All: “Crucify Him!” they shouted.

Reader 1: And forsaken by men,

Jesus: Peter, could you not pray with Me one hour?

Reader 1: A man of sorrows

Reader 3: When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered,

Reader 2: and harassed,

Reader 3: and distressed,

Reader 2: and dejected,

Reader 1: and helpless,

Reader 2: like sheep without a shepherd.

Reader 1: A man acquainted with pain,

Reader 3: The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They tore the robe from His back. The robe had already become adherent to the wounds from the scourging. Once again intense pain, bleeding.

Reader 1: And acquainted with grief

Jesus: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets, abuser of the messengers of God! How often I’ve longed to gather your children, gather your children like a hen, Her brood safe under her wings— but you refused and turned away!

Reader 1: and like One from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.

All: Surely He has borne our grief.

Reader 2: Divorce, shame, rejection, disillusionment,

Reader 1: sicknesses,

Reader 3: leukemia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer,

Reader 1: weaknesses,

Reader 2: depression, anger, failure, ignorance.

Reader 1: Yet we ignorantly considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God

Reader 1: But He was wounded for our transgressions.

Reader 2: Sharp pain coursing through His body.

Reader 3: Bludgeoned by the closed fists of hardened soldiers.

Presentation of the cross

From the back of the auditorium a large cross is carried in and erected on the platform.

Reader 1: He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities.

Reader 2: Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying,

Reader 3: “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Reader 1: They precisely placed the large eight-inch spike into the wrist of Jesus—a place where nerve and muscle would be intertwined to cause torture beyond what we could imagine.

(The sound on the hammer on nails: Six times)

Reader 2: Mocking.

Reader 1: Vulgarities.

Reader 3: Perversion.

Reader 2: Spittle.

Reader 1: Mud.

Reader 3: Harassment.

Reader 2: Religious condemnation.

Reader 1: Naked shame.

Reader 3: Blasphemy.

Reader 2: Loneliness.

Reader 1: Abandonment.

Reader 3: Thirst.

Reader 2: Shock.

Reader 3: Convulsion.

Reader 1: Blood.

Reader 2: Puncture wounds.

Reader 3: And a burning, bleeding back.

Reader 1: Their words spewed forth from all directions and all eras.

Reader 2: He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.