Meditation One
Today we look back at the public execution of God.
Jesus is betrayed by his own people who should have known better – had they not the law and all the prophets to guide them into all truth? Jesus is betrayed by his closest friends who should have known better, the best of whom deserted him and fled and the worst of whom kissed him and handed him over, or denied that he even knew who he was. Jesus is betrayed by the Roman Soldiers, who failed to see in the person before them - another living human being and they mocked him, whipped him, and nailed him to a cross to die in the heat of the mid-day sun.
Today we look back at the public execution of God.
Jesus is betrayed by people who should have known better – do we not have the law and the prophets – do we not study the scriptures to see how to live? Jesus is betrayed by his closest friends – are we not supposed to be his closest friends? We who pray and claim to know God and to follow him? And today Jesus is betrayed by the whole human race which carries on un-moved or oblivious to the suffering of one particular human being.
Today we look back at the public execution of God.
But of course they didn’t know what they were doing all those years ago. How could they know what they are doing? Soldiers are soldiers, leaders are leaders, and criminals are just criminals – they are only human. How could they know what they are doing?
The people did not know what they were doing when they did nothing.
And the High priests and politicians did not know what they were doing when they executed one small man.
And the Roman Soldiers did not know what they were doing when they were just obeying orders.
And the Disiciples did not know what they were doing when they all deserted him and fled.
And Judas and Peter did not know what they were doing when they betrayed him and denied him
And two thousand years on we are only human too - and we can’t take the blame for the death of God, can we - yes, we sin –we upset people and we hurt their feelings, we’re selfish and we like to get our own way, we do things that we shouldn’t do and we try to cover them up – but we don’t kill God. We’re not that bad…
And Jesus says:
Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
Meditation Two
Today we look back at the public execution of God. And to what do we look forward?
Today - across the world – is earth day – the day when people think about the planet … about Global Warming, about pollution, about nuclear disasters, about oil destroying coastlands,
And we might want to think about dictators who kill their people, about western democracies bombing countries, about famines and droughts, and the price of drugs and health care….
We might want to think that 22,000 children die each day because of poverty.
We might want to think that 20% of the world’s population still live on less than $1 a day and consume 1.5% of the world’s goods
We might want to think that a different 20% of the world’s population consume 75% of the world’s goods, -
And we might like to think where we stand in all those figures -
And we might like to think that we are good people really, and that we try…
And we might like to think that we want it to be different but that we don’t know how to change it.
And we might like to think that as we leave this cathedral we feel as if we have no choice.
And we might hear Jesus saying to us…
Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
Meditation three
Today we look back at the public execution of God.
And what should be our response?
Back in a previous parish a young man, about 19 years old, had had too much to drink out with his friends – and trying to show off dashed underneath the barrier at a railway crossing... He slipped and the train hit him, killing him instantly…. What could be the response to such a meaningless waste of a young life?
Each year, on the anniversary, his family gathered to remember, to tie a bunch of flowers to the railway fence, to light a candle there – to think, perhaps to pray – who knows.
What response can there be?
And over ten years ago a young 36 year old woman, had had a rather good night out with her lover at the Paris Ritz – their driver sped them down by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, chased by photographers and journalists – and after the crash she died in a Paris hospital. What response could there be to such a meaningless waste of a young life?
Jonathan and I cut flowers from our garden and joined the crowds - thousands to lay one more bunch at the gates of Kensington Gardens – along with young people, old people, teenagers, religious people, criminals, every possible kind of person you could imagine – laying hundreds of bunches of flowers, and candles and photos and wind-chimes and toys and bells -
What kind of a response can there be?
And every year people go back to the underpass of the Pont D’Alma on 31st August and lay flowers, and light candles and say prayers, and every year people go back to the gates of Kensington Gardens and lay flowers and light candles and say prayers.
What else can they do?
What kind of a response should is there.
And today Today we look back at the public execution of God.
And what kind of a response can we make…
Some people today will travel to Jerusalem, will walk the Via Dolorosa and will ascend the steep steps to the site of the crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre… they will prayer there, light a candle there, lay a flower there…
Most of us cannot do that and so we will build Jerusalem here, we will place a cross before our eyes as if we were there on Calvary - Like Mary, his mother, or Mary Magdalene his friend – remembering where they crucified her son – her Lord.
And today I will invite you to leave your seat in your pew, and walk up to the cross - not to do anything strange, or odd, but to do what people in our culture do every day – to go back to the place where the person we loved died. To stand there, kneel there if you like, pray there, take a candle and light it…..
What other response can we make to the execution of God…
Which is the worse sin our fallen humanity could ever commit – for what can be worse than killing God?
What sin is equal to killing the Lord of life, and creator of the world?
What sin could we ever dream up or imagine to rival deicide ….
And yet Jesus said:
Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
For there is no sin – not even the brutal murder of God – which – today – is not forgiven.
Today is Good Friday indeed.
