Events of Holy Week

Verses

Reflections

Jesus is the Son of God; the Son of the Creator of the world, yet he takes our sins upon himself in order that the world might be renewed.

WHAT HAPPENED?

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible … all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:15-17

REFLECTION

Take time to reflect on the wonderful gift of God’s world. All things have come into being through Christ. Creation is amazing. Pope Francis speaks of the earth as ‘our common home’. Think of one aspect of the natural world that you love; the stars, the mountains, the ocean... All of these things tell us something of the greatness and majesty of God.

WHAT HAPPENED?

After his trial, Jesus took the cross he was given to begin his journey to Golgotha.

… though he was in the form of God, (Christ Jesus) did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:6-8

REFLECTION

Jesus took upon himself our failures and sins. When has our selfishness injured others? Damaged our world? Think of a time when your actions caused harm to the created world; when you mistreated the earth by littering, wasting food or demanding more games and more devices even when you already had enough.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The cross Jesus carries is heavy and he falls down under its weight. Is there anyone there to help him or is he all alone? So disfigured was he, the people turned away.

Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5

REFLECTION

Who are the people in our world who are easier to ignore? Why do we want to get involved in their troubles?

WHAT HAPPENED?

In the middle of his painful walk Jesus meets his mother. Imagine what it must have felt like for him to see her loving face.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:12-13

REFLECTION

When we are going through a hard time think of how comforting it can be to see the face of someone who loves us.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

This time when Jesus falls there is someone there to help him up and to carry his cross.

REFLECTION

God wants us to bear one another’s burdens. Pope Francis says,Disregard for the duty to cultivate and maintain a proper relationship with my neighbour... ruins my relationship with myself, with others, with God and with the earth.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Jesus takes his last breath and then gives up his spirit to God. His mother and some of his followers stand at the foot of the cross weeping.

A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.

Matthew 2:18

REFLECTION

Who are the people who are mourning today? Those who have lost loved ones? Experienced casualties in war? Those who have lost family members and friends in natural disasters?

WHAT HAPPENED?

Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross and laid in an empty tomb. The women cannot stay there. They have to return home to prepare for their holy day, the Sabbath.

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

John 12:24

REFLECTION

For us, death and loss seem like a disaster. We want our lives to always run smoothly. Jesus death and resurrection teaches us to have hope even when all seems hopeless. After the earthquake in Christchurch people were very sad and overwhelmed. There was a lot of mess to be cleaned up and work to be done so that people could begin to rebuild their lives. People were surprised at how their neighbours offered them support and help. The student volunteer army provided 75,000 hours of free labour to help people clear up their properties after the earthquake in February 2011.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The women return to the tomb early on Sunday morning to find that the stone has been rolled away and that Jesus is not there. The angels tell them, ‘Jesus is not here. He has risen.’

...for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.1 Corinthians 15:22

REFLECTION

Our belief in the resurrection of Jesus means that death is not the end.It is simply a change from one life to another. In the ‘new life’ there will be no more struggles. Sometimes people get so used to fighting for what they need that they almost don’t know how to act when the struggle is over.

CONCLUDING PRAYERE te Atua ake ake, Eternal God,Out of your great generosity you brought the world into being and gave it life. Then you offered yourself, on the cross of human suffering. Such priceless, painful giving! Did you invite us here to show us that? Then show it to us once more O God! Remind us of your way of living where we live for others and value life.

E te Atua ake ake, Eternal God,Out of your great generosity, make us generous; bring us into being.

Amen. (The Micah Challenge New Zealand)