Prayers at the Foot of the Cross (2014 edition)

God of hope, God of promise, God of light

on this day we gather to hear a story that speaks of hopes dashed,

promises left unfulfilled,

of death and darkness crushing life and light.

Today we remember a betrayal,

a trial,

a conviction,

an execution.

We remember that when one speaks out against the powerful there is often a price.

We remember a story that took place long ago in a far away land.

And yet....

Today we remember that crosses and injustices are not only a distant reality.

We remember that the world still strikes back against visions that,

somehow, are “not right”.

And so...

As we remember the old story today, help us also to hold in our prayers:

those who are punished for doing or saying the right things,

those who are condemned and rejected for being who You have made them to be,

those whom the world has called expendable, whom Jesus calls “the least of these”,

the ones we are called to serve, to protect, to nurture – as if they were Christ staring at us.

As we recall the powers of the world, may we always remember those who are crushed by that power

...time of silent prayer...

God of life and death, God of hope in despair, God of light in the darkness,

today as we tell the story, may we be reminded of its truth.

Today as we hear again of how few remained to watch at the cross,

may we be challenged to think of when we take the easier road.

Today as we hear the anguished words “it is finished”,

may we remember that it is not finished,

may we remember that as people of faith, people who follow the one on the cross,

we have a duty and a calling to share and preach his vision of a world transformed,

to pray and yearn and work for the day when the Kingdom is full and real around us.

And accordingly...

Even as we mark the darkness falling on this day, in this moment,

remind us of the hope and mystery that:

light replaces darkness,

hope defeats despair,

and life conquers death.

As we await the dawning of a new day, may we be filled with the passion of Jesus of Nazareth,

the passion for a world that could be so much more than it is.

And, filled with that passion, may we live it out in our daily lives,

willing even to risk a cost equivalent to a cross outside the city gates.

We pray in His name.

Amen.