Easter Friday

Well, we're about to hear the story, the first-hand account of what happened.

So will you please let me say just a few words to get us thinking before we hear the story.

This COVID crisis we're in, I think it's forced us all to re-evaluate what's essential in our lives.

You're probably sick of that word essential, but I think it's making us all ask that question.

What is absolutely necessary for my life?

When this was all starting, I went to Audi one night, and I didn't care too much that I couldn't get the vegetables I was after, but there was no coffee.

So I ordered some online.

I don't know why I looked up then.

I suppose God does provide all things, but I ordered some online.

And as I excitedly opened the delivery, I was wondering if coffee was just a bit too essential for my own happiness.

When this card fell out of the package.

Could have been an answer.

I'm not sure.

But the coffee was delicious.

And that's the main point.

We're all asking this question.

What is essential at a public level?

What are essential services that remain open?

What are essential reasons that we're allowed to leave the house like exercise and acts of compassion?

But I reckon we're asking this question at a deeper level than this.

I think we're asking the question.

What is essential for our home life?

What's essential for our relationships being sustained and growing through this time?

If we can't be in each other's presence, can't shake hands and hug, how do we express our connection?

Being forced to isolate.

I wonder if you're like me and you're just growing in your appreciation for how connection is just so close to the heart of what gives us life.

So we're all asking this question.

What's essential for life?

The story we're about to hear gives a surprising answer to our question.

What's absolutely essential for my life is that another man died.

Jesus died to give us connection with God and connection with one another.

So what we're going to do now is we're going to hear this story.

Simon will read what happened and I will point out a few things in the story as we go.

And as I said, we're going to cross each time.

We're going to hear the story in four parts.

And after each part, we'll hear from four people and how this story has changed and is changing their lives.

So I hope you're looking forward to this.

I invite you to listen and to reflect.

We pick up the story with Jesus having claimed that he is God's only son, the good shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep.

He's been betrayed by his closest friends, arrested by his own Jewish people, those who should have recognized him.

And he's now been handed over to the Roman governor, Pilate.

So over to you, Simon, to read part one of the story.

Okay.

Okay.

John chapter 19.

John 19 · chapter mention

Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.

And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.

They came up to him saying, hail, king of the Jews and struck him with their hands.

Pilate went out again and said to them, see, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.

So Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.

Pilate said to them, behold the man.

When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, crucify him, crucify him.

Pilate said to them, take him yourselves and crucify him.

For I find no guilt in him.

The Jews answered him, we have a law.

And according to that law, he ought to die because he has made himself the son of God.

When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.

He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, where are you from?

But Jesus gave him no answer.

So Pilate said to him, you will not speak to me.

Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?

Jesus answered him.

You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.

Therefore, he who delivered me over to you has the greatest sin.

From then on, Pilate sought to release him.

But the Jews cried out, if you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend.

Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.

So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the stone pavement and in Aramaic, Gabbatha.

Now, it was the day of preparation of the Passover.

It was about the sixth hour.

He said to the Jews, behold your king.

And they cried out, away with him, away with him, crucify him.

Pilate said to them, shall I crucify your king?

The chief priests answered, we have no king but Caesar.

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

It was a very dangerous thing to claim to be a king and so stir people up to go against the authority of Rome.

That's a quick and sure way to be crucified.

That's the kind of thing that Pilate, the governor representing Caesar, was to squash without mercy or hesitation.

But that's why it's really surprising that three times Pilate says in different ways, I find no guilt in him.

To try and satisfy the murderous cries of the Jewish authorities, he has Jesus beaten so that he can then release him.

Jesus is mocked, dressed in royal purple, which is the best colour by the way, and given a crown of thorns dug into his head,

each soldier bowing before him, hail King of the Jews, and striking him.

But it's not enough.

Only death would satisfy Jesus' own Jewish people.

And only a public death, discrediting once and for all, all his claims to be God's son.

To be killed and hung on a tree was a sure sign of God's rejection of a person.

The Jews won't be satisfied with anything less.

Pilate didn't care so much that Jesus was innocent.

But he did care that the Jewish authorities were manipulating him to do their will.

And they knew they had the upper hand.

What would Caesar do if he heard Pilate didn't crucify someone claiming to be the king?

Pilate didn't crucify someone claiming to be the king?

So easily.

But Jesus was silent.

Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified.

But not without putting the Jews in their place first.

Okay, then, have what you want.

This is the only king you Jews will ever have.

So now watch him be crushed by the power of Rome.

Behold your king.

Pilate and the soldiers who beat him had no idea how true their words were.

Pilate and the soldiers who beat him had no idea how true their words were.

Friends, behold your king.

Innocent yet punished.

Accused yet silent.

Having all authority yet submitting to death.

chosen by God yet rejected by the world

the question we're left with until the next part of the story is why

why would he endure this but before we hear the next part we're going to first

cross to Catherine and she's going to share how Jesus

has really impacted her life so thank you Catherine

okay

when I was listening to this story

to this reading one of the things that really struck me

was how unjustly Jesus was accused and that he didn't do anything

and I know for me that this was particularly

striking because I really really really hate being unjustly accused and I not only don't want to

I always want to be right but I always want to be seen to be right as well and if I am unjustly accused

particularly by those closest to me particularly in marriage and at home the wheels fall off I react to really

intensely massively defensive massively aggressive and lash out in a really destructive way

and when I think about Jesus at this time

he of all people not only has the right of being able to say I am right guys but also he has the power to be able to blitz these guys and smash them to smithereens

and he doesn't he is silent when accused and he is calm when he responds he responds in a moderated calm way saying you only get this authority because God's given you this authority

and it keeps reminding me that I have far less right to be seen as seen as right and in fact it doesn't matter

it doesn't matter if those who are with me can see that I'm good or bad God knows

that the heart stuff and it gives me a chance to step back and go all right how am I going to respond am I going to respond in a way that is

unpleasing to God hitting out at everybody around me or am I going to respond

slowly kindly compassionately with patience looking at myself and seeing where the fault is

so um I've been 40 years a Christian I can see how much I've changed in that 40 years

um particularly under great trials and stress um I can see where I've uh not been what I've wanted to be

but where over time things are changing and I hope that things will continue to change in fact I know that things will continue to change

um God is working at me and he is really making a difference

thanks Catherine we're going to pick up now um midway verse through verse 16 and continue our reading

so they took Jesus and he went out bearing his own cross to the place called the place of the skull

which in Aramaic is called Golgotha there they crucified him and with him two others one on either side

and Jesus between them

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross

it read

Jesus of Nazareth

the king of the Jews

many of the Jews read this inscription

for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city

and it was written in Aramaic

in Latin

and in Greek

so the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate

do not write the king of the Jews

but rather

this man said I am king of the Jews

Pilate answered

what I have written

I have written

when the soldiers had crucified Jesus

they took his garments and divided them into four parts

one part for each soldier

also his tunic

but the tunic was seamless

woven in one piece from top to bottom

so they said to one another

let us not tear it

but cast lots for it

to see whose it shall be

this was to fulfill the scripture

which says

they divided my garments among them

and for my clothing they cast lots

so the soldiers did these things

but standing by the cross of Jesus

were his mother

and his mother's sister

Mary the wife of Clopas

and Mary Magdalene

when Jesus saw his mother

and the disciple whom he loved

standing nearby

he said to his mother

woman

behold

your son

then he said to the disciple

behold

your mother

and from that hour

the disciple took her to his own home

after this

Jesus knowing that all was now finished

said

to fulfill the scripture

I thirst

a jar full of sour wine stood there

so they put a sponge full of the sour wine

on a hyssop branch

and held it to his mouth

when Jesus had received the sour wine

he said

it is finished

and he bowed his head

and gave up his spirit

Roman practice was to

whip criminals before they are crucified

with whips that have bits of bone and metal

tearing at the flesh

a crucified victim was stripped naked

publicly put to shame

with their crime displayed

for all the world to see

the victim is nailed

through their hands

or wrists

and they are left there

in the hot sun

for hours

sometimes days

until eventually

the victim is too tired

to hold up their body weight

to allow air into their lungs

and they suffocate

but the agony of Jesus

isn't the focus

in the story

instead our attention

is drawn

to the soldiers

gambling

for Jesus' clothing

unknowingly

these executioners

are acting

to God's script

written in Psalm 22

a thousand years earlier

they divide my garments

among them

and for my clothing

they cast lots

Jesus knew

that his mission

was almost complete

so he cries out

in thirst

as God's word

said it would happen

and drinking sour wine

clothes

and drinking sour wine

they just seem like

random things

to focus on

don't they

but there was nothing

random going on

and Jesus knew it

and that's the point

Jesus was fully aware

that every step

leading to his

impending death

was the design

of his heavenly father

and he obeyed

every step

of the way

his last words

are not words

of a victim

but words of triumph

it is finished

my mission

is complete

and he bows

his head

freely

giving up

his spirit

no one

took his life

from him

not Pilate

not the Jews

they're arguing

over the crime

written above him

the king

of the Jews

which is written

in three languages

for all the Roman world

to read

and understand

as Pilate

and the Jews

fight for authority

over the situation

unknowingly

God is using them

to declare

to the whole world

that Jesus

is

God's

king

this is

the father's plan

for our king

to die

and our king

was obedient

to his father

until his last breath

it

is

finished

we're going

to hear now

from Gareth

who will share

how he's come

to rest

in God's

unexpected plan

so thanks Gareth

good morning all

going back to my late teens

I believe the real life

was random

that is

I stopped believing

that there was a God

and I believed

that

the world

came into being

randomly

by Big Bang

or some other such thing

when I really thought

on that

it terrified me

because I recognised

how short life is

and that through

that lens

how utterly meaningless

that terror

stayed with me

for quite some time

until I could stand it

no more

and ask my father

rather a lot of questions

about his belief

in God

my memory of that

conversation is very vague

I remember thinking

that dad's belief

wasn't so silly

after all

I think he prayed

at the end

and I remember

that I felt

as if a massive burden

had been removed

from my shoulders

much like that of

Pilgrim

in Pilgrim's Progress

these days

I look through

a different lens

I look at life

through God's word

the Bible

and life makes

a lot more sense

and it has meaning

the psalmist

in Psalm 31

says

I trust in you

oh Lord

I say

you are my God

my times

are in your hand

I believe

that I too

can trust in God

and that my times

are in his hand

15 years ago

I was really unhappy

with the job

I was in

I was starting

early in the morning

and finishing late

not even able

to attend

an evening Bible study

at the new church

we were now attending

so I prayed

Lord please help me

with this

not too long

after that

I was called

into the boss's office

and made redundant

we're letting you go

he said

like I was

some sort of fish

I said very little

but felt quite

indignant about it

how dare they

I thought

then I remembered

my prayer

and could see

that God was in it

and gave thanks

even though

it was

unnerving

to say the least

within two weeks

I received a phone call

from someone

saying that they had heard

that I may be looking

for work

and would I consider

working for them

I said I would consider it

and have been working

for them ever since

God had a more

appropriate job

for me

with regular hours

I know that I can

really trust in God

and my time

really is in his hand

because of Jesus Christ

and what he did

on the cross

my life has meaning

and hope

thanks Gareth

we'll continue our reading

from verse 31

since it was the day

of preparation

and so that the bodies

would not remain

on the cross

on the Sabbath

for that Sabbath

was a high day

the Jews asked

Pilate that their legs

might be broken

and that they might

be taken away

so the soldiers

came

and broke the legs

of the first

and of the other

who had been crucified

with him

but when they came

to Jesus

and saw that he

was already dead

they did not

break his legs

but one of the soldiers

pierced his side

with a spear

and at once

there came out

blood and water

he who saw it

has borne witness

his testimony

is true

and he knows

that he is telling

the truth

that you also

may believe

for these things

took place

that the scripture

might be fulfilled

not one of his bones

will be broken

and again

another scripture

says

they will look

on him

whom they have

pierced

well

Roman practice

was to leave

the corpse

hanging on the cross

for days

for the vultures

to eat

but for the Jews

this would be

considered as

God's curse

on the whole land

and people

to leave

the body

hanging

and especially

for this to happen

on a Sabbath day

at the start

of the Passover

festival

a festival

that celebrated

cleansing

from sin

and freedom

to live

with God

to leave

the body

hanging

would just

contaminate

in Jewish thinking

so they asked

Pilate to break

the legs

of Jesus

to speed up

his death

and take him

away

they come

and break

the two

criminals

legs

either side

but Jesus

was already

dead

and to be sure

a soldier

pierces his side

with his spear

and John

saw

that it brought

a sudden

flow of blood

and water

we're not going

to go into the

details

but medically

it's kind of

obvious

he was definitely

dead

but there's a

deeper significance

here that John

wants us to see

in Jewish

sacrifices

both blood

and water

are both used

to cleanse

people from

all their

moral sin

against God

making them

acceptable

to live with

him

clean

reconnected

to him

just as the

Passover lamb

had to have

no blemish

and have no

broken bones

to be an

acceptable

sacrifice

to God

so we see

Jesus

the true

lamb

of God

who takes

away

the sin

of the

world

whose sin

is taken

away

John tells

us clearly

he who saw

all this

happen

with his

own eyes

has borne

witness

we have been

listening to

his testimony

this morning

and he's

telling us

this

so that we

also might

believe

as you

picture

the blood

coming out

of Jesus

side

do you

believe

that he

did this

willingly

do you

believe

he did

this for

you

then all

you're wrong

before God

has been

washed

clean

you can

know

without a

doubt

that God

loves you

John 3

16 says

for God

so loved

the world

that he

gave his

one and

only son

that whoever

believes

in him

shall not

perish

but have

eternal

life

well we're

going to

hear now

from

Marie

and

Marie

is going

to share

how she

has come

to believe

more deeply

of God's

love for

her

so thanks

Marie

hi

I'm

Marie

and this

is my

family

sorry in

advance

if they're

a little

bit noisy

we've just

totally rubbed

them with

chocolate

so hopefully

they'll be

quiet for a

moment

yeah so I'm

just going to

share a

little bit

of my

story

so Pete

and I

we got

we were

high school

sweethearts

and we got

married young

and then a

few years

later we

wanted to

start our

family

and

unfortunately

then we

were introduced

to infertility

and it was

a really

hard time

for us

we

saw our

friends and

families

having

babies

great joy

and it

just wasn't

happening for

us

and the

doctor said

it was

likely not

to ever

happen for

us as

well

so we

had

over eight

years of

medical

things

and crying

and praying

and yeah

it was a

hard time

and also

a hard time

testing me

in my faith

as a

Christian

as well

I had to

keep

rereading

passages

like we've

been reading

this morning

and reminding

myself

that I

actually was

loved

and I had

to believe

that I was

loved so much

that Jesus

would die

for me

and for my

sins

so that

actually helped

even though

things weren't

going to my

plans

and as

you can

see

we

eventually

were blessed

with kids

and now

our daily

struggle is

learning to be

a mum

with three

young kids

while the

pandemic's

going on

and I'm

trying to be

a kidney

teacher as

well

and

unfortunately

I often

get it wrong

as a mum

I lose

my patience

I get

quick

tempered

sometimes

but

thank goodness

I don't

have to be

weighed down

by that

I can keep

on going

because I've

been cleansed

through Jesus

of all my

sin and all

my failures

so not only

have I been

cleansed

but God

also promises

to be there

with me

and to help

me which

is a great

comfort as

a mum

especially

during all

these uncertain

times going

on in the

world

so yeah

I think

that's just

what I wanted

to share

with you

guys

that I've

learned

through my

experiences

some things

can be

hard

and some

things don't

go to

plans

to your own

plans

but you

can find

love and

great comfort

in Jesus

and you can

be cleansed

from all

your sins

and failures

through him

so yeah

I'll get that

out of

story

thank you

for listening

and kids

do you guys

want to say

goodbye

say bye

bye

thanks Marie

and Pete

we're just

going to read

the last part

of the passage

now from

verse 38

after these

things

Joseph of

Arimathea

who was a

disciple of

Jesus

but secretly

for fear of

the Jews

asked Pilate

that he might

take away

the body of

Jesus

and Pilate

gave him

permission

so he came

and took away

his body

Nicodemus also

who earlier

had come to

Jesus by

night

came

bringing a

mixture of

myrrh and

aloes

about 75

pounds in

weight

so they took

the body

of Jesus

and bound

it in linen

cloths with

the spices

as is the

burial custom

of the Jews

now in the

place where he

was crucified

there was a

garden

and in the

garden a

new tomb

in which no

one had yet

been laid

so because of

the Jewish

day of

preparation

since the

tomb was

close at

hand

they laid

Jesus there

we're now

final scene

our attention

is drawn to

two very

surprising

people

they're two

men of high

position

among the

Jewish leaders

Joseph is

described as a

believer a

follower but

secretly because

he feared the

Jewish authorities

and you can

see why and

Nicodemus who

was too afraid

to come to

Jesus in the

daylight so he

saw him secretly

at night these

men had a lot

to lose their

high position

maybe even

their lives

if you were

there seeing

the corpse of

Jesus hanging

on the cross

how risky

would it be to

admit before

Pilate and the

authorities that

you believe that

this man is

worthy of

honour

I think

we're being

shown what

believing in

Jesus looks

like

it's believing

that Jesus

is worth

risking everything

else for

it's not

hiding but

openly confessing

it's not living

in fear and

darkness but

walking in the

light of his

love

they've

richly

prepared his

body for

burial so

that the

stench of

death wouldn't

be so bad

and laid

him in a

tomb in

which no

one had

yet been

laid

but even

as they

honour him

they show

that they

don't quite

grasp who

Jesus is

and what he

came to do

they were

treating Jesus

as if his

story ended

in the tomb

if the story

ended here

we would have

no reason

to celebrate

at Easter

because death

would yet

again

have the

final

save

I don't

think

Joseph

and

Nicodemus

would have

bothered

with spices

and wrapping

Jesus'

body

if they

knew what

was coming

on Sunday

morning

the story

doesn't end

here

and that is

such good

news

for all

who believe

in him

our story

doesn't end

in death

either

the cross

is blood

poured out

to reconnect

us to

God

and what

followed on

Sunday

morning

is absolutely

essential

for our

life

friends

behold

your king

innocent

and having

all authority

yet submitting

to injustice

and rejection

and death

obedient

trusting

his father's

plan

pouring out

his blood

for you

to wash

you clean

for everyone

who believes

dying

he destroyed

the power

of death

to give us

new and

forever

life

what a

king

the lamb

of God

who takes

away the

sin of the

world

good reason

to celebrate

well we're

going to

finish by

hearing from

Alyssa

as she

shares how

Jesus has

washed her

and given

her new

life

so over

to you

Alyssa

sorry

I just

wanted to

share some

of my

story and

how Jesus

has and

is still

impacting

my life

so I

grew up

in a

loving

household

we were

taught

about

Jesus

and his

love

and the

forgiveness

that he

offers

from a

really young

age

however I

don't think

I ever

really realised

the weight

of what that

meant

for myself

personally

until I

was in my

late teens

so from a

young age

I fell

into some

forms of

addiction

and it

became a

source of

comfort for

me

I always

knew in

my heart

that there

was a

God and

I believed

in him

but I

really

struggled to

feel his

love and

his grace

for myself

and it's

only really

been in the

last few

years that

I've come

to accept

that love

and forgiveness

it was in

those younger

years however

that I

had formed

some really

unhealthy

habits

and ways

of handling

pain and

emotions

I don't

feel I ever

learnt to

handle pain

well

and I

experienced

a lot of

it and

instead of

turning to

God to

find my

worth and

identity

I allowed

the addiction

and what

it brought

with it

to define

me

things like

shame

feeling not

worthy enough

and being

a failure

I carried

this identity

with me

and it only

led me

further

into the

path of

addiction

with every

trial

and pain

that I

faced

as the

years have

gone on

I feel

like

I am

letting go

of the

shame

the feelings

of not

being worthy

or of

being a

failure

and finding

my identity

more and

more in

Jesus

but I

will be

honest in

saying it's

been a

really long

hard and

slow journey

but the

only way

that's been

made possible

is coming

to understand

how wide

and how

deep

and how

great the

love of

Jesus is

for me

and what

his forgiveness

and grace

really means

it's a

daily struggle

and fight

not to

hold on

to the

past

and allow

what has

happened

to me

or what

I have

done

to define

me

and I

still fall

into the

trap of

thinking that

other things

can carry

me through

but every

day I'm

learning that

if it

wasn't for

Jesus

and his

death

and resurrection

I would

not have

been made

new

I would

not have

been changed

from the

inside out

nor have

the strength

to keep

going

you see

the greatest

comfort

the greatest

peace

and the

greatest

hope I

have

is knowing

Jesus Christ

and that he

knew everything

about me

and even

knowing everything

about me

he endured

the cross

and he died

so that we

could know

him

his love

and his

forgiveness

Jesus Christ

God himself

who knew

my sin

my weakness

my failing

the king

of the world

humbled himself

went through

all that

pain

suffering

rejection

and humiliation

thinking of

you and me

carrying the

sin of the

world

he died

on the

cross

and then

rose again

so we

could be

made new

be holy

perfect

and blameless

and also

to give us

the strength

to persevere

and fight

temptation

my king

suffered

in my

place

what a

God

what a

hope we

have

what a

king

thanks for

listening to

my story

yeah thank

you so much

Alyssa

and Marie

and Gareth

and Catherine

thank you for

opening yourselves

up to us

to see inside

your lives

and your hearts

thank you so much

for sharing your

stories with us

it's been really

encouraging

um

you

so much

thank you

to see así

some of rient

and why

thank you

and I'll

see you