Minister: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

TGI Choir: Director Craig McLeish

Part One – 1.00 pm

Opening Prayer

Jesus, you are our Lord and our God, you endured such pain and suffering for us,
you died for love of us. We kneel beneath your cross and beg for mercy.
Lord, have mercy on us, sinners.

O blood and water flowing from your side, sanctify and cleanse us.
Lord, we love you with all our heart and place all our trust in you.

Amen

TGI Choir

The Crown of Roses

When Jesus Christ was yet a child
he had a garden small and wild
wherein he cherished roses fair,
and wove them into garlands there.

Now once as summertime drew nigh
there came a troop of children by,
and, seeing roses on the tree,
with shouts they plucked them merrily.

‘Do you bind roses in your hair?”
they cried in scorn to Jesus there.
The boy said humbly, ‘Take, I pray,
all but the naked thorns away.’

Then with the thorns they made a crown,
and with rough fingers pressed it down,
till on this forehead fair and young
red drops of blood, like roses, sprung.

Peter I. Tchaikovsky

Crux Fidelis

Crux fidelis, inter omnes; arbor una nobilis. Nulla silva talem profert: fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulces clavos, dulce pondus sustinet. Amen.

Faithful cross, high above all others; noblest of trees. Nothing so blessed has grown there: neither branches nor blossoms. Sweet wood, sweet nails, sweet burden hanging on you. Amen

Attributed to John IV of Portugal

Judas betrayed Jesus,
Peter denied Jesus,
Thomas doubted Jesus:
Jesus died for them.

Pilate rejected Jesus,
Herod taunted Jesus,
Caiaphas framed Jesus
Jesus died for them.

The soldiers crucified Jesus,
the disciples deserted Jesus,
the people laughed at Jesus:
Jesus died for them.

Mary wept for Jesus,
the women anointed Jesus,
Joseph buried Jesus:
Jesus rose for them.

We have doubted Jesus,
we have denied Jesus,
we rejected Jesus:
but Jesus died for us.

O Saviour of the World

O Saviour of the world, who by thy cross and precious blood hast redeemed us.
Save us and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord.

Amen

John Goss

Chorale from the St Matthew Passion

In thy most bitter passion my heart to share doth cry.
With thee for my salvation upon the cross to die.
Ah keep my heart thus moved to stand they cross beneath,
To mourn thee, well beloved, yet thank thee for thy death.

J.S. Bach

John 3: 16–21

¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

NIV®

O Vos Omnes

O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.

Behold, all ye that pass by, look and see if there is any sorrow like unto my sorrow

Tomas Luis de Victoria

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom

O crucified Jesus, Son of the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
eternal Word of God –
we worship you.

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

O crucified Jesus, holy temple of God, dwelling place of the Most High,
gate of heaven, burning flame of love –
we worship you.

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

O crucified Jesus, sanctuary of justice and love, full of kindness, source of faithfulness –
we worship you.

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

O crucified Jesus, ruler of every heart, in you are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
in you dwells all the fullness of the Godhead –
we worship you.

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

Taizé

God so loved the world

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son
that whoso believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through him might be saved.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son
that whoso believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.

[The TGI Choir depart in silence.]

Part Two – 2.00 pm

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, on this day we gather to remember the suffering death of Jesus.
He was despised and rejected, oppressed, and afflicted,
yet he was prepared to be wounded for our transgressions.

We come overwhelmed by the depth of Jesus’ love for us,
and his commitment to defeat evil,
even when that meant his own suffering and his own death.

In his willingness to make us righteous, he poured himself out to death, even death on a cross,
and so, in response to such love and sacrifice,
we commit ourselves as his disciples to overcome evil with good, suffering with wholeness,
and oppression with justice.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen

Music Interlude

[Silence]

2.15 pm

They came to a place called Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’).

There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;
but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

Above his head they placed the written charge against him: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’

Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!’

In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.

‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

‘He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’

In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, ‘He’s calling Elijah.’

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

The rest said, ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.’

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Music Interlude

[Silence]

2.40 pm – Solemn Reproaches of the Cross

O my people, O my church, what have I done to you, or in what have I offended you? Answer me.

I led you forth from the land of Egypt and delivered you by the waters of baptism,
but you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

I led you through the desert forty years and fed you with manna:
I brought you through tribulation and penitence and gave you my body, the bread of heaven,
but you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

What more could I have done for you that I have not done?
I planted you, my chosen and fairest vineyard,
I made you branches of my vine;
but when I was thirsty, you gave me vinegar to drink and pierced with a spear the side of your Saviour,
and you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

I went before you in a pillar of cloud, and you have led me to the judgment hall of Pilate.
I scourged your enemies and brought you to a land of freedom,
but you have scourged, mocked, and beaten me.

Lord, have mercy.

I gave you the water of salvation from the rock,
but you have given me gall and left me to thirst,
and you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

I gave you a royal sceptre and bestowed the keys of the kingdom,
but you have given me a crown of thorns.
I raised you on high with great power,
but you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

My peace I gave, which the world cannot give, and washed your feet as a sign of my love,
but you draw the sword to strike in my name and seek high places in my kingdom.
I offered you my body and blood, but you scatter and deny and abandon me,
and you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

I sent the Spirit of truth to guide you, and you close your hearts to the counsellor.
I pray that all may be one in the Father and me, but you continue to quarrel and divide.
I call you to go and bring forth fruit, but you cast lots for my clothing,
and you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

I grafted you into the tree of my chosen Israel,
and you turned on them with persecution and mass murder.
I made you joint heirs with them of my covenants, but you made them scapegoats for your own guilt,
and you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

I came to you as the least of your brothers and sisters;
I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me,
and you have prepared a cross for your Saviour.

Lord, have mercy.

Music Interlude

[Silence]

3.00 pm – Proclamation of the Cross

We adore you, O Christ and we bless you,
because, by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

[The cross is placed on the altar.]

O Saviour of the world,
by your cross and precious blood, you have redeemed us.
Save us,
and help us, we humbly beseech you, O Lord.

Amen

[Silence]

Lord Jesus Christ, the story of your suffering is written on our hearts,
and the salvation of the world is in your outstretched hands.
Keep your victory always before our eyes, your praise on our lips, your peace in our lives.

Amen

[The minister and people depart in silence.]