Reflection on the Seven Words of Jesus on the Cross
Good Friday Worship
Bilingual Service
Fort Bend Community Church
By Pastor Brian
2015.04.03
Worship
1. Were you there?
2. When I survey the wondrous cross
3. Lord I lift your name
4. Above All
5. Amazing Grace – My Chains Are Gone
6. Near the Cross
Invocation
LEADER: The Lord be with you.
PEOPLE: And also with you.
LEADER: Let us pray.
PEOPLE: Jesus Christ, you who were led forth into the pain of the cross for the salvation of the world: Help us to enter into your passion and death, forgive us all our sin, and bring us to eternal salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
LEADER: O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us, we pray. Amen.
(Silence)
The Homily & Reflection
Introduction
on the Seven Last Words
1. The seven words spoken by the Lord during the six hours he was on the cross are well-known by most of the Christians. Since the early church, Christians gather together especially on Good Friday to meditate on these words. In the seventeenth century, the practice of spending 3 hours on Good Friday meditating on these seven words began to revive in Peru.
2. However, we don’t know the exact sequence of these seven words. They are taken out from the four Gospels. None of the gospels has recorded all seven of them. Matthew and Mark have only the 4th word; Luke has the 1st, 2nd and 7th; and John has the 3rd, 5th, and 6th. The Gospel writers recorded them for a purpose each with its meaning in its contexts. Taken them out of the contexts and grouped them together does not have the authorial intent for a connected sequential meaning. Each of them must be understood separately in its original textual contexts.
3. Tonight we will reflect on these seven words individually. I have grouped them into 3-2-2.
- a. Group 1: Forgiveness and Fellowship
- b. Group 2: Agony and Anguish
- c. Group 3: Conclusion and Completion
4. And I have divided the seating into 7 sections. Each section focuses on one word accordingly.
5. On your seat, there is a piece of paper with one of the seven words on it and some reflection questions. Focus on the word assigned to you and take it to be your own. Hear it for yourself as if Jesus is speaking these words to you tonight. Write down any thoughts, prayer, or response. Then take it home with you. Meditate on them this weekend as we eagerly anticipate the resurrection Sunday.
THE FIRST WORD: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
The Word of Forgiveness
Bible Reading
Luke 23:33-35
SECTION 1: When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying,
LEADER: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."
SECTION 1: And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One."
SECTION 1: 到了一個地方，名叫「髑髏地」，就在那裡把耶穌釘在十字架上，又釘了兩個犯人：一個在左邊，一個在右邊。當下耶穌說：
LEADER: 「父啊！赦免他們；因為他們所做的，他們不曉得。」
SECTION 1: 兵丁就拈鬮分他的衣服。百姓站在那裡觀看。官府也嗤笑他，說：「他救了別人；他若是基督，神所揀選的，可以救自己吧！」
Man has done his worst. The one by whom the world was made had come into the world, but the world knew him not. The Lord of Glory had tabernacle among men, but he was not wanted. The eyes which sin had blinded saw in Him no beauty that He should be desired. The cross was the climax of man’s enmity against the Son of God. They hated him as they cried again and again, “Crucify Him.”
The first of the seven words is a prayer. He is praying for his enemies. How significant! Forgiveness of sins is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus opened his public ministry with prayer in Luke (Luke 3:21) and closed it with prayer here. It also shows us the far reach of God’s forgiveness. If Christ prayed for his murderers, then surveys the very chief sinners can be forgiven.
His prayer was answered on the Day of Pentecost. 3,000 Jews including some who had crucified Christ had been saved and forgiven (Acts 3:17).
The first word also fulfilled the prophetic word in Isaiah 53:12 that the Savior should “make intercession for the transgressors” (他也被列在罪犯之中。他卻擔當多人的罪，又為罪犯代求。)
That is the purpose of the cross. He came to make himself the sacrifice so that forgiveness of sins is possible even for his murderers and for you and me. Even for the sins of ignorance. Sins we know we have committed, murder, adultery, hatred, lack of love, far short of the glory of God, are sins that need to be forgiven. Sins we do not know need forgiveness also.
“Forgiven them for they do not know what they are doing.”
We find David prayed, “Who can discern his errors? Forgive me of hidden faults.” (誰能知道自己的錯失呢？願你赦免我隱而未現的過錯。) Sin is always sin in the sight of God whether we are conscious of it or not. Sins of ignorance need atonement just as truly as do conscious sins. We are ignorant of many things, and the fault and blame are ours.
Examples of our hidden faults: Not loving God as we should; Ignore the truth we should know…
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Forgiveness of sins is reason Jesus went to the cross suffering all that pains for us. We are sinners, unfit for the presence of a holy God. The forgiveness of my sins is basic, fundamental, and vital. It does not matter that I am highly respected by a wide circle of friends if I am yet in my sins. It does not matter that I have made good in business or made good grades at school if I am an unpardoned transgressor in the sight of God. What will matter most in the hour of death is: Have my sins been put away by the Blood of Christ? Are you forgiven by the Blood of Christ?
The Prayer
LEADER: Most blessed Jesus, through your suffering, you paid for our sins. Give us a deep hatred of sin. Grant us a tender spirit toward sinners, and help us to forgive those who have sinned against us. Teach us to confess our own sin and to seek reconciliation with those whom we have sinned against, through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns forever.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 萬福的主耶穌，你為我們的罪付上了痛苦的代價。求你賜給我們對罪深刻的痛恨，卻給我們對罪人一個溫柔的心，幫助我們原諒那些得罪我們的人，教我們承認我們自己的罪過，並靠著我們永活與作王到永遠的主耶穌基督尋求與那些我們得罪了的人和解，
PEOPLE: 阿們！
(Silence)
LEADER: Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us, we pray. Amen.
LEADER: 世界的救主，你的十字架和寶血救贖我們，
PEOPLE: 拯救我們，幫助我們，我們祈禱。阿門。
(Silence)
THE SECOND WORD: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
The Word of Salvation
Bible Reading
Luke 23:36-43
SECTION 2: The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!"
SECTION 2: Now there was also an inscription above Him, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
SECTION 2: One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!"
SECTION 2: But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him,
LEADER: "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
SECTION 2: 兵丁也戲弄他，上前拿醋送給他喝，說：「你若是猶太人的王，可以救自己吧！」在耶穌以上有一個牌子寫著：「這是猶太人的王。」
SECTION 2: 那同釘的兩個犯人有一個譏誚他，說：「你不是基督嗎？可以救自己和我們吧！」那一個就應聲責備他，說：「你既是一樣受刑的，還不怕神嗎？我們是應該的，因我們所受的與我們所做的相稱，但這個人沒有作過一件不好的事。」就說：「耶穌啊，你得國降臨的時候，求你記念我！」耶穌對他說：
LEADER: 「我實在告訴你，今日你要同我在樂園裡了。」
Jesus was crucified between two thieves. He had taken the place which was due us. It is the place of shame, the place of transgressors, the place of criminals condemned to death! In those three crosses, we have a vivid and concrete picture of the drama of salvation and man’s response: In the middle was the Savior’s redemption, the sinner on one side repenting and believing; and the sinner on the other side reviling and rejecting.
The two thieves were crucified together. They were equally near to the Savior. Both saw and heard all that transpired during those fateful six hours. Both were notoriously wicked; both were suffering acutely; both were dying; and both urgently needed forgiveness. Yet one of them died in his sins, hardened and impenitent; while the other repented of his wickedness, believed in Christ, called on Him for mercy and went to Paradise.
We see precisely the same thing going on today. Under exactly the same circumstances and conditions, one is melted and another remains unmoved. Listening to the same sermon, one man totally indifferent while another will have his heart opened to God’s offer of mercy. To one the Gospel is revealed, to another it is hidden. Why? It is all by grace we have been saved through faith你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信；(Eph 2:8).
This man believed at a time when to the outward appearance Christ had lost all power to save either himself of others. Jesus was naked, bleeding to death, and in anguish and pains. Yet the thief believed that Jesus is the son of God. He alone can save.
And he said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
Here we see a representative sinner. He represented all of us who repent and believe. He had nothing to offer, no good work before and after his conversion. He was about to die. It was only his faith, a simple faith in Christ, that he is saved. TODAY, the emphasis is on TODAY, you shall be with Me in paradise. This is the climax of grace and the sum of Christian blessing: to have fellowship with Christ in eternity.
The Prayer
LEADER: Most blessed Lord Jesus, you forgave the thief on the cross. Look on us with mercy and compassion. Give us a strong faith in you, a humble remembrance of our sins, and the strength to confess you before others, and so wash us in your blood that we may share in your glory forever, through Jesus Christ, your only beloved Son, and our Lord.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 萬福的主耶穌，你赦免在十字架上的犯人。求你同樣以憐憫和同情看待我們。給我們一個堅定的信心相信你，讓我們謙卑追想自已的罪，賜我們在別人面前承認你的能力，抈你的寶血潔淨我們，使我們可以永遠分享你的榮耀，奉耶穌基督，聖父唯一的愛子，和我們的主求，
PEOPLE: 阿們！
(Silence)
LEADER: O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us, we pray. Amen.
LEADER: 世界的救主，你的十字架和寶血救贖我們，
PEOPLE: 拯救我們，幫助我們，我們祈禱。阿門。
(Silence)
THE THIRD WORD: “Woman behold your Son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26–27).
The Word of Affection
Bible Reading
John 19:25-27
SECTION 3: Therefore 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 then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother,
LEADER: "Woman, behold, your son!"
SECTION 3: Then He *said to the disciple,
LEADER: "Behold, your mother!"
SECTION 3: From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
SECTION 3: 站在耶穌十字架旁邊的，有他母親與他母親的姊妹，並革羅罷的妻子馬利亞，和抹大拉的馬利亞。耶穌見母親和他所愛的那門徒站在旁邊，就對他母親說：
LEADER: 「母親（原文作婦人），看，你的兒子！」
SECTION 3: 又對那門徒說：
LEADER: 「看，你的母親！」
SECTION 3: 從此，那門徒就接他到自己家裡去了。
There were at least four women standing at the foot of the cross:
- 1. Jesus’ mother, Mary
- 2. His mother’s sister who was unnamed
- 3. Mary, the wife of Clopas
- 4. Mary Magdalene, the first woman who saw the resurrected Christ in the next chapter of John
The third word is the most difficult to understand. It is most natural to see it as an expression of Jesus’ love and care for his mother, and as a thoughtful provision for her needs at the hour of supreme devastation.
“Woman, look your son!” and “look your mother” both are commands. The significance of the scene is to be found within the Gospel of John itself in the context of the whole book.
The commands, “Look your son,” and “look your mother” are simply a particular instance of the “New Command I give you, that you love each other, just as I loved you, that you too love each other” (John 13:34), a command that came right on the heels of the announcement that “where I am going, you cannot come” (13:33). Jesus is talking to two of his disciples for his mother too is a disciple, “Take care of each other, for I am going away!” Wash each other feet (13:14). The moment of departure looms even nearer than before. Jesus gave them into each other’s care as he is in the process of dying.
Without hesitation, the disciple whom he loved obeyed the implicit command: “And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”
We too as disciples of Jesus Christ, are given into each other’s care while our Savior has departed. The fellowship of the cross! We care for one another because of the cross. We love one another because He has loved us first.
Illustration: In the last two days, I was sick. Fever, running nose and coughing while my wife is out of town visiting my mother-in-law in Shanghai. Two church families when they knew that I was sick came and cared for me. They brought food and prayer. I am truly blessed.
We love one another because He has loved us first. And the command comes straight from the cross.
“Look at your son.” “Look at your mother.” The language is reminiscent of legal adoption formulae. We are a family in Christ. We adopt one another as family in Christ.
The Prayer
LEADER: O most Holy Lord Jesus, you left us an example of holy love by leaving your mother in the care of the disciple. Purify our own feelings and pour out your blessings on our homes and relationships. Comfort the homeless, and cause us to act tenderly toward them, and bring us to your home above, where we with your mother and all the saints may worship and adore you with your Father and the Holy Spirit forever.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 哦！最神聖的主耶穌，你吩咐你的門徒照顧你的母親，給我們留下聖潔的愛的榜樣。淨化我們自己的感覺，讓我們傾訴你的祝福給我們的家庭和與人的關係：讓無家可歸的得安慰，以溫柔的心對待他們，把我們帶到你天上的家，使我們與你母親和所有的聖徒一同敬拜和愛你與你的天父和聖靈，直到永遠。
PEOPLE: 阿們！
(Silence)
LEADER: O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us, we pray. Amen.
LEADER: 世界的救主，你的十字架和寶血救贖我們，
PEOPLE: 拯救我們，幫助我們，我們祈禱。阿門。
THE FOURTH WORD: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46).
The Word of Anguish
Bible Reading
Matthew 27:45-49
SECTION 4: Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,
LEADER: "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"
SECTION 4: And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, "This man is calling for Elijah."… But the rest of them said, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him."
SECTION 4: 從午正到申初，遍地都黑暗了。約在申初，耶穌大聲喊著說：
LEADER: 「以利！以利！拉馬撒巴各大尼？」就是說：「我的神！我的神！為什麼離棄我？」
SECTION 4: 站在那裡的人，有的聽見就說：「這個人呼叫以利亞呢！」… 其餘的人說：「且等著，看以利亞來救他不來。」
Jesus was now dying. The last three hours from noon to 3 pm, Matthew said that darkness fell upon all the land. About 3 pm, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These were words of excruciating emotional anguish. The crucifixion of the Son of God was the most extraordinary event that has ever happened on earth. The cry was the most startling utterance of the whole appalling scene.
• The innocence should be condemned.
• The guiltless should be persecuted.
• A benefactor should be cruelly put to death.
He who hung on the cross was no ordinary man. He was the Son of God, the one in which all excellences met—the Perfect One, the Holy One, the Blameless Lamb of God. But now the sin of the whole world since Adam and Eve which includes yours and mine is upon him. The Eternal Son of God was about to experience the wages of sin, death. A separation from the Father. The Eternal Son of God has always been the object of the Father’s love. His own joy had been to behold the Father’s countenance. The Father’s presence had been his home, the Father’s bosom his dwelling place, the Father’s glory he had shared before the world had begun. Never a thought that was out of harmony of the Father’s will, never a moment spent out of his conscious presence.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
What must it have meant to be “forsaken” now by God!
• A man forsaken of his friends
• A wife forsaken by her husband
• A child forsaken by its parents
• A man forsaken by God
We all know somewhat the taste of being forsaken! I felt it all my life when I sent away from home for one year when I was eight year old. It stinks. It is anguish.
My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?
These are words of profound calamity. Isaiah said, “He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. (因他受的刑罰，我們得平安；因他受的鞭傷，我們得醫治。)(Isa 53:5). “Why have your forsaken me?” are words which usher us into the Holy of Holies. The veil blocking us from the presence of God had been torn. No more. We now approach the presence of God without fear and trembling because of the punishment He took.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
The Prayer
LEADER: O blessed Lord Jesus, you bitterly suffered alone on the cross and experienced the anguish of separation. Come, and be with us in times of despair and loneliness, and transform our sadness into fellowship with you. We pray also for our sisters and brothers throughout the world who experience alienation, oppression, and aloneness. Comfort and support them with your presence, and bring them to a place of rest in you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 哦！萬福的主耶穌，你痛苦地獨自遭受在十字架的懲罰，經歷分離的痛苦。願你降臨，在我們絕望和孤獨的時候，與我們同在，改變我們的悲傷，使我們在你痛苦上有份。我們也為我們在世界各地感到疏離、壓迫和孤獨的兄弟姐妹祈禱，願他們在你裡面得到安慰與安息，奉耶穌基督，我們的救主求，
PEOPLE: 阿們！
(Silence)
LEADER: O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us, we pray. Amen.
LEADER: 世界的救主，你的十字架和寶血救贖我們，
PEOPLE: 拯救我們，幫助我們，我們祈禱。阿門。
THE FIFTH WORD: “I thirst” (John 19:28).
The Word of Suffering
Bible Reading
John 19:28-29
SECTION 5: After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said,
LEADER: "I am thirsty."
SECTION 5: A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
SECTION 5: 這事以後，耶穌知道各樣的事已經成了，為要使經上的話應驗，就說：
LEADER: 「我渴了。」
SECTION 5: 有一個器皿盛滿了醋，放在那裡；他們就拿海絨蘸滿了醋，綁在牛膝草上，送到他口。
“I thirst.” These words were spoken by the suffering savior a little before He bowed his head and gave up the spirit. They were recorded only by the evangelist John. The Maker of Heaven and earth was in need of a drink!
In John 4, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst” (John 4:14). Here he who quenches all thirst cries out, “I am thirsty.”
But what is he thirsty for? Clearly the thirst that he promises to quench forever is not a thirst for water. Believers get just as thirsty as unbelievers! But thirst for God, and for eternal life. The Psalmist said, “As the deer longs for springs of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul was thirsty for the living God! When shall I come and see the face of God?” (Psalm 42:1-2) The psalmist is thirsty for God as one thirsts for water in the desert. The same is true here. “I am thirty” can be regarded as the equivalent of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus may well have been literally thirsty, but, like the Psalmist, he was really thirsty for God. The pronouncement is addressed not to the Roman soldiers, but to God. It points to the death and resurrection of the Messiah. Soon he will return to His Father.
The drink offered in verse 29 the sour wine was a sedative designed to dull the agony, and Jesus refused to drink it.
The thirst is a spiritual one: that is why natural things cannot quench it. Our soul thirsts for God. God made us to enjoy Him. And He alone can satisfy us. He alone can meet the deep need of our hearts. He alone can impart that peace which the world knows nothing of. The Gospel of Jesus Christ tells us that what satisfies our soul is not material things, it is not power, it is not money, it is not sex, it is not even a creed, not religion, but a person—a living, divine person. Through the cross Jesus offers us the way to satisfy this thirst.
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place
And He has made me glad.
(“I Came to Jesus”)
When the sin of the whole world was imputed to Jesus, Jesus cried out, “I thirst.”
Come to Him now. He is the only one who can satisfy you. That is the Gospel.
The Prayer
LEADER: O most blessed Jesus, you who thirsted and experienced pain for us. Kindle in our hearts a thirst for you that we may love and serve you and lead others to find their rest in you. Remember, O Lord, all the sick and dying and deliver them from pain, granting them a happy ending through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit forever.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 哦！萬福的耶穌，你為了我們飽嘗饑渴、經歷痛苦。求你在我們心中點燃對你的饑渴，使我們愛你、服待你，並引導別人在你裡面找到自己的安息。主啊，求你記念所有的病人和面臨死亡的人，拯救他們脫離痛苦，賜給他們一個快樂的結果，奉我們永活與永遠作王的主耶穌基督桘聖靈禱求，
PEOPLE: 阿門。
(Silence)
LEADER: O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us we pray. Amen.
LEADER: 世界的救主，你的十字架和寶血救贖我們，
PEOPLE: 拯救我們，幫助我們，我們祈禱。阿門。
(Silence)
THE SIXTH WORD: “It is finished” (John 19:30).
The Word of Victory
Bible Reading
John 19:30a
SECTION 6: Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,
LEADER: "It is finished!"
SECTION 6: 耶穌受了那醋，就說：
LEADER: 「成了！」
When Jesus received the drink, Jesus cried out once more. “It is finished.” In the Greek text, it is only one word, tetelestai. The word has two meanings. 1) It means “completion.” It is done. Jesus’ work was done. This is no cry of defeat; John presented Jesus here as the victor. He has completed the will of the Father to pay for our sins with His own death. Thus Salvation is now completed. 2) It means “accomplish.”
• The goal of the incarnation is reached. Christmas is for Easter. Jesus came to the world for this. The purpose is now accomplished.
• The mission is fulfilled. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10) is now accomplished.
• The work is performed. Jesus the sacrifice offered on the cross on our behalf is now accomplished.
• The atonement of our sin is made. Our sins, all of them, were transferred to the Savior. “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6). They were no longer on me. We are no longer under condemnation.
• The requirement of the law has been fulfilled. Death and sin have no more power on us.
• The salvation plan of God had been fully carried out.
The loud cry, “It is finished” is the triumphant cry of the Savior.
As Jesus was dying on the cross, we should reflect on the benefits of his death for our lives. In Passover, the lamb whose blood saved the people of God from certain death and led to freedom from captivity. So too Jesus’ death brings protection and freedom and life. The gift of His life is necessary for salvation (john 6:51-58). We cannot simply be enlightened by Jesus; we must re-experience the meaning of costly sacrifice. He died so that we may live. He paid the penalty of sins so that we may be free. He accomplished the only way to salvation and the only way for the forgiveness of sins through the cross.
It is finished.
It is done.
It is accomplished with his death. We are now restored with the Father. It is finished.
The Prayer
LEADER: O most blessed Savior, you proclaimed the perfect fulfillment of your work and bowed your wounded head in completion. Work in us the grace of your salvation that we might live in union with you. And whatever good work you have begun in us, continue it throughout our days that we might be full of your calling and be patient in doing well to others through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 哦！萬福的救主，你宣告你的工作成了，你低下受傷的頭，成了。求你賜下你救贖的恩典，讓我們可以活出與你合而為一的生命。你在我們裡面已經開始的善工，求你在我們一生中繼續去完成，使我們活出你的呼召，並耐心地向別人行善，奉永活與父作王到永遠的基督、我們的主與聖靈求，
PEOPLE: 阿門。
(Silence)
LEADER: O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us, we pray. Amen.
LEADER: 世界的救主，你的十字架和寶血救贖我們，
PEOPLE: 拯救我們，幫助我們，我們祈禱。阿門。
THE SEVENTH WORD: “Father into thy hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46).
The Word of Contentment
Bible Reading
Luke 23:46-49
SECTION 7: And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said,
LEADER: "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT."
SECTION 7: Having said this, He breathed His last.
SECTION 7: Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent." And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.
SECTION 7: 耶穌大聲喊著說：
LEADER: 「父啊！我將我的靈魂交在你手裡。」
SECTION 7: 說了這話，氣就斷了。
SECTION 7: 百夫長看見所成的事，就歸榮耀與神，說：「這真是個義人！」聚集觀看的眾人見了這所成的事都捶著胸回去了。還有一切與耶穌熟識的人，和從加利利跟著他來的婦女們，都遠遠的站著看這些事。
The death of Jesus took place as Jesus “bowed his head and handed over his spirit.” Jesus “gave up.” Literally Jesus “sent away” his spirit. The death of Christ is a conscious act, a self-offering to the Father. It was an act of contentment, of faith, of confidence and of love. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” His spirit and his body are now separated. It means Jesus died.
The Lord Jesus died as none other ever did. His life was not taken from him; he laid it down of himself. Jesus said, “I lay down my life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again.” (John 10:17b-18). 父愛我；因我將命捨去，好再取回來。沒有人奪我的命去，是我自己捨的。我有權柄捨了，也有權柄取回來。這是我從我父所受的命令。
The savior must die for sin to be atoned. His death was unique. In laying down his life, his death was differentiated from all other deaths. He died by an act of his own volition to conquer death forever.
The Prayer
LEADER: O most blessed Savior, you gave up your precious life to atone for sin and conquer the powers of evil. Grant us the power to live in your name. Do not forsake us in our hour of need. Confirm our faith, deepen our repentance, and strengthen us with your body and blood, and may we come to that heavenly rest where you dwell forever with your Father in the fellowship of the Spirit.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 哦！萬福的救主，你獻上了你寶貴的生命來贖罪，征服邪惡的力量。求你賜給我們活在你的名下的權力，在我們需要的時刻，不要拋棄我們，肯定我們的信心，加深我們的悔改，用你的身體和血堅立我們，讓我們可以得享天堂的休息，並與你與聖父與聖靈永遠同住。
PEOPLE: 阿門。
LEADER: O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us,
PEOPLE: Save us and help us, we pray. Amen.
LEADER: 世界的救主，你的十字架和寶血救贖我們，
PEOPLE: 拯救我們，幫助我們，我們祈禱。阿門。
(Silence)
THE CLOSING PRAYER
LEADER: O most blessed Jesus, Son of the living God: See us poor sinners through your passion and death, forgive us our sins which we have committed against you and our neighbor. Give us eternal life and everlasting joy through the blood of your cross. We give ourselves to you in faith and submission. Keep us always as your own and grant us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
PEOPLE: Amen.
LEADER: 哦！萬福的耶穌，永生神的兒子：在你的受難與死亡中，可憐我們困苦的罪人，赦免我們的罪，我們得罪了你與我們的鄰舍，藉你的十字架上所流的血，賜給我們永恆的生命和永遠的喜悅，我們願意相信和順服，把自己獻給你，讓我們永屬你，求你在我們的主耶穌基督裡賜我們永生，
PEOPLE: 阿門。
THE COMMUNION & RESPONSE SONG
Come forward and take the communion in family units.
(The people leave in silence.)
寫這篇講章的過程與一些的考量：
林永健
1. 受難節是教會最重要的節日之一，這是一篇雙語的講章，包括讀經、默想、分享、與禱告，盡量希望會眾能參予，思念救主為我們受難。
2. 十架七言是從四本福音書中把耶穌在十字架上說的話抽出，只能根據每一句的上下文去思考作者的意思，不能把七句話合起來去解讀，加上自己的意思與邏輯，自作文章，只能一句一句去思考，所以一顆子彈是不容易的事，講章的中心只能在更大的題目上：救主在十架上為我們受苦，完成了捨罪的救恩。
3. A' 會眾的情景不明確，因為是受難節，焦點在耶穌的身上，只能提醒會眾耶穌受難對我們的意義是什麽。
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