An offering for Good Friday

This coming Friday is the day that many Christians worldwide will ponder the death of our Savior and look to Easter when we will celebrate His resurrection. I have no great words to commemorate this occasion. But I can point to the words of others that have both inspired me and left me dumbstruck.

• The Passion of Jesus Christ, by John Piper-50 reasons why Christ died. I will never look at Calvary the same.
• On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ-this is an article published in the March 21, 1986 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA-vol. 255, no.11) that gives a very descriptive account of the physical aspect of crucifixion. Not for the faint of heart. (I had to go to the university and get a copy from the microfiche, but it was worth it. It is long or I would post it here. If you want a copy, email me your address and I will send you a .pdf file.)
• Lots of hymns-"'Man of Sorrows,' What a Name!", "What Wondrous Love Is This?" (all the verses), "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded", "Why?" and others.
• The Dream of the Rood-medieval English poem
• Our daughter J, who periodically asks, "Why does God love us?". It is such a simple question, and there are answers that can be given, but the truth is that there is no reason why He should and yet He does.
• Finally, here is an entry from the Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions:

The Grace Of The Cross
O My Saviour,
I thank thee from the depths of my being
for thy wondrous grace and love
in bearing my sin in thine own body on the tree.
May they cross be to me
as the tree that sweetens my bitter Marahs,
as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty,
as the brazen serpent that calls forth
the look of faith.
By thy cross crucify my every sin;
Use it to increase my intimacy with thyself;
Make it the ground of all my comfort,
the liveliness of all my duties,
the sum of all thy gospel promises,
the comfort of all my afflictions,
the vigour of my love, thankfulness, graces,
the very essence of my religion;
And by it give me that rest without rest,
the rest of ceaseless praise.

O My Lord and Saviour,
Thou hast also appointed a cross for me
to take up and carry,
a cross before thou givest me a crown.
Thou hast appointed it to be my portion,
but self-love hates it,
carnal reason is unreconciled to it;
without the grace of patience I cannot bear it,
walk with it, profit by it.
O blessed cross, what mercies dost thou bring
with thee!
Thou art only esteemed hateful by my rebel will,
heavy because I shirk thy load.
Teach me, gracious Lord and Saviour,
that with my cross thou sendest promised grace
so that I may bear it patiently,
that my cross is thy yoke which is easy,
and thy burden which is light.

*originally posted 4/14/06