Here’s
a prayer for Good Friday written by MaryAnn McKibben Dana. It was posted on LiturgyLink.
Good Friday Prayer
O
Holy God,
the hosannas have died away,
the palm branches have turned brittle.
the hosannas have died away,
the palm branches have turned brittle.
Now,
today, there is only this –
each of us,
all of us,
sitting in the darkness,
the hymns of lament in the air,
the mumblings of our own feeble confession,
on this Friday
which we tremble to call Good.
each of us,
all of us,
sitting in the darkness,
the hymns of lament in the air,
the mumblings of our own feeble confession,
on this Friday
which we tremble to call Good.
What
is good about Good Friday?
What
is good about the innocent one nailed to a cross?
What is good about the darkness of war that persists today?
What is good about our devastation of the planet?
… about people living in poverty?
… about the fog of addiction, depression, disease and despair?
What is good about the crushing weight of hunger, racism, scapegoating, apathy?
What is good about the darkness of war that persists today?
What is good about our devastation of the planet?
… about people living in poverty?
… about the fog of addiction, depression, disease and despair?
What is good about the crushing weight of hunger, racism, scapegoating, apathy?
No,
there is nothing good and desirable in these things.
Yet
you, O God, are Good.
When
suffering reigns, yours is the first heart to break.
When
despair lurks about, we remember that you were there first,
peering into the abyss and crying out, incredibly:
“Father, forgive them.”
peering into the abyss and crying out, incredibly:
“Father, forgive them.”
When
we feel forsaken, we remember that in your last moments,
you cared for your mother and your beloved disciple,
binding them to one another as a new family.
you cared for your mother and your beloved disciple,
binding them to one another as a new family.
When
we feel overcome by guilt, we remember that you spoke grace to a thief:
“Today you will be with me in paradise.”
“Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Your
love for us is just that boundless,
and ever-present,
and Good.
and ever-present,
and Good.
Thank
you.
What else can we say here, in the dimness,
in the darkness,
but thank you.
What else can we say here, in the dimness,
in the darkness,
but thank you.
Amen.
~
written by MaryAnn McKibben Dana, pastor of Idylwood Presbyterian Church in
Falls Church, VA. Posted
on LiturgyLink. http://www.liturgylink.net/2012/04/04/good-friday-prayer-the-hosannas-have-died-away/
