GOOD FRIDAY

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah." And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"

Mark 15:33-39 (NRSV)

Tattered and frayed... on this Good Friday, we hear again the passion story. Hearing vividly once more about our Lord, betrayed and beaten, hanging on the cross to die for our sake, we begin to catch a glimpse of just how tattered and frayed our lives are. We realize that we need to give Jesus our rags - all that is tattered and frayed in our lives - today and every day. We also need to treat each other as Jesus would treat us and serve each other as Jesus continues to serve us as he takes what is tattered and frayed in our life and offers us new life in him.

Tattered and frayed... if you haven't read Walter Wangerin's story "The Ragman" recently, or even if you have, on this Good Friday I would ask you to read it. If you don't have his book, you can find the story at the link below:

http://www.angelfire.com/tx2/jbrown/ragman.html

Heavenly Father, our lives are tattered and frayed, even as we Cherish Our Children and seek to protect them. Give us the strength and the will to lay all that is tattered and frayed in our lives at the foot of the cross. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.