Good Friday Meditations at Christ Church

I had the Blessed opportunity to lead on the meditations on the words of Jesus from from the Cross at the Christ Church on Good Friday ( 14th April 2017) along with Rev. John Silas.

I spoke on the First Word- Father Forgive them that they know what they are doing.

The Fourth Word - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

The Fifth Word - I Thirst and

The Seventh Word - Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Rev Silas spoke on the Second Word - Today you will be with me in paradise.

Third Word - Behold your son: behold your mother and the

Sixth Word - It is Finished.

Preparing for my meditations was over the last few weeks helped me internalize the passion of Christ and the words He spoke and to reaffirm my own Faith.

In addition to the service, Rev. Silas also placed 12 symbols of Good Friday in the Church for the congregation to to look at and experience during the service, Eg there were palm leaves, dice, a crown of thorns, really long nails and a heavy hammer, betrayal money and a rooster ( this was prepared by Nazarene David as he could not source any in toy shops and getting a real one would have had it crowing during the service). All members walked through the church looked at the symbols, held them, felt them and got a glimpse of what went through 2000 years ago.

In addition to the above symbols there was a large cross in the vestry ( side room of the church). Along side the cross was some paper, small nails and a hammer. Here the members symbolically wrote down on a paper what their short comings and sins they wished to overcome and hammered this paper in to this wooden cross. It was a solemn act of penitence and nailing it on the cross. Soon the bare cross was dotted with several pieces of paper nailed on to it. Personally for me the act of nailing my sin and shortcoming was not easy. The very act of driving the nail in to the cross sent shivers into me and hopefully would be my conscience keeper.

Liberty Rests On The Foundation Of Responsibility

The days that led up to my first day at college were filled with a lot of preparation and anticipation.  I had  gotten two new trousers and shirts tailored. Stationery options were reviewed too. I had taken extra photos for my concessional bus and train passes, which needed to be purchased. My college was in the suburbs of Chennai, which meant a 30-kilometre train journey just one way.  The institution itself was legendary and honour rolls boasted of some of the alumni who featured as the who's-who in the country. The 350-acre wooded  campus with co-educational residential facilities was a delight to be in, though I was to be a day boarder. I wondered about all these things  and anticipated how college would be.

The night before my first day, my parents sat me down in our three-roomed house and  told me they were happy that I was going to college. As my mother looked at me lovingly, my father said, “Son, tomorrow you leave home for college and we wish for you to study well.  We are aware of the temptations present there on the campus, like smoking, drinking or  drugs but we trust you. You are our son and you will choose wisely and be responsible. However, you are also free to do what you like and if things don’t  work out well, remember that we as your parents will always love you”

What was told to me that evening was not just a few words of wisdom but also a promise of trust and unconditional love. Even after four decades, that little heart-to-heart chat is still vivid in my mind. Those same words came alive recently when my daughter Esther  chatted with me on Whatsapp one late evening when she was in Amsterdam. This is how it went:

Esther:  Dad, today my friends and I went to pub in Rotterdam and most of my classmates ordered alcohol. It was the first time they tried it out. They insisted that I should have some too.

Me:  Okay  (At this point I was curious about what was to come next)

Esther:  I said no, but they told me that no one would find out.

Me: Go on, Es.

Esther: Well, I stood my ground and didn't have any.

Me: I am proud of you, my darling.

September 2016 USA Pic Emmanuel

What was imparted to me by my parents has been passed on. In our youth, we have several avenues to make choices; some good and some bad. Some are life-threatening, while 

others are not so. My father’s words once again echoed in my mind when I visited the U.S.A a few months ago. I saw the Statue of Liberty in New York City, and what a sight it was! Seeing the Statue of Liberty in real life is something different. It’s a massive structure that is so big, it had to be transported in several pieces before it could be erected as one. We  always look at the  Statue of Liberty and crave for freedom to do things in the ways we wish to. Gazing up, I noticed that Lady Liberty stretches out towards the sky while remaining grounded on a strong foundation. It has weathered many a storm and wind because of its foundation.

That evening Esther and I concluded that the Statue of Liberty is what it is because it is built on the Foundation of Responsibility. In that same manner, the freedom that we humans crave for  must be rooted in responsibility for our actions and their effects.