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Dear Pali Pres Family, We come into this day with the seriousness of Good Friday weighing upon us. Indeed, this is the darkest of days for us as Christians—the day our Lord was crucified. And yet, we dare to call this day “good” because of what the death of Jesus means for us and all the world. To help us reflect on the meaning of this sad yet good day, I share with you the following prayer from Jon van de Laar. May it speak to our souls as we mourn the death of our Lord and ask for God’s mercy upon us and our world. If the cross tells us anything, O Lord, it is that you know and share our suffering. You are with us, and all victims of violence and abuse. You are with all victims of ignorance, foolishness, and sin. Help us and restore us, O Lord, we pray. You are with us, Christ of the Cross, and all those who inflict pain on others, through our selfishness or greed, our hate and anger, through our rigidity or need to be right. Help us and restore us, O Lord, we pray. You are with us, Christ of the Cross, and all those who are fearful of threats, threats to this world we call home, to our safety and survival, threats to our sense of community and togetherness as people. Help us and restore us, O Lord, we pray. Christ of the Cross, see our need for your grace, and hear our prayer for your mercy. Come to us again, to help us and restore us, because we cannot heal ourselves. Amen. I do hope you will join us this evening for a special Good Friday service at 7pm. We will be joined by the pastors and members of Brentwood Presbyterian Church as we reflect together on the meaning of this holy day. The service will be livestreamed (see button towards the end of the newsletter) and childcare will be provided. Yours in Christ, Pastor Matt
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