April 13: Surrendered to the Father
♫ Music:
Day 44 - Thursday, April 13
Maundy Thursday
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Scripture: Mark 15:33-39; Luke 23:46-49
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
Poetry:
"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded"
by J. W. Alexander
O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.
Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.
SURRENDERED TO THE FATHER
Today’s video, Father Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit, starts with darkness, like the darkness during Christ’s crucifixion. The choir loudly sings, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.” There is a foreboding quality to the darkness of the clouds overhead, and then, fire starts burning in the midst of the darkness, bringing light into the scene. This burning transforms into a cloud of smoke, and the word “Father” becomes central on the screen. Finally the smoke disappears, and we are left again with darkness. The video depicts the darkness of the crucifixion, the moment where the Son feels the full abandonment of the Father, and Jesus ultimately gives up the ghost, surrendering His Spirit to God.
On the cross Christ bore the transgressions of all humanity--past, present and future. Evangelist Billy Graham states, “Christ became guilty in God’s eyes of every sin the human race had ever committed. He was sinless but He allowed all our sins to be transferred to Him. And in that terrible moment Jesus fell under the judgement of God.” Jesus experienced the ultimate act of shame as He encountered the rejection of the Father, and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In that hour of darkness, He entered into a place of total abandonment and grief, feeling the separation from His Father. The Son, who was in perfect union with the Father, who previously said that He and His Father were one, now cries out to the Father as the weight of the Father’s presence dissipates.
The bystanders that day could not deny the fact that Jesus was one with the Father. As the centurion exclaimed, “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” Bystanders went home beating their breasts because they saw the truth about Jesus. His women followers and disciples also watched, and mourned the death of their Lord and Master. This was not the kind of leader they were expecting. Yet, they stood by, watching. How their hearts grieved to see the one who they were following crucified! They had to surrender their dashed dreams and hopes to God the Father, as Jesus was surrendering His Spirit to the Father.
So many times, God works in ways we don’t understand. In the midst of difficulties, with seasons of deep pain, sorrow, or disappointment, are we able to surrender everything to God? He is the One who ultimately holds it all together, even though we cannot see the end. We may be left in the dark, but we must trust that He is working all things for the good. Jesus knew what it meant to be abandoned and alone, and yet, He surrendered His life to God the Father. May we lean on Christ’s example to help us trust God in the most difficult times--times we do not understand.
PRAYER
Lord, help us surrender to you, in times when we feel like we are in the dark, and we don’t understand what’s going on. Help us believe that you understand, and that you are in control. Help us trust that you are a Good Father. We need your grace, and we need your mercy.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
Grace Sangalang Ng
Buyer, Purchasing Dept.
About the Video:
“Father Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit”
Extract from the final movement of the Seven Last Words from the Cross
By composer James MacMillan
Commissioned by City of London Festival & Cryptic
Performed by the Scottish Ensemble
About the Visuals:
After graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Belfast born Cathie Boyd founded Cryptic in 1994 with the desire to create innovative performances which “ravish the senses” for international audiences. In addition, Boyd has spent over 20 years directing opera, visual classical concerts, music theatre, film and building openings. Her work has also involved numerous commissions from around the world.
About the Music:
James MacMillan has a wonderful understanding of sacred music, informed by his Catholic faith. The Seven Last Words from the Cross are stunning, a brilliant mixture of old and new. “Father Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit” captures the death of Christ poignantly with the life slowly draining from his body, depicted through an intermittent shimmering of the strings.
About the Composer:
James MacMillan (b. 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. He studied composition at the University of Edinburgh with Rita McAllister, and at Durham University with John Casken, where he earned a PhD degree in 1987. MacMillan's music is infused with the spiritual and the political. His Roman Catholic faith has inspired many of his sacred works; for example, Magnificat (1999), and several masses. MacMillan has collaborated with Michael Symmons Roberts, a Catholic poet, and also Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
About the Artwork:
The Crucifixion of Christ
Barry Moser
Wood engravings
Prints from the Pennyroyal Caxton Edition of the Holy Bible
About the Artist:
Barry Moser (b.1940) artist, printmaker and illustrator of numerous works of literature. His works have been displayed in such places as the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, Harvard, and the Library of Congress. His magnum opus is the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible, which he designed--a creative effort of titanic proportions, with 232 relief engravings. He spent four years creating the resingrave blocks (cast by hand by the inventor of the medium, Richard Woodman). It is the only twentieth century Bible with original illustrations by one artist for every book of the Old and New Testaments. The last time this feat was accomplished was in 1865 by Gustave Dore.
About the Music:
“Cross Medley”
Lyrics:
[Verse 1:]
“Man of sorrows,” what a name,
For the son of God who came,
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
[Verse 2:]
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood,
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
[Verse 3:]
See, from His head,
His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
[Refrain:]
Amazing love, How can it be?
That Thou my God shouldst die for me.
[Verse 4:]
Guilty, vile and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He.
Full atonement can it be?
Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
[Verse 5:]
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!
[Verse 6:]
Amazing love, How can it be?
That Thou my God,
The Almighty God,
The Son of God, shouldst die for me!
About the Performer:
Steve Green (b. 1956) is a Christian singer, notable for his high vocal range and flexible solo style. Over his 35-year career, Green has been honored as a four-time Grammy Award nominee and a seven-time Dove Award winner. He has released 33 albums, had 13 No. 1 songs, and has sold over three million recordings. Green desires the kind of spiritual growth that J. C. Ryle describes. “When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this – that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual mindedness more marked.”
www.stevegreenministries.org
About the Poet:
James Waddel Alexander (1804-1859) was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian. The hymn “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” is based on a long medieval Latin poem, Salve mundi salutare, with stanzas addressing the various parts of Christ's body hanging on the Cross. The last part of the poem, from which the hymn is taken, is addressed to Christ's head, and begins Salve caput cruentatum. The poem is often attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) but is now attributed to the Medieval poet Arnulf of Leuven (Died 1250). The hymn was first translated into English in 1752 by John Gambold (1711–1771) an Anglican vicar in Oxfordshire. In 1830, a new translation of the hymn was made by Alexander whose translation, beginning "O sacred head, now wounded," became one of the most widely used hymns of the 19th and 20th centuries.
About the Devotional Writer:
Grace Sangalang Ng received her B.A. in English from UCLA, and her M.A. in Bible Exposition and M.A. in Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Studies and is interested in researching about how shame affects relationships with God and others in the Asian-American community. She enjoys spending time at Disneyland with her husband, Stanley, and relaxing at home with her two dogs, Bagel and Einstein.