O sacred head, sore wounded
With grief and pain weighed down
TODAY is Good Friday - 'good' in the old sense of 'holy' - when Christians contemplate the crucifixion of Jesus.
It is a time to contemplate suffering, sacrifice and mortality.
Covid-19 has changed how we see these. We see the suffering of those on ventilators or with a cough that will not stop.
We see the sacrifice of health workers risking so much to work in Covid wards.
And we see death - so much death.
But Good Friday reminds us that suffering and death are not the end, and the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross leads to resurrection - not just for Jesus, but for all who trust in Him.
What language shall I borrow to praise thee, dearest friend,
For this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
Lord make me thine forever, nor let me fruitless prove:
O let me never, never abuse such dying love.
Rev Dr Tom McKnight
President, Methodist Church in Ireland
