Good Friday

Hot Cross Buns!
Hot Cross Buns!
If you have no daughters , give them to your sons!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

Good Friday should start with toasted Hot Cross Buns for breakfast. They are delicious from the grill or toaster with plenty of butter and with cups of tea or coffeee. From the beginning, today feels and tastes different from any other day in the year.

But alas in 21stC Britain, Good Friday is simply another Bank Holiday, a chance to lie in and relax about the house or go shopping. every year seems a bit more secularised.

But it is worth while finding out about some good Friday Traditions. Perhaps you have some in your area.
The old Anglo Saxon name for Good Friday was " Langfredag" or the Long Friday. In parts of Sussex it used to be known as " Long Rope Day" and in Brighton there was a tradition of taking skipping ropes down to the beach and skipping along the shoreline. This was also a tradition in Scarborough too, the fishermen would turn the ropes for the children to skip over.
Also an old custom of Blacksmiths would not hammer any nails into a horse's hoof on Good Friday, because of the actions of those who nailed Jesus to the Cross.Similarly people did not do house hold tasks that involved nails. Not the case today, Bank Holidays and DIY go hand in hand!!







There is a green hill far away,
Outside a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.


O dearly, dearly, has He loved,
And we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.

We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.


He died that we might be forgiv’n,
He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to Heav’n,
Saved by His precious blood.

There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven and let us in.


O dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.

I have just returned from Church, where I experienced a very moving service. It was a Family All Age Worship, and around the church local artists had drawn pictures depicting the journey Jesus took which culminated in his crucifixation on the Cross, also known as "The Stations of the Cross". The service started with the wonderful hymn above, which I have loved since childhood, "There is a green hill far away". Then we were allowed 30minutes just to wander around the church stopping at the different stations, where we were able to read scripture, meditate and interact, there was a big board on the floor near each station and we could draw pictures, write prayers, cut out from magazines anything that seemed relevant, the children found this bit the most interesting. There was also opportunity for the children to dress up in clothes of that era and have their photographs taken and then they could stick them to the boards.

As we walked round there was a slide show of images and bibical verses, and music playing. It was a most moving experience, there was a sense of peace and calmness in amidst the hubbub of children's voices and a real sense of awe and wonder at what our dear Christ Jesus went through to just to save us, you and me, he suffered so that we might be forgiven, that is such a strong message.

At the crucifixation Jesus is fulfiling the prophesy as written in Psalm 22 :

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel. [a]

4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.

10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me [b] in the dust of death.

16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced [c] my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save [d] me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.





I've just had my Hot Cross Bun and a cup of tea and now I'm ready to hit the shops!!

Happy Easter!