Meditations Leading Up to Good Friday

I found this really powerful reflection by St. Melito, Bishop of Sardis from 170 AD at a Roman Catholic website called www.crossroadsinitiative.com. You can think what you want about the Catholics, but they've got it right when it comes to valuing powerful, deep liturgy and prayers. 

St. Melito (a Holy Week sermon from the Bishop of Sardis 

given around 170 A.D.) 

  

This is the one who patiently endured many things in many 

people: 

This is the one who was murdered in Abel, and bound as a 

sacrifice in Isaac, 

and exiled in Jacob, and sold in Joseph, 

and exposed in Moses, and sacrificed in the lamb, 

and hunted down in David, and dishonored in the prophets. 

  

This is the one who became human in a virgin, 

who was hanged on the tree, who was buried in the earth, 

who was resurrected from among the dead, 

and who raised mankind up out of the grave below to the heights 

of heaven. 

  

The one who hung the earth in space, is himself hanged; 

the one who fixed the heavens in place, is himself impaled; 

the one who firmly fixed all things, is himself firmly fixed to the tree. 

The Lord is insulted, God has been murdered, 

the King of Israel has been destroyed by the right hand of Israel. 

  

This is the lamb that was slain.  This is the lamb that was silent. 

This is the one who was taken from the flock, and was dragged to sacrifice, 

and was killed in the evening, and was buried at night; 

the one who was not broken while on the tree, 

who did not see dissolution while in the earth. 

who rose up from the dead, and who raised up mankind from the grave below.