children, you are welcome to go out to the hall and you can enjoy a holiday junior church all
together. For the rest of us, we can turn in God's word to the gospel of Luke chapter 23,
and we are going to read from verse 26 to 49.
And the words will be up on our screen if you don't have a copy of the Bible on your phone or in paper form.
Luke chapter 23, let's hear the word of God.
As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country,
and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed
him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them,
Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children.
For the time will come when you will say, Bless to the childless women, the wombs that never bore and
the breasts that never nursed. Then they will say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills,
cover us. For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the
place called the Skull, they crucified him there along with the criminals, one on his right,
the other on his left. Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching,
and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, He saved others. Let him save himself,
if he is God's Messiah, the chosen one. The soldiers also came up and mocked him.
They offered him wine vinegar and said, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.
There was a written notice above him which read, This is the king of the Jews.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him, Aren't you the Messiah?
Save yourself on us. But the other criminal rebuked him. Don't you fear God, he said,
since you are under the same sentence. We are punished justly, for we are getting what our
deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into
your kingdom. Jesus answered him, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,
for the sun stopped shining, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with
a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last.
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, Surely this was a righteous man.
When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their
breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from
Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things. Amen. And before we turn back to look at that
section of God's Word, we're going to sing two sections of Psalm 22. And again, like Isaiah 53,
we're going to hear prophecies of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus as Savior. So let's stand and let's sing
from Psalm 22.
Psalm 22.
.
throw the dice to get my coat, among themselves my clothes they share.
Come quickly, rescue me, my strength, to not be far from me, O Lord.
Save me from power of evil docks, my precious life from cruel sword.
Now to my brothers I'll declare the praises of your glorious name.
Within their gathering I will stand, and your renown I will proclaim.
Praise Him, all you that fear the Lord. Give honor to Him, Jacob's grace.
All Israel's children, worship Him. Bow down with awe before His face.
Amen.
So as we continue to think about the journey to Easter, we come to the cross.
Our theme is rescue. Our question is what did the cross achieve?
I mentioned earlier this little booklet, Freed But At A Price.
And it tells us of a story that some of us may remember.
A few days before Easter in 2018, in the south of France, there was a hostage situation.
And there was this gendarme, this police officer by the name of Arnold Beltram,
who offered to take the place of the person who was held hostage,
so that negotiations could continue, so that the women might be spared.
Well, Arnold was shot and killed during that hostage situation.
And a number of days later, as the lady, the hostage Julie, was being interviewed,
she said simply, he gave his life for me.
He was killed so I could live.
And in a very real sense, that takes us to the heart of the very first Easter.
It takes us to a world held hostage by the dark side of our nature, by our sin.
And where we have no hope by ourselves of escape, and into that situation came Jesus.
And Jesus' mission, as he described it himself, was to give his life as a ransom for many.
A picture of a slave with no chance of escape, or indeed, of a hostage being held ransom.
And the message of this first Easter is that if we believe in Jesus and what he has done on the cross,
then we also can say, he died for me, so I can truly live.
So as we continue to think with Luke about this journey to the cross, the journey to Jesus' death,
we're going to see together a number of different events,
different interactions and conversations that are going to reveal to us both the work of Christ and the heart of Christ.
Helping us to see and to consider his loving rescue.
And again, as we do that, let's be asking ourselves the question,
what impact will this have on our lives as we think about what Jesus has done?
Let's begin with the theme of substitution and with this man, Simon.
So verse 26, we're introduced to him.
We're told as the soldiers led Jesus away, they seized Simon and they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
So behind this event lies the fact that Jesus is now in a severely weakened physical state,
subject to multiple beatings, to cruelty and torture at the hands of the soldiers.
And so he is unable any longer to carry his own cross.
So this man, Simon, from North Africa, from Libya, is commanded then to carry the cross of Jesus to the place of crucifixion.
And now we don't know very much about this man, Simon, but Mark tells us, Mark 15 verse 21,
that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus.
And that can seem kind of an incidental detail, but it also points to the fact that Alexander, Rufus, Simon,
stand as early eyewitnesses to Jesus and to his death on the cross.
And they are included so that people could go and ask questions of them
when Mark's gospel was written some 30 years or so after the death of Jesus.
Well, here is Simon, and he's been commanded to act as a substitute.
He is carrying Jesus' cross to the place of crucifixion.
But if we pan back in the story just a little bit, we recognize that in a far greater sense,
Jesus on this journey is functioning as a substitute for Simon.
And not just for Simon, but for anyone who will believe in him.
Now, why can we say that?
Because here is Jesus, the Son of God, who has become fully human.
Here is Jesus, he is sinless, and he is perfect.
But where is Jesus going?
He's going to the place of the cross so that he would bear the burden of sin,
and he would face the penalty for sin,
that punishment, that penalty that you and I should deserve.
And so the cross becomes God's great exchange.
As we look to the cross, what are we seeing?
We're seeing Jesus, the God-man, experiencing what we deserve.
Separation from God, punishment from God.
And he experiences that why?
So that we might enjoy what he deserves.
Eternal life.
And so this theme of substitution is central to the good news of the cross,
and it's central to the Christian faith.
To think about it another way, let me read for us verse 44 again.
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,
for the sun stopped shining.
This darkness at midday isn't natural, it's supernatural, it's an act of God.
And what's happening there?
On one hand, Jesus is entering the dark clouds of our human wickedness as he takes sin on himself.
But he's also going into that darkness facing the penalty that sin deserves.
In the Old Testament, darkness is often an image of the judgment of God.
So here is Jesus, because he is bearing our sin, he is also bearing the punishment for sin.
And he's going into the darkness as a substitute for all who will trust in him.
It becomes clear in the cost of salvation that there is only one way to be saved.
There's only one way to forgiveness, otherwise this would never happen to Jesus.
And here, as we think about this theme of substitution, we're being invited to recognize the heart of Jesus.
As he says to a world held hostage by sin and unbelief,
I will die so that you can live and live eternally.
But the cross speaks to us of more than just substitution.
It also speaks to us of mercy.
Mercy in the place of judgment.
And to help us to see that, I want us to think about this conversation between Jesus and the women in verses 27 to 31.
Many of us perhaps are familiar with the stage play Evita and the famous song,
Don't Cry For Me, Argentina.
Well, here is Jesus turning to this crowd, following after him's,
Don't weep for me, women of Jerusalem.
And we have to ask, why not?
Why should they not weep for Jesus?
Let's read again verse 27.
A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.
So we know in that culture, public mourning was a thing.
Here is a group of women who are showing sympathy towards Jesus in his suffering.
But Jesus responds,
Do not weep for me.
Weep for yourselves and for your children.
Jesus is walking to his death and he knows it.
And yet he says to them,
Your weeping is misplaced.
Don't weep for me.
Weep for yourselves and for your children.
Now why can he say that?
Why would he say that?
Let me suggest three answers for us.
One, it's Friday.
It's Good Friday.
But Jesus knows Sunday is coming.
Jesus knows in the plan of God, yes, he will die.
But he will also rise in victory.
And so he says,
Do not weep.
This is not the end of my story.
He says,
Don't weep for me.
Weep for yourselves.
Because he knows another thing is coming.
He knows future judgment is coming.
That's why there's that language in 29 and 30.
The time will come when you will say,
Blessed are the childless women.
Then they will say to the mountains,
Fall on us and to the hills cover us.
It's language that speaks of the coming judgment of God.
Last week we thought about the fact that Jesus came to the city of Jerusalem
and he wept over it because they didn't recognize in his coming,
is God's coming?
Is God's Savior come for them?
They rejected him.
And so judgment would come.
And so here is Jesus giving one last lament for the city,
for those who would turn their back on him.
And say,
Don't weep for me.
Weep for yourselves.
Because judgment is coming because of unbelief.
But he also says,
Don't weep for me.
Weep for yourselves.
Because what Jesus doesn't want is,
He doesn't want their sympathy.
He wants their faith.
He doesn't want tears of sympathy.
He wants tears of repentance.
He wants them to have a change of heart and a change of mind.
To recognize he's not just another figure suffering in agony and humiliation,
but he is the Son of God who has come deliberately to save them.
And so he invites them to cry tears of repentance and to trust in him.
And again,
here is the mercy of Jesus on display for us.
Experiencing a personal agony that we can only begin to imagine.
But he doesn't turn inward to focus on his own suffering.
Rather,
he turns outward on the need for mercy for others.
It's the point of the proverb in verse 31, I think.
For if people do these things when the tree is green,
what will happen when it is dry?
Jesus is saying,
If this,
if the cross is going to happen to me,
how much worse will be what happens to the city who rejects me?
And so he offers a loving warning.
Judgment is coming.
Seek mercy.
When we think about the story of our booklet,
that story of the hostage situation in France,
we find ourselves with so much admiration, don't we,
for the heroic acts of bravery that we hear about and read about.
Where compassion leads to action.
It's what we see with Jesus.
It is Jesus,
the Son of God,
with his heart beating,
full of mercy and love,
and it leads him to act,
willing to come to be one of us,
willing to suffer the judgment of God on our behalf,
willing to display the mercy of God to the world,
so that
you and I don't have to face this future judgment
that Jesus anticipates and promises,
so that we might know mercy.
And so when we think about the cross,
doesn't it call us to admire Jesus
in his loving sacrifice,
to delight in him that he would love me
and give himself for me,
but not just to admire him from a distance,
also to trust him personally.
It makes us ask the question,
will I weep over my own sin?
Will I have true faith and find mercy from Jesus?
That's not all that the cross achieves for us.
We can move to verses 32 to 34
and think about forgiveness.
And here we find Jesus among his enemies.
We discover in verse 32
that two other men, both criminals,
were also led out with him to be executed.
And when they came to the place called the skull,
they crucified him there.
And as he is crucified,
Jesus said,
Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they are doing.
The last few days of Jesus' life
has seen this conspiracy of evil
gather around Jewish leaders
and Roman officials
looking to execute Jesus.
And now they have achieved their goal.
Here is Jesus hanging on the cross
in public shame.
But what Jesus understands,
that's why Jesus came,
is that this fulfills Scripture.
This fulfills the plan of God.
That's why we began our service in Isaiah 53.
That's why we sang Psalm 22.
Isaiah 53, verse 5,
he was pierced for our transgressions.
Verse 12,
he was numbered among the transgressors.
Psalm 22, verse 18,
they divided my clothes among them.
The Old Testament anticipates
the work of God's anointed king,
that he would be a suffering servant.
And so here is Jesus,
now being nailed to the cross.
And even now we see
his mission of mercy continues.
His blood flows
and prayer flows.
As he says,
Father, forgive them
for they don't know what they are doing.
When we think about the ethics of Jesus,
we think about the famous sermon
on the mount.
Perhaps one of the most challenging statements
Jesus made
is when he called his followers
to love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5, 44.
What do we see in Jesus?
We see in Jesus
one who practiced what he preached.
He taught with authority
and he lived it out.
He was concerned
for these ignorant Jews.
They thought they were getting rid
of a false Messiah.
For these ignorant Romans
who were executing him,
thinking this was just
all in a day's work,
not recognizing the significance
of the one
that was hanging on the cross.
And so he prays
for forgiveness.
You can look in history books
and you can find records
of crucifixions
because Rome used crucifixion
a lot as a show of force
and to sort of put down uprisings.
And those records
are ugly and violent scenes.
You will find records
of people hung on the cross
cursing those who are killing them
and mocking them
and as they die
they're giving as good as they get.
But not Jesus.
That's not his way.
He prays for forgiveness
as he is providing forgiveness.
And this beautiful prayer
is a prayer
that stretches across
space and time.
Perhaps we can think of his half-brothers.
Those half-brothers
who thought that Jesus
was crazy, frankly,
for his claims.
But when Jesus appeared to them
risen from the dead
they became followers.
Their sins were forgiven.
They didn't know
what they were doing.
when you think about Saul
who we know as Paul
the great persecutor
of the early church
hated of Jesus
wanted to destroy the church
when the risen Jesus
appears to him
what happens?
His sin also is forgiven.
He didn't know
what he was doing
in rejecting Jesus.
And you know
this prayer
is a prayer
that's answered
in the heart
and life
of everyone
who is a Christian
who is a follower
of Jesus.
Our sin
is forgiven.
Our ignorant
rejection of Jesus
in our past
is forgiven.
And this is a prayer
that gives each of us
hope if we're not
followers of Jesus.
As we see again
the heart of mercy
that Jesus on the cross
would pray for forgiveness.
This isn't just
for those people
back then.
this mercy
and forgiveness
is available
for you
and for me
today.
If
we see our need
of sins
being forgiven
and if we trust
Jesus
and his work
for salvation
then this prayer
will be answered
in your life too.
What else
does the cross
achieve
as we consider
this story?
Let's think
about salvation
as we think
about the thief
on the cross.
So verse 35
to 43.
But again
if we go back
to our hostage situation
in the south of France
this man
Arnold
he knew
in the way
that only people
in the line of fire
can know
I can only save
this hostage
by not saving myself.
I need to put myself
in the place
of danger
in order
to give
safety
and salvation
to another.
It's one of those
wonderful stories
of courage
and sacrifice.
Sometimes we hear
those stories
of parental love
or we hear it
in the context
of war
at one
sacrificing
themselves
willingly
for the sake
of another
and this is
what we have
in Jesus
he knows
there is
no other way
but we recognize
as we read
our text
that the enemies
of Jesus
are blind
to this truth.
Look at verse 35
here are the
Jewish rulers
who sneer at him
they said he saved
others
let him save himself
if he's God's Messiah
the chosen one
verse 36
the soldiers
they mock him
if you are the king
of the Jews
save yourself
one of the criminals
hanging on a cross
hurled insults
at Jesus
aren't you the Messiah
save yourself
and us
they are blind
to this
truth
that the human
sin problem
is so desperate
that we are so
helpless
in and of
ourselves
we cannot
save ourselves
we cannot escape
the darkness
that separates us
from God
and makes us
liable to the
judgment of God
that we can only
be saved
from the outside
we cannot
make our way
up to God
we need God
to come down
to us
as he's done
in the Lord
Jesus
who saves
by the way
of sacrifice
and so we have
this powerful
reminder
whenever we think
about the cross
that it saves us
from sin
but we're also
reminded in
Luke's gospel
of what we are
saved for
and again
Luke records
and other gospel
writers record
something that
happens in the
temple
as Jesus
is dying
so verse 45
after we discover
that the sun
stopped shining
we hear this
and the curtain
of the temple
was torn
in two
so within
the temple
there was this
location in the
temple called
the Holy of Holies
the place where
God was seen
to dwell
and it was
separated from
the rest
by this huge
curtain
as thick
as a man's
hand
it was a
great big
no entry
sign
saying that
a holy God
cannot be
with sinful
people
or there would
be
destruction
for
people
but as
Jesus
dies
and as
sin
is removed
what happens
the barriers
is torn
into
again another
work of
God
saying to us
in the death
of
Jesus
the way
is open
to know
God
personally
to come
into
God's
presence
and all
because
Jesus
endured
the cross
and took
the darkness
but back
to
our
events
here
and back
to this
thief
on the
cross
verse
40
we thought
the last
time about
Zacchaeus
a very
unlikely
candidate
for salvation
well here
is one
even less
likely
but what
does he
see
when others
are blind
the other
criminal
rebuked
him
don't you
fear
God
he said
since you
are under
the same
sentence
so he's got
this sense
of fear
this awe
this reverence
I should
be here
but Jesus
he's on
the cross
and this
thief has
so much
to teach
us
it can
teach us
what we
might call
the gospel
ABCs
how to
respond
to the
work of
Jesus
the first
thing that
he teaches
us
is the
importance
of admitting
our guilt
so look at
verse 41
he says
we are
punished
justly
for we
are getting
what are
deeds
deserve
he's not
blame shifting
he's not
downplaying
what he
has done
rather he
acknowledges
I deserve
to be
punished
and for
us
to come
to know
Jesus as
Lord
we need
to apply
this to
our own
sin
and to
admit
our guilt
that we
have on
a daily
basis
treated
God as
insignificant
that we
have
regarded
him as
having
little
worth
that though
he is
our
creator
we have
chosen
to
reject
his
rule
we have
sinned
against him
in thought
and word
and in
deed
and we
need to
admit
that
but we
don't just
stop there
notice that
this criminal
he doesn't
just admit
guilt
he also
believes
who
Jesus
is
there's
wonderful
words
in verse
41
and 42
he says
of Jesus
this man
has done
nothing
wrong
and then
he said
Jesus
remember me
when you
come into
your kingdom
this man
has done
nothing
wrong
this man
is
sinless
and we
need to
recognize
as we
look at
Jesus
he's
not just
one of
us
he is
the
sinless
son
of
God
and
notice
too
that as
Jesus
is about
to die
this criminal
recognizes
Jesus
is at
the same
time
about
to
enter
into
his
kingdom
so
this
thief
on
the
cross
knows
Jesus
is
God's
eternal
king
and
his
only
hope
of
salvation
and
so
the
Christian
faith
requires
us
to
believe
in
who
Jesus
is
but
again
we
don't
just
stop
there
believing
certain
truths
about
Jesus
we
need
to
come
to
him
come
to
him
for
rescue
so we
find
when the
thief
says
remember
me
Jesus
when you
come into
your
kingdom
not
remember
me
Jesus
act
for
me
Jesus
receive
me
Jesus
as
the
king
will
you
grant
me
eternal
life
it's
a
remarkable
scene
here
is
one
dying
man
turning
to
another
and
says
save
me
here
is
a
cry
of
faith
and
if
his
words
are
beautiful
then
so
too
are
the
words
of
Jesus
let's
think
of
the
response
of
Jesus
and
this
response
in
verse
43
really
stands
as the
basis
for
Christian
hope
because
we can
discover
a few
things
about
salvation
first
of all
we can
discover
that
when
our
faith
looks
to
Jesus
salvation
is
certain
Jesus
answered
him
truly
I
tell
you
today
you
will
be
with
me
in
paradise
here
is
Jesus
speaking
with
the
authority
of
God
come
on
the
mission
of
God
as
the
son
of
God
as
God
King
and
he
declares
salvation
will
be
accomplished
at
the
cross
and
if
you're
trusting
me
you
will
be
with
me
salvation
is
certain
when
we're
trusting
in
Jesus
we
also
discover
that
salvation
is
personal
notice
that
Jesus
said
truly
I
tell
you
today
you'll
be
with
me
now
there's
the
goal
of
salvation
to
be
with
Jesus
in this
sense
goes ahead
of
this
criminal
Jesus
is the
first of
the
three
to
die
and
he
goes
ahead
to
prepare
the
way
to
receive
this
man
into
the
kingdom
just
as
Jesus
had
said
to
his
disciples
he
spoke
about
heaven
as
his
father's
house
said
in
my
father's
house
there
are
many
rooms
and
I'm
going
there
to
prepare
a
place
for
you
and
if
I
go
I'll
also
come
back
and
take
you
to
be
with
me
that
you
may
be
where
I
am
that
salvation
to be
in the
presence
of
Jesus
and
his
people
in a
world
made
perfect
with
sin
removed
for
all
eternity
we
also
get an
understanding
that
salvation
is
eternal
when we
think
about
this
word
paradise
a
very
rich
word
paradise
it's
actually
a
Persian
word
meaning
a
garden
or
a
park
and
perhaps
as we
think
about
that
we
go
back
to
the
very
first
garden
the
garden
of
God
the
garden
of
Eden
in
Genesis
1
and
2
and
what
do
we
find
was
the
reality
of
the
garden
of
Eden
there's
God's
people
Adam
and
Eve
they're
living
in
God's
place
and
they're
enjoying
God's
presence
and
that
is
salvation
God's
people
in
God's
perfect
place
enjoying
his
perfect
presence
forever
and
the
last
thing
to
recognize
about
this
salvation
and
it's
so
important
for
us
to
see
that
salvation
comes
by
grace
could
this
thief
on
the
cross
earn
his
salvation
did
he
have
a
chance
to
turn
over
a
new
leaf
and
do
some
good
deeds
did
he
have
a
chance
to
do
some
great
religious
activity
no
he
only
had
a
few
short
hours
left
to
live
and
that
reminds
us
that
he
is
saved
by
grace
through
faith
it's
free
grace
the
father
bearing
the
cost
of
salvation
and
sending
his
son
his
free
grace
and
the
son
being
willing
to
go
to
the
cross
to
die
in
our
place
for
our
sins
it's
a
gift
to
receive
by
faith
just as
this
man
couldn't
do
anything
to earn
it
neither
can
neither
do
we
it's
free
grace
what
does
the
cross
achieve
it
achieves
our
freedom
at a
price
as
I
was
reminding
myself
of
the
story
of
Arnold
Beltram
I
found
myself
wondering
I
wonder
how
this
lady
Julie
I
wonder
how
it
impacts
her
life
four
years
on
I
wonder
if
that's
a
daily
reminder
that
she's
here
because
of
the
sacrifice
of
another
or
is
that
something
that
falls
to
the
back
of
one's
mind
as
you
need
to
get
on
with
the
reality
of
life
don't
know
the
answer
to
that
one
and
in
a
sense
it's
not
really
that
important
for
us
but
when
it
comes
to
the
loving
rescue
of
Jesus
it's
hugely
important
when
it
comes
to
his
willingness
to
trade
places
with
us
to
die
so
that
we
might
live
how
we
respond
to
that
has
eternal
and
lasting
significance
one
final
observation
to
make
in
verse
46
as
Jesus
dies
he
dies
as
an
innocent
sufferer
entrusting
himself
to
God
as
he
prays
father
into
your
hands
I
commit
my
spirit
and
they
notice
the
centurion
so
the
Roman
soldier
seeing
what
had
happened
praised
God
and
said
surely
this
was
a
righteous
man
while
others
were
blind
to
the
reality
this
Roman
executioner
he
sees
he
praises
he
believes
here
is
Jesus
a man
full
of
mercy
here
is
Jesus
a man
who
gives
forgiveness
here
is
a man
who
has
died
to
secure
salvation
and
so
he
praises
God
as
he
considered
the
cross
what
about
you
and
me
today
as
we
have
considered
the
cross
as
we
considered
the
loving
sacrifice
of
Jesus
the
son
of
man
who
came
to
give
his
life
as
a
ransom
for
many
does it
cause
us
to
worship
to
give
us
a
profound
sense
of
gratitude
does it
transform
our
hearts
and
our
lives
is
this
a
gift
that
we
have
received
have
we
come
to
that
place
where
we've
admitted
our
guilt
where
we
believe
that
Jesus
is
the
son
of
God
and
he's
the
saviour
have
we
come
to
him
because
if
we
do
we
have
this
promise
that
we'll
enjoy
life
with
him
now
and
for
all
eternity
in
the
paradise
of
heaven
let's
pray
together
lord
our
god
as
we
have
considered
the
cross
of
the
lord
jesus
and
the
price
he
paid
to
secure
salvation
we
pray
that
you
would
give
us
the
eyes
of
faith
to
see
like
that
thief
on
the
cross
to
recognize
jesus
as
the
sinless
one
to
recognize
him
as
one
with
an
eternal
kingdom
to
recognize
him
as
the
one
who
came
to
save
help
us
to
admit
our
sin
and
our
guilt
help
us
to
believe
in
him
so
that
we
would
come
to
him
in
faith
lord
we
pray
that
you'd
help
us
to
see
just
like
that
Roman
centurion
so
that
our
response
to
the
cross
us
and
we'd
be
one
of
heartfelt
praise
that
we
would
recognize
jesus
as
the
truly
righteous
one
suffering
and
dying
in
our
place
so
that
his
righteousness
might be
given
to
us
so
that
we
might
have
access
to
know
and
enjoy
life
with
you
our
god
lord
we thank
you for
this time
of year
we thank
you for
easter
and for
the
opportunity
it
gives
to
us
to
share
with
family
and
friends
and
with
our
wider
community
the
good
news
of
what
we
believe
and
so
lord
we
pray
that
you
would
be
at
work
up
and
down
this
country
and
indeed
through
the
world
as
your
people
take
different
opportunities
to
introduce
and
to
invite
we
pray
for
a
real
openness
we
pray
for
a
work
of
god
in
the
hearts
of
men
and
women
and
boys
and
girls
causing
many
to
see
and
to
believe
and
to
have
deep
and
lasting
joy
and
lord
we
pray
especially
once again
for our
children
and for
our
young
people
lord
as
we
have
been
asked
to
pray
for
our
youth
camps
we
thank
you
for
them
for
the
friendship
for
the
bible
teaching
for
the
fellowship
that
they
provide
lord
we
ask
that
where
there
are
still
important
vacancies
to be
filled
on
teams
that
you
would
bring
just
the
right
people
to
come
along
and
we
pray
that
every
camp
would
be
filled
and
that
there
be
great
times
of
fun
and
learning
from
your
word
together
lord
we
also
give
you
thanks
for
the
edinburgh
youth
group
and
its
work
over
the
last
few
months
thank
you
for
every
opportunity
that
there
is
for
discipleship
to
take
place
in our
junior
church
and
in
our
bible
class
lord
we
do
pray
that
you
would
give
the
gift
of
faith
and
endurance
and
hope
and
love
to
our
young
people
and
indeed
as we
think
across
our
nation
lord
we
recognize
that
there are
so many
competing
influences
so many
challenges
and
temptations
but lord
we pray
that you
would
preserve
and we
pray that you
would draw
many
to
yourself
lord
we also
continue to
pray
for
the
situation
in
ukraine
as we
hear
of
fresh
horrors
unfolding
as we
see
a lack
of
mercy
lord
we
pray
against
wicked
oppression
lord
we
pray
that you
would
humble
and we
pray
that you
would
stay
the hands
of wicked
men
lord
we
ask
that you
would
show
mercy
and we
pray
today
for those
who are
living
with
great
fear
for
those
who
are
under
attack
and
lord
we
thank
you
for
those
who
are
survivors
and we
pray
that there
would
be
many
more
lord
we
pray
for
the
refugee
crisis
emerging
from
there
and we
ask
that there
would
be
the
ability
from
nations
and from
churches
to meet
the
multiple
needs
that there
are
lord
open
our
hearts
to make
us
generous
and open
our hearts
to make
us
generous
in
praying
for
ukraine
for
russia
for
the
nations
round
about
lord
that
your
peace
would
break
out
that
the
good
news
of
the
lord
jesus
would
have
transforming
power
from
government
level
all the
way
down
to
those
who
are
most
weak
and
vulnerable
in
society
lord
we
pray
this
so
that
you
would
be
glorified
and
in
jesus
name
amen