Welcoming – Pastor Ross

Prelude – O Sacred Head Now Wounded ‐ Arr. Hayes/Gaspard

Meditation:

Only in the cross of Christ will we receive power when we are powerless, find strength when we are weak, experience hope when our situation is hopeless. Only in the cross is there peace for our troubled hearts.

Call to Worship – Pastor Dave

Opening Hymn – Nothing But the Blood – #362

Prayer Concerns, Silent Prayer – Pastor Ross

Prayer Song – Kyrie Eleison – #2275

Pastoral Prayer, Lord’s Prayer – Pastor Ross

Anthem – I heard the Voice of Jesus Say ‐ Larson – The Lakeview Choir

Offering – Pastor Dave

Scripture Reading  – Mark 15:20‐32 ‐ NLT – Diana Hanson

Hymn of Preparation – Holy Ground – #2272

Message – Suffering that Reveals – Pastor Linda

Consecration Stephen Ministers – Pastor Linda, Ross & Dave

Closing Hymn – The Summons – #2130

Benediction & Response  

Postlude – On “O Crucified Redeemer” ‐ Arr. Graham

Mark 15:20-32 – New Living Translation

²⁰ When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

²¹ A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

²² And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”).

²³ They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.

²⁴ Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece.

²⁵ It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

²⁶ A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.”

²⁷ Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

²⁹ The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days.

³⁰ Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

³¹ The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself!

³² Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

Simon of Cyrene travels nearly 1,000 miles to be in Jerusalem for Passover to be present for the slaughter of the Pascal Lamb as well as the slaughter of many other lambs for household consumption for the Passover meal remembering the events of the Hebrew children’s last meal before being freed from Egyptian oppression.