By His Wounds, We Are Healed: A Good Friday Prayer and Reflection

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53:3-6 (NIV)

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Greetings CBA Family,

On this sacred Friday, we, the congregations and members of the Cleveland Baptist Association, join hearts and voices in solemn reflection. From the pulpits to the pews, from east side to west, across neighborhoods, communities, and traditions, we come together to remember the immense love poured out through the suffering of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Through the prophecy of Isaiah, we remember Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, pierced for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities. Yet, it was through His suffering that our peace was purchased. It is by His wounds that we are healed.

Let us pray...

Holy and Merciful Savior,

We come with hearts full of gratitude for Your sacrificial love. You carried the weight of our brokenness, bore our pain, and embraced the cross on our behalf. You did not shy away from suffering. Instead, You became the Intercessor for all of us.

On this Good Friday, help us not to look away from Your suffering. Help us to see in Your pain a deep invitation, to follow, to serve, and to give ourselves for the sake of others.

Lord, across Greater Cleveland, touch our churches and ministries with renewed conviction. May our sanctuaries not only be places of worship, but outposts of justice and compassion. May our congregations hear the call to move beyond the walls, gently, courageously, and faithfully, to see the needs in our neighborhoods and respond with the heart of Christ.

We also lift up the American Baptist Churches-USA and all who labor in love throughout our national fellowship. Strengthen our collective mission. Let our diversity be a testimony to the beauty of Your kingdom, and our unity a beacon to a watching world.

We also pray for the Children of God around the world, for those suffering persecution, displacement, poverty, and oppression. Even as we serve locally, may we remember to pray globally. Give us a compassion that knows no borders and a faith that stretches beyond what we can see.

Resurrect in us, Lord, a holy creativity, new ideas, fresh energy, and bold passion to reach those who are not yet in relationship with You. May they come to know the inexplicable peace, the enduring joy, the resilient hope, and the sustaining faith we have in You, Jesus Christ.

Help us, Lord, to not grow weary in well-doing. Strengthen our hands, renew our hearts, and remind us that a harvest is coming. Even when evil seems loud, and destruction seems to continuously loom, empower us to be faithful, to live and love like You, Jesus, who gave all for all.

And as we await Resurrection Sunday, fill us with hope. May this be more than a remembrance. May it be a renewal. Let it be a resurrection of love for one another, a reawakening of compassion, a recommitment to justice, and a revival of righteousness.

We rise together, united in Christ, ready to walk in Your way and reflect Your heart.

In the matchless name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.

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A Holy Weekend Note

As we journey through this Holy Weekend, may we not only remember the sacrifice of Jesus, but reflect on what it means to truly follow Him. Please reflect upon these questions:

• Where is God calling you to step out in compassion?

• Who is God calling you to reach?

• What must you release in order to more fully say “yes” to His will?

Let us walk through the sorrow of the cross toward the hope of the empty tomb...TOGETHER, as one body, one Spirit, one Lord. 

May this Holy Weekend ignite a renewed commitment to live courageously, love generously, and serve faithfully in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ.

Rev. Dr. TaNikka Sheppard

CBA Regional Executive Minister