Southgate Methodist Church

On this Easter Sunday we bring flowers and place them on the cross. We transform the cross of pain and shame into something which speaks of life, and of the beauty of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On Good Friday we imagine hammering in the nails that held Jesus on the Cross.

John 19:17-19

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’

Hymn: We sing

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
tremble, tremble;
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Prayer:  We pray together:

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. Amen.

On this Maundy Thursday we place a towel and a bowl at the foot of the Lent Cross – God came among us to serve. How can we do anything less?

John 13 v 4 & 5

Jesus rose from the table, took off his outer garments and tied a towel round his waist. Then he poured some water into a bowl and proceeded to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel.

Hymn:  We sing:

Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
Master who acts as a slave to them.
Jesu, Jesu,
Fill us with your love,
Show us how to serve
the neighbours we have from you.

Prayer:  Let us pray together:

God of mystery and mercy, grant us new life with you, as we draw near in remembrance, approaching the end of this journey with you through Lent. Amen

On this sixth Sunday in Lent we attach palms to the Lent Cross. What kind of King is this?

Mark 11: 8-10

Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,        “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Hymn:  We sing:

Make way, make way,
for Christ the King;
in splendour arrives;
fling wide the gates and welcome him
into your lives.
Make way, make way,
for the King of Kings;
make way, make way,
and let his kingdom in!

Prayer:  Let us pray together:

In this most holy of weeks help us to stay close to Jesus that we may recognise the unfolding work of God. Amen.

On this 5th Sunday in Lent, Passion Sunday, we place some grain at the foot of the cross as Jesus again talks of his death.

John 12 v 23-24

Then Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit

Hymn: We sing:

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green

Prayer:  Let us pray together:

God of innumerable mercies, give us the grace to be buried daily in the love of Christ, like the seed that is buried in the earth, and thereby to live more abundantly. Amen.

The fourth Sunday in Lent is Mothering Sunday. We place on the cross a picture of the earth taken from space – a symbol that declares that just as a mother’s love embraces her child, no matter what, so the love of Christ reaches round the whole world. It is for all.

John 3 v16 & 17

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved.

Hymn:   We sing: 

My song is love unknown,
My Saviour’s love to me,
Love to the loveless shown
That they might lovely be.
O who am I,
That for my sake
My Lord should take
Frail flesh and die

Prayer:  Let us pray together:

O God, Help us to live as people who know that we are loved not condemned. Amen

On this third Sunday in Lent we scatter coins at the foot of the cross to remember Judas’s betrayal of Jesus.

Matthew 26. 14-16

One of the twelve disciples- the one named Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, “What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They counted out 30 silver coins and gave them to him. From then on Judas was looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them

Hymn:  We sing:

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

Prayer: Let us pray together:

Lord Jesus, it was for us that you endured the hatred, the treachery, the rejection of men; for us you suffered and died. Give us a deeper understanding of what you have done for us, that we may live as those who are no longer their own but have been bought at a price. Amen

On this second Sunday in Lent we place a red ribbon round the Lent Cross, a symbol of sacrifice. We remember that the call upon Jesus and upon us is not an easy one – it is costly and often contrary to our natural inclinations.

Mark 8 v34 & 35

Jesus said: If anyone wants to follow me he must first forget about himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever is willing to lose his life for my sake and the Gospel will be saved.

Hymn:   We sing:        

From heaven you came, helpless babe,
entered our world, Your glory veiled,
not to be served but to serve,
and give your life that we might live.

This is our God, the Servant King,
He calls us now to follow him,
to bring our lives as a daily offering
of worship to the Servant King

Prayer: Let us pray together:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for calling us to follow you. Help us to respond to your call gladly, that we may serve you faithfully and show forth your love to the world. Amen.