Behold the wood of the Cross,
on which hung the salvation of the world.
Good Friday is pretty much a down day at our place - very quiet, no tv, no video games/wii, etc.... All this to encourage that quiet, reflective time for the Spirit to really speak to us on what the day means.
I started my day by working on a multi-step recipe that takes many hours to prepare - Hot Cross Buns!! It is so worth the work and wait to enjoy a little something sweet at the end of the day. I use the Pioneer Woman's website a lot because of the visuals she provides - I am such a visual learner! Here's the
recipe that we used of hers. The only things we changed were.... 1% milk instead of whole and left out the raisins.
At 3pm, we had our Good Friday service - the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord. It's always very touching and moving, and I'm almost always on the verge of tears. How blessed we are to have a Lord to completely give His life for us.
Like
yesterday, we had another "Liturgical Tea" to bring more meaning into what we celebrate at Church back into our own homes. Here's a look at what we served and what everything symbolized....
**The Water Bowl**
"Pilate took water and washed his hands before the crowd saying, "I am innocent of this righteous man's blood."
(Matthew 27: 24)
**The King's Crown**
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| (Bean dip made from: re-fried beans, cream cheese, Rotel tomatoes & green chiles, cheddar cheese, and garnished with tortilla chips in the shape of a crown) |
"And Pilate asked Him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?' And He answered him, 'You have said so.'"
(Mark 15: 2)
**Out of Envy**
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| (anything green - we chose homemade guacamole) |
"[H]e perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered Him up."
(Mark 15: 10)
**Purple Cloak**
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| (anything purple - we chose berry applesauce) |
"And they clothed Him in a purple cloak . . . ."
(Mark 15: 17)
**The Crown of Thorns**
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| (Ritz crackers, spreadable cream cheese, pretzels) |
". . . and, plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him."
(Mark 15: 17)
**The Seamless Garment**
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| (tortillas cut out in the shape of a garment and then cubed cheese for the die) |
"But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.'"
(John 19: 23-24)
**The Two Robbers**
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| (Alice suggests using basil since "According to The Herb Society of America, legend has it that the Basil plant grew around the site of Christ's crucifixion. The Victorian Language of Flowers lists Basil as symbolic of both hatred and best wishes. The taunting thief and the good thief come to mind." We didn't have any fresh basil, so like last year, we used spinach.) |
And with Him they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left."
(Mark 15: 27)
**Vinegar to Drink**
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| (croutons dipped in red wine vinegar) |
"And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.'"
(Mark 15: 36)
**The Temple Curtain**
"And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."
(Mark 15: 38)
**Roman Centurion**
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| (A Centurion in the Roman Army would have command over 100 men, so we quartered the cherry tomatoes and counted until we reached 100 to represent the Centurion present at the crucifixion) |
"And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that He thus breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God.'"
(Mark 15: 39)
**Laid in the Tomb**
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| (we used apple cinnamon muffins with strawberry jam inside) |
"And he brought a linen shroud, and taking Him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb."
(Mark 15:46)
Again, I am always inspired and grateful for Alice and Jessica creating and sharing their liturgical teas. It was yet another yummy, meaningful meal to top off our Good Friday experience.
We hope and pray all of you had a wonderful, blessed Good Friday!!
