This dark day between

Holy Saturday 

Lamentations 3:1–9, 19–24 

We know that light will

greet us tomorrow, and yet,

and still, we are here,

in this day of darkness. 

This grief is like a wasting

away of flesh and bone;

a drowning in bitter waters;

a death, somehow, of its own. 

There is no escape over

the walls around us,

the chains upon us,

the silencing of our cries. 

The pain of it, even

the thought of it, this 

kind of homelessness, is galling –

and yet, and still, a different thought ... 

The lovingkindness of Holy One never ceases;

mercy from Holy One never ends,

but renews every morning,

faithfulness to cause awe and wonder! 

Holy One is my nourishment,

my soul remembers, it trusts – 

so I have hope – hope! 

My hope is Holy One!  

the oldest commandment

Maundy Thursday. 

John 13:1–17, 33–35 

wash each other's feet

with your hands

remove the dust of the road

caress the cracks and the callouses

hold the story, hold the person

forgive the mis-steps and stumbles

welcome each other home

into your embrace

this is what I mean  

who?

Holy Week. Year B. Wednesday 

John 13:21–32

I lifted my head

from close to his heart I asked

which one of us, first? 

lifted up from earth

 Holy Week. Year B. Tuesday 

John 12:20–36 

a grain of wheat falls;

a shoot raises its rich head:

the grain dies, to live 

one night in Bethany

Holy Week. Year B. Monday 

John 12:1–11 

a pound of costly perfume

a house filled with fragrance

a woman pouring, touching, caressing 

a man uncomfortable, spitting blame

a call to remember

a woman pouring

a pound of perfume

a house full of fragrance 

palm leaves in the dust

Palm Sunday 

Mark 11:1–11 

we shout Hope! 

we shout Joy! 

we shout Love! 

we shout Peace! 

all the things you promised

all that we have longed for  

riding into town

on a colt we dress in our imaginations

as a war horse

have you wielding a sword

and shielding us from indignity

injustice and oppression ... 

[pause] 

it is a donkey 

his hands are open

we stumble

fatal hesitation

leaving hope and joy

and love and peace fallen

with the palm leaves

in the dust 

The fateful day

Passion Sunday / Good Friday 

Mark 15:1–41 

1. Pilate 

Could I have resisted

the tsunami of jealous rage,

its sharp long intake of fear,

its thunderous crash at my gate? 

Could I have trusted

my twisting, knotted gut

responding to his silence,

his resistance, peaceful, calm, and true? 

Could I have insisted

on punishing the guilty,

letting innocence be free

from their corruption, from the fire? 

It is done. 

I let them win. 

No less fearful than his foes. 

Much less than I could have been. 

2. Soldiers 

on my own,

I thought him noble 

on my own, 

I found him compelling

on my own, 

I keep bindings looser than to cut 

but

with the whole cohort

he was an enemy

with the whole cohort

he seemed a mockery

with the whole cohort

he bled from our own wounds 

3. Simon of Cyrene 

I was relieved

that moment they released

me from the crossbeam 

I was glad

to walk away, aching

but not nailed to the wood 

then I collapsed,

some greater weight convulsing

me with weeping, weeping, weeping 

I was with him

in the walking to the hill,

I'm with him still, though free, though free 

4. Women 

from a distance

we were watching 

bearing witness

bearing courage for each other

bearing love and soul and all

at the tearing of the sky

the tearing of the veil

the tearing of our hearts – 

wail! 

wail! 

wail! 

He is dead.

He is dead. 

He is dead. 

Holy Saturday Vigil

Psalm 31:1–4, 15–16



I withdraw into the embrace of Holy One:
comfort for pain,
healing for dis-ease,
nurture for weary bones

I trust in the justice and mercy of Holy One:
wisdom for life,
honour and dignity for all,
forgiveness, hope, peace

Holy One hears my cry:
sorrow
grief
loneliness
despair

My defence against attack is the love of Holy One:
I stand tall, feet planted
in Divine soil;
I thrive, drinking
Holy water

My courage rises when I stand in the right Way of Holy One:
Wisdom has shown
the path to rich life,
and there I follow

When I feel trapped, I look to Holy One for my freedom:
Holy One redeems their people
again and again; rescues,
and restores to right
relationship for healing and hope

I trust in the justice and mercy of Holy One:
wisdom for life,
honour, dignity for all,
forgiveness, hope, peace

The turn on the cross

Psalm 22 for Good Friday 



Forsaken

Alone

Unanswered

Faithful

Reaching

Despised

Scorned

Remembering

Faithful

Alone

Hounded

Spent

Thirsty

Mocked

Pleading

Faithful

Remembering

Remembering

Faithful

Proclaiming

A Psalm for Maundy Thursday

Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19



Holy One has heard my voice:
to that love I return my love.

I will call on Holy One forever;
my vow of loyalty I make before all.

Holy One I say to you:
I am yours forever.

I will sing songs of thanksgiving,
my praise I sing with joy.

Holy One hears my voice:
to that love I return my love.

I will call on Holy One always;
a vow of loyalty I will make each day.

Holy Week. Wednesday

Psalm 70



God is matchless,
benevolent,
virtuous:

God is good.
God will help me in my need.

My life is diminished
by my choices
by harm from others
by systems that oppress
and harm us all.

I am troubled:
I call to God in my pain

For God is liberation;
in God is my life,
my hope, my escape
from diminished life.

God is matchless,
benevolent,
virtuous:

God is good.
And in God I shall rest
for my help. Amen.

Holy Week. Tuesday

Psalm 71:1–14

God, my hope, my trust, my refuge;
God who is holy, faithful, strong –

wickedness holds me in its grip,
I am caught in the grasp of the unjust.

God, my hope, my trust, my refuge,
all the days of my life I praise you.

My strength is spent, but you are strong;
I am old, but you will remember.

God, my hope, my trust, my refuge:
come quickly to help me, I pray.

Let my accusers, the ones who would hurt me,
wear the shame they would cast on me,

O God, my hope, my trust, my refuge.
I will hold fast to hope and praise:

my mouth will sing aloud of your justice,
my voice will carry the song of your holiness.

God, my hope, my trust, my refuge,
I will praise no holiness but yours.

Holy Week. Monday

Psalm 36:5–11 



the vast blue
untouchable – touching us deep with breath
unreachable – reaching to watery, earthen, surface

the fluffy grey
untouchable – touching us with tears and thunder
unreachable – reaching across the wide, wide, breadth

your steadfast love
untouchable – touching us deep with life
unreachable – reaching as far as we can run

Holiness sure and strong as mountains
Justice, the reassuring depths
Love redeeming all that lives

Wings give shelter for all
Table gives welcome to all
River of delight
Fountain of life
Light revealing light

A prayer for Holy Saturday

Psalm 31:1–4

from this darkness,
hear my cry:
be my refuge,
Holy One.

from this darkness,
hear my cry:
rescue me, save me,
Holy One.

you are my rock,
you are my refuge:
I remember, remember me.

release me from this net
that binds me,
my rock, my redeemer.

from this darkness,
hear my cry:
save me, refuge of lovingkindness,
my rock, my Holy One.

A servant's prayer: 2

Isaiah 50:4–9a 
Holy Week: Wednesday


Thank you, God, for your gift,
wise words to sustain the weary.
Thank you, too, for opening my ears,
that I may hear the cries
and the silence of those who suffer much.

Your gifts equip me for faithfulness,
wisdom to endure attack with courage.
If I am met by adversaries,
I stand firm for my confidence is You.
these words and actions of the world
will perish, so I look to You, Eternal One,
and know, I stand with Holy One,
therefore I shall endure.

A servant's prayer: 1

Isaiah 49:1–9 Holy Week: Tuesday



I pray to God as a servant:
may I be like them,
the servants you called in
ages past, the ones in the stories
we tell. May I be a servant
who knows my Creator,
my origin in the Source of all life.

May I speak like the servant
whose tongue was a sword,
who was sharpened like an arrow:
make me to speak with purpose,
your word in every breath.

When my labour seems futile,
my effort unrewarded, remind me
of the servant who knew
that yours is the strength to hold
your servants, yours the light
we bear. You are the One
who chooses us, you our faithful
Holy One – like servants in ages
long ago, in stories we tell today,
may I be a servant who remembers
I am, because You are.
Amen.

In praise and honour of Holy One

Isaiah 42:5–9 Holy Week: Monday



This is our God, Holy One:
the One who created the heavens,
sprawling expanse above and beyond;
who spread the earth wide and filled it
with life and breath and Spirit;
the One who beckons us into
right relationship, who guides
and keeps, who gives light and hope;
the One who calls for justice,
liberation of the imprisoned,
insight for the blind –
this, this is our God,
the Holy One of Mercy,
ever present, ever faithful.
Praise and honour to our God,
praise and honour, Amen.

In their garden

John 18:1–19 Good Friday



His words of love hung
in the air between
them, walking to the garden
so familiar: words
of love floating by disciples
unsure how to catch them.

Their swords and torches
tore the night apart: Judas
with the soldiers
and police of priests and teachers.

Who do you seek?
Jesus the Nazarene.
I am he.

Clattering stumble backwards,
officers fall to the ground.

Who do you seek?
Jesus the Nazarene.
I told you: I am he.

A flash of silver, from beside
him: the world stood still.

Malchus’ blood dripped louder
than their breathing – Peter
froze, but officers found their feet:
Jesus bound
Jesus taken
and the clamouring of misunderstood
words falling to the ground
deafened all with ears.

Then Peter sheathed his sword
and followed the light
as it left the garden.

Disciples: remember

John 13:31–35 Maundy Thursday



In the midst of it all –
the foot-washing servanthood,
the salivating wolves, the knives
from friends poised to cut,
the presence of mind still to trust
this Sacred work of glory – in all
of this he paused to see
our fears, and speak
that reminder of law, of all
he’d come to teach us:
love. Look to each other
and love, that is what you can
do for me, must do with me
to show the Way to life: love.

A Palm Sunday Lament

Luke 19:28–40


the stones shout out,
sing praise to God,
but we have fallen silent.

where, o God, are our hosannas,
where our blessing of your Name?

lost, o God, in self obsession,
lost in the chase for success;
lost, o God, in greedy negligence,
lost in the systems of injustice.

forgive us our silence,
Holy One,
restore our voices to praise.
the stones shout out, and so
must we – shout blessing,
shout honour, shout praise
for the God of Mercy and Peace.