Good Friday

It is the tradition in the small town of Amlwch that the five denominations of the Christian church walk round the town with a cross on Good Friday each year. Today we assembled on a car park and before walking round the town in silence we were led in prayer by the Rector of Amlwch. He read a passage from the gospels and we sang together the hymn, "The Servant King". We then walked is silence along the main street and crossed the town bypass to walk up Mona Street to our second station where I, on behalf of the local Methodist church, offered prayer and read a gospel passage. My passage was about Peter's thrice denial of Jesus.

Now we crossed Mona Street with the Rector carrying the cross this time - I carried his prayer book to allow him to do this. Across the road from the local supermarket was our third station where the Roman Catholic priest, father Michael, led our prayers. On we walked once more to the snooker club outside which the former minister at Capel Mawr, Rev Will Williams, led the prayers. Our last stop was just across outside the scout headquarters where our little service was led by someone from the Pentecostal church in Amlwch.

Our little pilgrimage was over so we went inside for a welcome pannad and hot cross buns. (Pannad is the Welsh equivalent of "a cuppa".) It had been an experience again. I found , as in the previous year, that walking in silence we were able to reflect on what Jesus did for us 2,000 years ago. Our Lord was delivered into the hands of his enemies without resistance. He said very little to claim who he was. The Sanhedrin condemned him using false testimony by paid "witnesses". He was whipped and robbed of his only possession - a robe. Then after being made to carry his own cross his hands were fixed to the cross by nails and he was crucified between two criminals.

At 3 o'clock this afternoon I was walking to my greenhouse and paused to think of Jesus dying at that same hour upon the cross. He must have been in terrible pain. Despite his agony he told his great friend, John, to take in Mary, his mother. He told her she was now to consider John her son. What a man, to think of his mother's future as he slowly died on a cross! Not only that, but he did it for me that I might discover the way through to God.