Seven Last Words of Jesus

We will all join together with our Churches tonight at Baber AME Church here in Rochester for the Seven Last Words of Jesus! We have been together the entire Lent Season and at various churches. We finished the Holy Week of Sacrificial Worship at Mount Olivet Baptist Church with attendance reaching five hundred people.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Soldiers have just driven nails through his hands and feet and hoisted him up by those nails. He does not fear those who kill his body; he pities them and prays for them."My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" But physical torment takes its toll. He suddenly discovers that he cannot hear the still, small voice; he has lost his two-way communication with God. "Behold your mother!" Not quite alone. He looks down. Which hurts worse: the pain of being crucified, or the pain of a mother watching her son be crucified, or the pain of a boy whose beloved teacher hangs bleeding before his eyes? "I thirst!" This is the moment the Tempter has been waiting for: through the voices of cynical men, Satan tries again, as he did in the wilderness: "If you are the Christ, prove it! Save yourself and impress the people." "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." His kingdom is not of this world. He ignores them and reassures the thief. "It is finished!" He has defeated the Tempter again. Despite the agony, he has rejected temptation and cared for those around him. His temporary duty on earth is complete. Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." Like a trusting child, he turns to the Father and takes the next step.