O DEAREST JESUS

1. O dearest Jesus, with your body broken
God's final sentence, God's last word, is spoken. We see with eyes that know about your crying, your crucifying.

2. Why did they mock you?
Why did people jeer you?
Aren't you the king?
The whole world should have cheered you.
Ah, but our hearts are cold, and we are blinded, so evil-minded.

3. We made your crown with
thorns from deep inside us,
hammered your hands with
nails no-one supplied us.
We need no help to stage a crucifixion — it's our affliction.

4. Yet, by your dying death has been defeated.
Life was destroyed, but life has been created.
One final cry, and though your life was ended
we were befriended.

5. Sleep, dearest Jesus, sleep until your waking.
When morning comes this
old world will be breaking.
Death cannot hold you. Death is not that clever.
God lives forever!

Alternative Verse 4 & 5

4. Yet by your dying you have drawn us near you. In your distress we love you more than fear you. Lonely we are, but now your life has ended
we are befriended.

5. Sleep, dearest Jesus, sleep until your waking. You rest in peace, but still our hearts are breaking. Take all our tears and comfort us in sorrow
until tomorrow.

1982, 1988. In 1977, we did a special service on Palm Sunday evening which retold the story of Jesus' passion with drama, narration and music and made use of special lighting brought in for the occasion. We did the same style of service on many subsequent pre- Easters. In recent years it has been done every year on Good Friday evening. These new words to this old song were written for 2 of these services. We use the song virtually every year. It translates well to a band, and it's good to use this great melody of Johann Crüger, one of the greatest hymn tune writers ever.

30.9.24

Back from a Break

During September, Dorothy and I travelled
to Norway and the UK.

After long flights
- Adelaide to Melbourne,
Melb to Dubai (14 hrs),
Dubai to Oslo (7 hrs) -
we did Norway in a nutshell
from Oslo to Bergen, then
the Hurtigruten Cruise
up the west coast of Norway
and back again.
Then an 8 day Trafalgar tour
and 4 days in London,
before taking the direct flight
(16 3/4 hrs)
from Heathrow to Perth.
We're a bit tired (!) but we'll still be a part
of the LWA convention and the
General Convention .

See some of you there.