{"id":16750,"date":"2021-04-01T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotion-1st-april-2021"},"modified":"2021-04-01T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T05:00:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-1st-april-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-1st-april-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion 1st April 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

1st April – Maundy Thursday<\/strong><\/p>\n

St Mark 15: 21 – 31<\/strong><\/p>\n

They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus  to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull).  And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it.  And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o\u2019clock in the morning when they crucified him.  The inscription of the charge against him read, \u2018The King of the Jews.\u2019  And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left.  Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, \u2018Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days,  save yourself, and come down from the cross!\u2019  In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, \u2018He saved others; he cannot save himself.  Let the Messiah,  the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.\u2019 Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n

This Maundy Thursday, I find myself drawn to the character of Simon of Cyrene.<\/p>\n

During a trip to Zimbabwe in 2002, I was able to visit Cyrene Mission, on the outskirts of Bulawayo; founded in 1939 by Edward \u2018Ned\u2019 Patterson, who was a pioneering art teacher. It was the first African school in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to have art classes. The chapel is full of the most beautiful murals and sculptures by the students, depicting moments in the life of Jesus, including an image of Simon of Cyrene set behind the altar (see attached, taken in 2002).<\/p>\n

Ned\u2019s intention was that all students could be independent, \u2018able to care for his cattle, able to build his own home and to make it\u2019s furniture and even to enrich them by carving and design.\u2019<\/p>\n

Simon carrying the Cross is the 5th Station of the Cross and he is often portrayed undertaking an act of sympathetic generosity, but there is no Biblical basis for this. Simon\u2019s encounter appears in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) with him being \u2018compelled\u2019 to carry the Cross \u2013 we might ask ourselves why:\n<\/p>\n