Methodists in Brooklyn Parish celebrate ‘Seven Last Words of Christ’

Methodists in the Brooklyn Downtown South Cooperative Parish of the United Methodist Church (UMC), otherwise known as Bold United Soul Seekers (BUSS), heard the “Seven Last Words of Christ” in a three-hour worship service at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Flatbush, Brooklyn, on Good Friday, March 18.

Preachers from Ghana Wesley, Vanderveer Park, Fenimore Street, St. Mark’s, St. Paul’s, and Kings Highway UMCs delivered the message during the perennial service.

St. Mark’s and Ghana Wesley UMCs co-hosted the ceremony, which was presided over by the Rev. Morais G. Quissico, pastor of St. Mark’s UMC and parish coordinator.

The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Abel, UMC Long Island West District Superintendent, also joined the worship service, which was punctuated with scripture readings, prayers, and lofty singing by soloists, choirs, St. Mark’s UMC Praise Team, and the packed congregation.

“Jesus is responding to the plight of humanity; Jesus, in his ministry, was no different that you and me,” preached the Rev. Roger Jackson, pastor of Fenimore Street UMC, in bringing the First Word, taken from Luke 23 33-34, meditating on “Father, Forgive Them for They Know not What They Do.”

“Couldn’t the task be on Jesus’s mind when he said, ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do?’” asked Rev. Jackson, who was preceded by a selection, “O, Come and Mourn with Me Awhile” by his church’s Combined Choir.

“Couldn’t it be that Jesus had you and me in sight?” he added. “The Bible says, ‘if we confess our sins, He’s faithful and just to forgive us.’ Jesus still serves, Jesus still keeps, and Jesus still satisfies.”

Meditating on “Today, You Will Be with Me in Paradise,” based on Luke 23: 39-43, the Rev. Dr. Angel Abakah, pastor of Ghana Wesley UMC, said: “Jesus was representing God on the cross.

“Jesus never sinned, but sin was placed on him,” he preached. “When we confess our sins and believe in Jesus, it’s called salvation. Today, if we can confess our sins, salvation will be there for all of us.

“Don’t postpone what God wants to do for you,” Dr. Abakah urged. “Open your hearts and let Jesus come through.”

“So, I encourage you, beloved, make Jesus your Savior and Lord,” he added. “Jesus is the way to paradise.”

After Dawn Stephenson and Erlene Williams-King sang “The Way of the Cross Led Me Home,” the Rev. Janet Cox, junior minister at St. Paul’s UMC, brought The Third Word, “Woman, Behold Thy Son” (John 19: 26, 27), stating that The Third Word has “profound significance.”

“This scene is a powerful reminder of love,” said the Jamaican-born minister. “This reveals the extraordinary relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ.

“As children of God, we are called to love, we are called for loving-kindness, we are called for reconciliation in such as a time like this, we are called to love,” Rev. Cox added. “Your identity says about your identity to one another.”

Rev. Cox’s compatriot and senior pastor at St. Paul’s UMC, the Rev. Sharon Cundy, meditated on The Fourth Word, “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me,” preceded by a selection, “If My People,” by St. Mark’s UMC Chancel Choir.

“Jesus had lived a perfect and holy life,” she preached. “In the three hours of darkness, he suffered the equivalent of eternal life. He was forsaken.

“Most of us have felt abandoned at some time, especially our immigrant brothers and sisters,” Rev. Cundy added. “They’re losing their Social Security. You watch the news; there’s nothing about the church.”

Before The Fifth Word, Shari Boxil offered a heart-wrenching “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.”

Then, Deaconess Gail Douglas-Boykin, junior pastor at Vanderveer Park UMC, meditated on “I Thirst” (John 19:28), bringing The Fifth Word.

“In this moment, Jesus expresses more than his profound suffering,” she said. “Jesus, in his final moment, was fulfilling the word of God.

“Today, Jesus still thirsts,” Deaconess Douglas-Boykin added. “He thirsts for people to come to him.

“Today, I invite you to come to the cross, lay down your burden, and come to Christ,” she urged.

Since Sis. Enite Joseph was unwell to sing, four members of Kings Highway UMC filled in, with a selection, before the Rev. Jean Ablamy Llataillade, the Haitian-born pastor, meditated on The Sixth Word, “It is Finished” (Luke 19:30).

“Jesus said ‘it is finished’ not because the clock stopped, but he completed what he was doing,” he said. “It is finished because there was nothing left to be done.

“Jesus succumbed to the death; now, we’re at peace,” added Rev. Llataillade, asking the congregation to join him in saying aloud, “It is done.” The congregation un-hesitantly obliged.

“All we had to do is trust and put our faith in Him,” he continued. “The Sixth Word invites us to ingest the magnitude of Jesus on the cross.”

After Vanderveer Park UMC Sanctuary Choir rendered a selection, the church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Melvin Boone, brought the last word, “Father, Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit” (Luke 23:46).

“The savior commended His spirit into the hands of the Father,” he meditated. “Communion by God is by faith. Faith is not affected by what happens in Washington, D.C. Faith is not affected by the president.

“Just as the savior died on the cross, so will you with faith, with God’s redeeming power,” Rev. Boone added. “Love covers a multitude of things. Jesus shows us how to do our work with faith and confidence.

“Jesus, who took away the sins of the world, took His last breath, hung his head and died,” he continued.

On Resurrection Sunday (Easter Sunday), as is customary, each church in the BUSS parish conducted its own Easter Sunday Worship Service.

At Fenimore Street UMC, Rev. Jackson preached in his sermon, based on John 20: 1-18, “Are you Glad About It?”

“The savior is alive and well,” he said. “We celebrate the fact that our savior is alive and well. Jesus got up with all the powers in His hands.

“Our risen savior has kept you alive and well,” Rev. Jackson added. “Our risen savior has kept food on your table, clothes on your back.

“He’s alive; my Jesus is alive today,” he continued. “There’s a faithful God who’s alive today.”