Registration is now open for our 2019 Legislative Seminar
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statements
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative
      • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Christian Unity
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Farmworkers
    • Interfaith Collaboration
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • NC No Torture
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Peace
    • Public Education
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Donate
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Subscribe to Updates from the NC Council of Churches








Weekly E-news:
Raleigh Report:
Faith and Immigration Newsletter:
Health and Faith Perspective:
NC Interfaith Power & Light:

Hide Search

2017 Lenten Guide — Maundy Thursday

Nicole Johnson, PHW Regional Coordinator · April 12, 2017 · Leave a Comment

For this year’s Lenten Guide, each member of the Council staff chose a verse from a favorite hymn to write about. We will post their reflections throughout Lent, for Ash Wednesday, each Sunday, and throughout Holy Week.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

“Were You There” — The United Methodist Hymnal #288

Powerful. Moving. Visceral. Every year these words and this melody stop me in my tracks. Why? I wasn’t there when Jesus the Christ was nailed to a cross. Nor was I there standing as a physical witness to such suffering.

“Were You There” was forged in the crucible of a community whose faith stood in the face of slavery and oppression. These words and melody have a history that have been difficult to trace, but continue to connect with the inexplicable mystery of a God who is with us in the middle of suffering. These words and this melody call us to remember, to bring the past into the present; asking questions that invoke us to action.

Of course, we were not there when Jesus the Christ was nailed to a cross, suffered and died. We are being asked to remember the life and words of Jesus the Christ who called and still calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to love the Lord our God with everything that we are, to hear the cry of the needy, to feed the hungry, to care for the widows and the orphans, to make disciples, to be witnesses, to be reflections of love in this world, and to be God’s kingdom people.

This Lenten season when we sing these words imagine if they said:

Were you there when my children had no bread?
Were you there when my life came to its end?
Oh, sometimes I wonder if you see me, see us, see them?
Will you come and be in our suffering?

 

Filed Under: Blog

Nicole Johnson, PHW Regional Coordinator

About Nicole Johnson, PHW Regional Coordinator

Nicole has had the wonderful opportunity of living in different countries, having been born in Belize City, and currently calling North Carolina home. She is deeply convicted in her belief that faithful congregations can meet the environmental, social and ethical challenges of the 21st century in practical and tangible ways. Her travels and beliefs have motivated her to seek ways of merging faith, health, sustainability, justice and ethics. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be working with congregations and individuals in creating and supporting more healthy communities. Nicole is a graduate of Salem College and of the dual degree MDiv/MA program in sustainability at Wake Forest University. Her favorite things to do include traveling, hiking, growing things, trying new recipes, and spending time with her husband and two boys. Nicole began her time with PHW as an intern and has remained as a regional coordinator.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Featured Resource

From the Lectionary
Celebrating Abrahamic Faiths
March 10, 2019 · 2 Corinthiaans 5:16-21

Latest Tweets

Rob Schofield of @NCPolicyWatch will be leading a workshop at our entitled Power Struggles, the Sequel. He'll review legislative efforts to curb the governor’s powers. Are those efforts continuing, and what do they involve? More info: ncchurches.org/2019s… #ncpol @ncjustice pic.twitter.com/HvNg…

About 2 days ago

Excited to have The Rev. Ron Stief, executive director of @NRCATtweets join us on March 9 to discuss strategies for ending CIA torture. Lunch and childcare are free if you register by March 6. More info: ncchurches.org/event… #ncpol pic.twitter.com/8JYm…

About 2 days ago

There is still time to join us in Charlotte on March 12 and 13 for the Come to the Table Conference. The deadline to register has been extended to February 25. Many of our Council staff will be presenting workshops so we hope to see you there! rafiusa.org/cttt/201… pic.twitter.com/kDzF…

About 5 days ago

RT @healthandfaith Join us NEXT TUESDAY, February 27, for Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Day. We'll join together with fellow North Carolinians to tell our lawmakers it's time to #CloseTheGapNC Register today: docs.google.com/form… @nchealthaccess pic.twitter.com/7D5D…

About 5 days ago

Excited to have The Rev. Ron Steif, executive director of @NRCATtweets join us in just a couple of weeks (March 9). He'll share with us ways the faith community can help bring an end to CIA torture. Space is limited so register today! ncchurches.org/event… pic.twitter.com/uapr…

About 5 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

What an awesome program! Thanks @CISChatham for teaching our youth how to eat healthy on a budget. #health #nc twitter.com/CISChath…

About 2 days ago

Our PHW Collaborative Application is now live! Read more at the link about how your faith community can partner with us to promote health & wholeness in NC. #health #faith #NC ncchurches.org/progr… pic.twitter.com/Fr83…

About 3 days ago

Now more than ever we must show our support for Medicaid expansion. Check out our Advocacy Toolkit on writing an op-ed to your local paper to make your voice heard! #CloseTheGapNC #ncga #ncpol #health #faith ncchurches.org/take-…

About 4 days ago

Our apologies: *Wednesday* Feb. 27! twitter.com/healthan…

About 4 days ago

Join us NEXT TUESDAY, February 27, for Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Day. We'll join together with fellow North Carolinians to tell our lawmakers it's time to #CloseTheGapNC Register today: docs.google.com/form… @nchealthaccess pic.twitter.com/7D5D…

About 5 days ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @CareBoutClimate About to start the Building Grassroots Power meeting for @uscan! #buildinggrassrootspower @AnthropoceneAL @SustainingWay @NCIPL @peoplesjusticec @GeorgiaWAND pic.twitter.com/QgEl…

About 11 hours ago

RT @UNCCE3 CE3 Director Jonas Monast is speaking in Fort Worth, Texas, at @TAMULawSchool's Energy Law Symposium on tomorrow's panel, "Between Markets and Regulation –Electricity Governance in Transition." law.tamu.edu/faculty… pic.twitter.com/RkcJ…

About 2 days ago

RT @NCCoastalFed Three #OBX local govt officials to ⁦@SenThomTillis - protect our coast and our economy & oppose #offshore #oil drilling in #NC #ncpol #ncga ⁦@ThomTillis⁩ newsobserver.com/opi…

About 2 days ago

RT @Michael_S_Regan “People affected by GenX & PFAS pollution in the Cape Fear River deserve real relief, and this order provides that relief ... We listened to the comments from the community, leaders, public utilities & established a strong path forward to protect #waterquality & public health.” twitter.com/wectnews…

About 2 days ago

RT @ncchurches There is still time to join us in Charlotte on March 12 and 13 for the Come to the Table Conference. The deadline to register has been extended to February 25. Many of our Council staff will be presenting workshops so we hope to see you there! rafiusa.org/cttt/201… pic.twitter.com/kDzF…

About 3 days ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

No matter what type of barrier, border communities are opposed! We need to #RevitalizeNotMilitarize our border region. Congress—do not give Trump any more money for ICE, CBP, or a border wall! CALL to #DefundHate: (202) 224-3121 pic.twitter.com/xBVM…

About 2 months ago

Let's @SupportFLOC in the upcoming #BoycottVUSE against Reynolds American Inc. and defend our tobacco farmworkers so that they may have a voice to negotiate better working conditions without fear of retaliation! floc.com/wordpress/b…

Last year

.@POTUS @realDonaldTrump Keep America welcoming. Refugee resettlement is a proud American legacy with bipartisan support #RefugeesWelcome

About 2 years ago

.@realDonaldTrump & @POTUS Christians oppose policies that would deny Muslims refuge and preference Christians: bit.ly/FaithLeaders4…

About 2 years ago

.@realDonaldTrump & @POTUS People of faith OPPOSE a religious litmus test for refugees bit.ly/FaithLeaders4… #RefugeesWelcome

About 2 years ago

Follow @NCRCJI

Copyright © 2019 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine