So they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was early morning; they didn’t enter the Praetorium so that they would not not be defiled and could eat the Passover 

So Pilate went out to them and said ‘What charge do you bring against this man?’

They answered: ‘If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.’

Pilate said ‘Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. 

The Jews said to him: ‘It is not lawful for us to kill anyone.’ This was to fulfil the word of Jesus which he spoke indicating what kind of death he was about to die. 

So Pilate went into the Praetorium again and called Jesus and said to him: ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ 

Jesus replied: ‘Are you saying this on your own account or have others spoken to you about me? 

Pilate answered: ‘I am not a Jew am I? Your own people and the High Priests handed you over to me. What have you done?’

Jesus answered ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom was from this world my ‘officials ‘ would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But my Kingdom is not from here. 

So Pilate said to him ‘So you are a king?’ 

Jesus replied ‘You say that I am a king.  For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. 

Pilate said to him ‘What is truth?’

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.