The Nail

The Nail by Stephen Cottrell was published by SPCK in November 2011 and is our 9841st best seller. The ISBN for The Nail is 9780281066353.

Imagine you hold in your hands one of the nails used to crucify Christ. Do you accept responsibility for your part in his death, or do you blame another?

The Nail makes you part of the Passion. Moving, first person accounts from eye-witnesses and active participants place you right in heart of events leading to the crucifixion and beyond.

Each account can be used as a personal reflection, a focus for group discussion, sermon base or even performed as a monologue. As each witness tells their story they give their excuse for passing responsibility for the crucifixion nails to another who then takes up the story.

With the relevant Bible text included, each account concludes with a prayer of confession that lays bare our own hearts as well as those of the Bible witnesses. The final chapter raises the all important, life changing question for 'The Nail' characters and for us: ‘will you let Jesus forgive you?’

Helpful guidelines give you practical suggestions for using 'The Nail' as a new and thought provoking group study or inclusion in a Good Friday liturgy.