Lenten Worship: Good Friday Services

The season of Lent in the Christian calendar year begins 2 days from now on Ash Wednesday. Lent has always been very meaningful for me. I've nagged my pastor a little bit to get him thinking ahead for Holy Week worship. Here is a little help for the rest of you also. For you pastors needing a little help planning for Good Friday, I offer you my favorite Good Friday services. Nothing really novel. It's based on the traditional Stations of the Cross from the Roman Catholic tradition. The great thing about this service is that you can include so many people as readers. We used two people to alternate announcing the station and then 14 readers to read the Scripture texts and pray. We marked out 14 locations down the center aisle of the church, so that each reading moved progressively closer to the front of the church, to give a sense of movement toward the cross for the service. You can also make this a Tenebrae service with 13 taper candles and 1 pillar candle to be the Christ candle. Extinguish one candle per station with the Christ candle extinguished last. Tenebrae is most effective when it is done at dusk/dark and less so if the time has changed and it's fully light out when you have the service. If you prefer a more digital experience, you can project artwork or a symbol and the scripture texts for each station. Some people also use sounds like hammering, whipping, rooster crowing, etc. for various stations. One time I played a mournful video clip from Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ at the very end. One year our music director, who was an outstanding oboeist, played a mournful solo of The Via Dolorosa as the closing song after the final station while in the dark. She played with such passion that people wept. Finally after the service is over and people are still seated, strip the church of banners, parments, plants, candles, altarware -- everything -- symbolizing the stripping of Jesus and dark tomb he was laid in. Remove it all out of the church. People leave in silence. also The creates anticipation and dramatic effect if your church is full of flowers on Easter Sunday morning. The songs below are from the red Covenant Hymnal and the gray Song Goes On but certainly are in other hymnals. More contemporary music could be used. There is a place for a sermon or homily after the 12th station but that isn't necessary. The service itself preaches and the benediction at the end isn't necessary either. Good Friday Way of the Cross Service Welcome and Introduction to Good Friday Worship *Call To Worship Isaiah 53:4-5 Leader: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. People: Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. Leader: But he was wounded for our transgressions, People: He was bruised for our iniquities; Leader: Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, People: And with his stripes we are healed. Thanks be to God. *Invocation Lord Jesus, on this day you carried our sins in your own body on the tree so that we might live. May we and all who remember this day find new life in you in this world and in the world to come, where you live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Spirit, one God forever. Amen. The First Station: Jesus Prays in the Garden of Olives Scripture: Luke 22:39-46 Prayer What Wondrous Love Is This #204 v.1 Covenant Hymnal The Second Station: Jesus is Betrayed by Judas Scripture: Matthew 26:45-49 Prayer What Wondrous Love Is This #204 v.1 Covenant Hymnal The Third Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death by the Sanhedrin Scripture: Mark 14: 56, 61-64 Prayer What Wondrous Love Is This #204 v.1 Covenant Hymnal Hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross #202 Covenant Hymnal The Fourth Station: Jesus is Denied by Peter Scripture: Luke 22:54-62 Prayer When I Survey the Wondrous Cross #204 v.1 Covenant Hymnal The Fifth Station: Jesus is Judged by Pilate Scripture: Luke 23:20-25 Prayer When I Survey the Wondrous Cross #204 v.1 Covenant Hymnal The Sixth Station: Jesus is Flogged and Crowned with Thorns Scripture: John 19:1-3 Prayer When I Survey the Wondrous Cross #204 v.1 Covenant Hymnal Hymn On A Hill Far Away #198 Covenant Hymnal The Seventh Station: Jesus Carries His Cross Scripture: John 19:17 Prayer Jesus, Remember Me #122 Song Goes On The Eighth Station: Jesus is Helped by Simon of Cyrene Scripture: Mark 15:20-21 Prayer Jesus, Remember Me #122 Song Goes On The Ninth Station: Jesus Encounters the Women of Jerusalem Scripture: Luke 23:27-31 Prayer Jesus, Remember Me #122 Song Goes On Hymn Were You There #203 Covenant Hymnal The Tenth Station: Jesus is Crucified Scripture: Mark 15:22-26 Prayer Jesus, Remember Me #122 Song Goes On (gray) The Eleventh Station: Jesus Promises to Share His Reign with the Thief Scripture: Luke 23:39-43 Prayer Jesus, Remember Me #122 Song Goes On The Twelfth Station: Jesus on the Cross with His Mother & Disciple Below Scripture: John 19:25-27 Prayer Jesus, Remember Me #122 Song Goes On Message The Thirteenth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross Scripture: Matthew 27:45-50 Prayer O How He Loves You and Me #130 v.1 Song Goes On The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb Scripture: Matthew 27:57-61 Prayer O How He Loves You and Me #130 Song Goes On *Benediction There is a prayer for each station that we had written out for each reader. We also did this service using the Taize song Jesus, Remember Me #122 Song Goes On for the first 13 stations and Were You There #203 as the closing hymn. We relied heavily on Robert Webber's tome, The Complete Library of Christian Worship. He also has a liturgy of the Palms and a Seven Last Words of Christ service. Seven Last Words of Christ Good Friday Service Welcome and Introduction Invocation Opening Hymn The First Word “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34 Devotional Music The Second Word “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 Devotional Music The Third Word “Dear woman, here is your son . . . Here is your mother.” John 19:26-27 Devotional Music The Fourth Word “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matt 27:46 Devotional Music The Fifth Word “I am thirsty.” John 19:28 Devotional Music The Sixth Word “It is finished.” John 19:30 Devotional Music The Seventh Word “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Devotional Music Closing Closing Prayer Closing Hymn Benediction We particularly enjoyed doing these services ecumenically with clergy from the community's churches leading each station or "word". The devotional really needs to be less than 5 minutes or the service will be too long. Do something great for God this Good Friday that leads people to worship our Savior Jesus Christ with awe and majesty.