Good Friday Help

[William Hunter]

As I plan toward a Good Friday service I am not now satisfied with what I have so far. I was wondering if some of laypeople and pastors here would share a few things you have done in Good Friday services you took part in. I need some fresh ideas here, fresh to me anyway.

[Scott Daniels]

For the last several years we have done a Tenebrae service on Good Friday evening. There is a musical put together called Tenebrae that we have used.

But even without the musical - I have seen Tenebrae (which means "shadows") services done where 12 candles are lit - representing the twelve disciples or 40 (we use 40) candles are lit representing creation, the Exodus, the prophets, the disciples, etc. And then as the passion story is read they are extinguished until only the Christ light is left.

We place the Christ light on the pedestal of the cross all during Lent. But on Good Friday at the end of the service as we sing the last song we place a sealed hurricane over the Christ light and when it dies we leave the service in silence and in darkness (in shadows).

This service can be done in a lot of different ways - but the point is to leave in the dark. BTW at our place when you come in on Easter the Christlight is re-lit and the cross is now draped in white. We have the white drapery go all the way to the ceiling with lillies everywhere etc. Its very visual.

Another GF possibility is to do the seven last words of Jesus. I've been to some really great GF services which had seven songs and seven brief homilies or readings. Each on the last seven words of Christ.

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

Garry is planning something rather different this year.

Blending some things from the old way of doing it - and adding a few new things.

Not totally sure all the details, i can post a bit more when i return from class in a bit.....

But - i do know that he plans to have himself on one side of the entrance door of the Sanctuary and our pastoral care pastor on the other side - anointing each person entering the Sanctuary with the oil of which was use to anoint Jesus on Tuesday of the Holy Week.

Ah, yes - she anointed Him on Tuesday. Acknowledged his role and position and upcoming death.....

Where is she on Friday - - -

He plans to journey other players with the same theme - -

We all come to Good Friday - with successes and failures of our Spiritual Journey - - we will nail our failures to the cross - - as the Sanctuary continues to darken...

The first song will be "Holy Moment Now"

The first words are - -

As we come today
We remind ourselves of what we do
These songs are not just songs but signs of love to You.

This is a Holy Moment Now
Something of Heaven touches earth
Voices of Angels all resound - we join them now.....

*********
For remembrance sake - our service will be formal with contemporary touches. Pastors will be in robes.

[Bruce Carriker]

We did something similar to what Scott described, but we didn't use 12 candles...just the Christ candle. We also made blackout curtains and placed them over all the windows in the sanctuary (small church...think we had four windows on one side, five on the other).

We did no music. It was a brief, pretty somber service. We'd read the crucifixion account from one of the Gospels. I didn't preach, but read from another author. One year I read some selections from Lucado's Six Hours One Friday. Another year I read from a Walter Wangerin book, but the name escapes me at the moment.

I read the High Priestly Prayer of Christ from John 17; then the Christ candle was extinguished and we left in silence.

On Easter morning we gathered outside the church, which was still dark...except the Christ candle had been relit. The first thing we did as we entered was remove the blackout curtains, and sing Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.

BTW, removing the blackout curtains at the same time is a really neat effect if its a nice day, because light floods the place. It's not so good if it's overcast outside. And it REALLY makes almost no difference if you're doing it for a 6:30 AM service and the sun isn't up yet. But hey...we tried.

[Ian Newton]

Hi,

Attached is an object driven Good Friday service.

This was adapted from Roots Worship Issue 22 March / April 2006.

I don't recall where I got the attached prayers from but I trust they will be of some use.

Every blessing


Ian.

[Mark Metcalfe]

Here are a couple of sermons for Good Friday that my father wrote:

http://www.enc.edu/org/wollynaz/rmetcalfe/dad.i_thirst

http://www.enc.edu/org/wollynaz/rmetcalfe/dad.it_is_finished

I am certain that there are more:

http://www.enc.edu/org/wollynaz/rmetcalfe/sermons.html

[Ian Newton]

I am putting together and Easter Saturday evening of praise and I wanted a short skit to get a message across. Having used all the ones I had at my disposal I sat down and wrote one just now. It's free to use.

Blessings


Ian.

The scene is the Roman Garrison with two Roman Soldiers talking about a third and in the distance the voice of someone reading the Jewish Scriptures is heard.

S1: What’s up with Marcus?

S2: He’s still dwelling on yesterday?

S1: It never usually bothers him. I know it was a bit brutal and something was definitely fishy with those Chief Priests and the Jewish Leaders. But today’s their day of worship so it will be a rest for us.

S2: You think being a day of rest it would stop them but they don’t always keep their own rules. I heard the day before they had an illegal trial at night. They had a trial to verify that mock trial and then even Pilate washed his hands of the whole thing.

S1: Now don’t be saying a bad word against Pilate. He’s a good commander. I know, I served with him in Italy. And what else could he do, the crowd was going to riot.

S2: I’m not saying anything against Pilate, but Pilate was doing everything he could to get the guy off. I heard that even his wife was disturbed in a dream.

S1: Well, you listen to too many stories.

S2: Well, it’s not a story that the Sun blacked out for three hours yesterday when it should have been at its brightest. You know, you were there!

S1: I’ll give you that one.

S2: And you yourself nailed the inscription to the beam, “King of the Jews”.

S1: So what? That was Pilate’s order even though the Jews didn’t like it. You can even hear them now reading the scriptures.

Jewish Reader “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. … He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

S2: Don’t you think it strange though that this man, who we nailed to a cross yesterday, who I’ve heard, went around doing good, should have to die a criminal’s death? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that people should want him out of the way? What did he do to deserve death like that?

S1: Well’s it’s not like it’s our fault. It’s not like you and I did anything that he should die is it?

Jewish Reader: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”

[Christine Kelly]

For many years I participated in a Tenebrae service. The front altar and communion table had been stripped of all items and the cross had been draped in black on Maundy Thursday following the communion service. Good Friday brought us back into the sanctuary still relatively dark, cross still draped, and 12 candles lit. At that time the tenebrae service started alternating music and scripture with the candles being extinguished one at a time.
This was back in my "Lutheran" days. Since joining the Nazarene denomination 6 years ago, I have traveled back to my old church 1 hour away to worship on Good Friday. We do a Communion Service on Maundy Thursday at our church, but still do not have a Good Friday Service. Good luck with the planning of your Good Friday service.

Christine Kelly

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

Very nice Ian - have you written more skits???

i would be very interested in your work.

i have written a few dramatic scripture readings - though, i haven't a clue where they are at this time.



I am putting together and Easter Saturday evening of praise and I wanted a short skit to get a message across. Having used all the ones I had at my disposal I sat down and wrote one just now. It's free to use.

Blessings


Ian.

The scene is the Roman Garrison with two Roman Soldiers talking about a third and in the distance the voice of someone reading the Jewish Scriptures is heard.

S1: What’s up with Marcus?

S2: He’s still dwelling on yesterday?

S1: It never usually bothers him. I know it was a bit brutal and something was definitely fishy with those Chief Priests and the Jewish Leaders. But today’s their day of worship so it will be a rest for us.

S2: You think being a day of rest it would stop them but they don’t always keep their own rules. I heard the day before they had an illegal trial at night. They had a trial to verify that mock trial and then even Pilate washed his hands of the whole thing.

S1: Now don’t be saying a bad word against Pilate. He’s a good commander. I know, I served with him in Italy. And what else could he do, the crowd was going to riot.

S2: I’m not saying anything against Pilate, but Pilate was doing everything he could to get the guy off. I heard that even his wife was disturbed in a dream.

S1: Well, you listen to too many stories.

S2: Well, it’s not a story that the Sun blacked out for three hours yesterday when it should have been at its brightest. You know, you were there!

S1: I’ll give you that one.

S2: And you yourself nailed the inscription to the beam, “King of the Jews”.

S1: So what? That was Pilate’s order even though the Jews didn’t like it. You can even hear them now reading the scriptures.

Jewish Reader “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. … He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

S2: Don’t you think it strange though that this man, who we nailed to a cross yesterday, who I’ve heard, went around doing good, should have to die a criminal’s death? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that people should want him out of the way? What did he do to deserve death like that?

S1: Well’s it’s not like it’s our fault. It’s not like you and I did anything that he should die is it?

Jewish Reader: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”