Good Friday
**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.
Sit in Silence
Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, look with loving mercy on your family, for whom our Lord
Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given over to the hands of
sinners, and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Gathering Song – The Old Rugged Cross
The fourth servant poem promises ultimate vindication for the servant, who made his life an offering for sin. The early church saw in the servant’s pouring himself out to death and being numbered with the transgressors important keys for understanding the death of Jesus.
Readings
A reading from the Book of Isaiah 52:13-53:12
See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted
up,
and shall be very high.
Just as there were many who were astonished at him
—so marred was his appearance,
beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of
mortals—
so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not
heard they shall contemplate.
Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry
ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that
we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and
acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held
him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and
afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are
healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own
way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before
its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his
future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression
of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his
mouth.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring,
and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall
see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant,
shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their
iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil
with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the
transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the
transgressors.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 22
A Reading from the Letter from Paul to the Hebrews 10:16-25
“This is the covenant that I will make
with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds,”
he also adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, my friends, since we have
confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living
way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and
since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the
confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.
And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation – Go To Dark Gethsemane (ELW #347)
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John 18:1-19:42
Sermon
In order to get the full measure of how much God loves us, we need to enter fully into the details of Good Friday. I like to use the image of Jesus execution, you and I in the same place, can we drink the cup?
Why, really, does Jesus let this torment happen to him? Yes, because For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Why does the crowd demand for Jesus’ execution? Is to please the religious and dictatorial leaders, so Jesus killed in the name of religion, until today still we can be kill by the name of religious ISIS and Al-Qaeda now still kill people in name of Alla.
The Roman means of execution was crucifixion according piety. The Romans were professionals at crucifixions; they did them by the thousands, and recorded the details of their executions in their court’s record books.
On the other hand, the Jewish people killed by stoning. Jesus was sentenced to die by the Roman courts; therefore he was sentenced to die by crucifixion outside the city walls of Jerusalem. One more crucifixion wouldn’t bother the soldiers. It was all in a day’s work for them.
Therefore, as happened at other Roman crucifixions, the Roman soldiers whipped Jesus. We know from history books that those crucified received thirty-nine lashes across their backs. We can imagine a man has been whipped or lashed thirty nine times; it is not a pretty sight. Jesus also given a long wooden bar to carry, about six feet long, that he was given to carry to Golgotha.
It was a ten-minute walk if there were no crowds, but on that day, the crowds were crushing against one another as a badly whipped Jesus slowly carried that top piece of the cross to the place of his execution.
We can imagine the soldiers and the people in the crowd being extra nasty on this occasion. The humiliation continued as they placed an inscription on the cross saying, “King of the Jews.”
The humiliation continued further as they stripped him naked before they tied him to the cross and drove the nails through his wrists and feet into the wood. Yes, Jesus is equal parts divine and human, but through all of this suffering and nastiness he was completely human, according to the gospel of john Jesus said, “I am thirsty” revealed Jesus’ humanity.
God knows what we face....all the worries, the sadness, the pain, the fears, the Coronavirus – COVID 19, the pressures, as we are anxious about vaccine who are next in line , the stress, and thirsty life.
God understands and judges mercifully. On this day of Good Friday we stress Jesus humanity. On this day we do not hide from what he went through for each and every one of us for our salvation. On this day, we focus on his words from the cross “I am thirsty.” And we also focus on what he said right afterwards. The last words of the Lord in John’s memory are, “it is finished.”
A short and simple phrase like, “the end” at the conclusion of a movie.
But John and all the gospel writers make one thing perfectly clear. The last words of Jesus were not spoken in winding and defeat. They were not the words of a man dying without a cause. These simple words carry the same force as a mother who sings when her child is born and the pain of birth is gone and the sweet joy has come. “It is finished” was the signal from the Savior that salvation is assured.
The question is what the cross means to and to me? As we all understood the Cross is symbol of shame and warring and disgrace. So what Cross for you?
1. For Mary Magdalene Cross is a place of Redemption, where God forgive us from all our sins.
2. A place of rebuke, where we can examine ourselves
3. For Mary the mother of Jesus the Cross is a place of reward, where we were been a free gift of salvation
4. For John Jesus’s brother the Cross is a place of responsibility where we were call to send a good care and establishing the peace in World.
“It is finished!” is now fulfilled our redemption , the cross and were meant to be his signal of victory to the entire world and to each one of us today. “It is finished.” Your sins are forgiven. And that’s final! Thanks be to God. Amen.
Hymn of the Day –Ah, Holy Jesus (ELW #349)
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray for the holy church throughout the world.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, you have shown your glory to all nations in Jesus Christ. By your Holy Spirit guide the church and gather it throughout the world. Help it to persevere in faith, proclaim your name, and bring the good news of salvation in Christ to all people. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for our bishops, for our pastors, and all servants of the church, and for all the people of God.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, your Spirit guides the church and makes it holy. Strengthen and uphold our bishops, pastors, other ministers, and lay leaders. Keep them in health and safety for the good of the church, and help each of us in our various vocations to do faithfully the work to which you have called us. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for those preparing for baptism.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, you continue to bless the church. Increase the faith and understanding of those preparing for baptism. Give them new birth as your children, and keep them in the faith and communion of your holy church. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for our sisters and brothers who share our faith in Jesus Christ.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, you give your church unity. Look with favor on all who follow Jesus your Son. Make all the baptized one in the fullness of faith, and keep us united in the fellowship of love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, long ago you gave your promise to Abraham and your teaching to Moses. Hear our prayers that the people you called and elected as your own may receive the fulfillment of the covenant’s promises. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, gather into your embrace all those who call out to you under different names. Bring an end to inter-religious strife, and make us more faithful witnesses of the love made known to us in your Son. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for those who do not believe in God.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, you created humanity so that all may long to know you and find peace in you. Grant that all may recognize the signs of your love and grace in the world and in the lives of Christians, and gladly acknowledge you as the one true God. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for God's creation.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, you are the creator of a magnificent universe. Hold all the worlds in the arms of your care and bring all things to fulfillment in you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for those who serve in public office.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, you are the champion of the poor and oppressed. In your goodness, give wisdom to those in authority, so that all people may enjoy justice, peace, freedom, and a share in the goodness of your creation. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us pray for those in need.
Silent prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, you give strength to the weary and new courage to those who have lost heart. Heal the sick, comfort the dying, give safety to travelers, free those unjustly deprived of liberty, and deliver your world from falsehood, hunger, and disease.
Hear the prayers of all who call on you in any trouble, that they may
have the joy of receiving your help in their need. We ask this through Christ
our Lord.
Amen.
Finally, let us pray for all those things for which our Lord would have us ask.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give us this day our
daily bread;
and forgive us our
trespasses,
as we forgive
who trespass against
us;
and lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from
evil.
For thine is the
kingdom,
and the power, and
the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.
Sending Hymn – Were You There
(ELW #353)
Procession of the Cross
Behold the life-giving cross,
on which was hung the Saviour of the whole world.
Oh, come, let us worship him.
Behold the life-giving cross,
on which was hung the Saviour of the whole world.
Oh, come, let us
worship him.
Behold the life-giving cross,
on which was hung the Saviour of the whole world.
Oh, come, let us
worship him.
Silence
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
By your holy cross
you have redeemed the world.
Silence
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