Good Friday, or, in some German and other traditions, “Sorrowful Friday,” is the second part of one event that spans three days—the triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. Traditionally, the blessing is omitted on Good Friday, since the service continues at the Easter Vigil (Saturday night to Easter Morning).
Good Friday, also called, “Sorrowful Friday”
Gather with Art and Song
Reflect and prepare…Be still and aware of God’s presence within and all around.
Song: “And With his Stripes We Are Healed” from Handel’s Messiah
OPENING WORDS / CALL TO WORSHIP
We enter into a holy place through the new and living way Jesus Christ has opened for us. We come as a holy people – born of the grace of Jesus Christ, delivered through his blood.
Let us pray together:
PRAYER OF THE DAY
We stand near the cross, O God – disturbed, distraught, discouraged. Yet we gather here as disciples, those whom Jesus loves. On this day of great solemnity, let us stand as witnesses to your great love for all the world, revealed in the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Amen.
Hymn: Glory to God Hymnal #207 “Shadows Lengthen into Night”
INVITATION TO HEALING
In Christ, we have a great high priest who knows our every weakness. He has been tested as we are, yet his faithfulness never failed. Therefore, we dare to approach the throne of grace, trusting God’s mercy as we confess our sin:
Prayer of Confession: ~ Isaiah 53:4-6
4 Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 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.
6 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.
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PRESENCE WITH US
We give you thanks and praise, O God, that you have poured out your love for us through the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God!
Hymn Arrangement: “Shadows Lengthen into Night”
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
In the darkness of this hour, Lord, be our Light. By the breath of your Spirit, whisper the Word of life that death cannot destroy: Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
A Reading from Psalm 22: 1-5
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
A Good Friday Prayer
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
When it seemed there was no hope we have seen your light in the eyes of a child. When it seemed there was no joy we have heard your delight in the voice of a friend. When it seemed that life was stale we have smelled the freshness of sunlight on our skin. When all seemed emptiness we have touched your presence in the flowers blooming in this time of spring. When the future seemed barren we have tasted life’s moisture in a simple glass of water, wine, or juice. Thanks be to you, O God, for your embodied love. Now, we pray, open our senses to your Presence that we may love you and care for you by lifting these whom we hold dear up to you…[1] (petitions may be spoken aloud or prayed in silence at this time. When you are ready to move on, listen to the following, and end this portion of your devotion with the Evening Household Prayer)
Hymn: “Nearer My God to Thee”
Evening Household Prayer:
O Lord, as I rest in you this night, keep me faithful.
Let my dying and my living be precious in your sight
so that I may rest in you forever; I ask in Jesus’ name…
Good Friday liturgy is part of one event that spans three days—the triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil — there is no blessing in this service; rather, it ends in a way that is intentionally unresolved, indicating that there is more to come.
By Saturday noon, Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil Evening Prayer will be posted for your personal devotion.
[1] Prayers adapted from John Philip Newell’s Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Co., 2000), 55-59.
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