GOOD FRIDAY
March 21, 2008
Prelude
The Crown of Thorns (John 19:1-5a)
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.
One: Useless objects, thorns…
All sing: Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
The Purple Robe
One: Christ’s robe has been remembered…
The Cross (John 19:16b-18)
So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.
One: A nice piece of wood, this…
All sing: Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
The Nails
One: Nails are used to hold together…
All sing: Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
The Sign (John 19:19-22)
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
One: A controversy surrounds this sign…
All sing: Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble,
tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
The Dice (John 19:23-25a)
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” And that is what the soldiers did.
One: They tossed the dice for the clothes of a dying man! …
Anthem: My Peace I Leave With You
Mary, the Mother (John 19:25b-27)
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
One: As she neared Skull Hill on her son’s friend’s arm…
The Sponge (John 19:28-29)
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
One: Hot, feverish, delirious…
It is Finished (John 19:30)
When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Anthem: Even The Heavens Are Weeping
We leave the church in silence
If you wish to leave a Good Friday Offering, please use the plates at either entrance of the Sanctuary.
No names have been printed in our Good Friday Service bulletin but many thanks are extended to all of those who participated in this worship service in any way.