Good Friday is a challenging and exciting opportunity to lead people into a real encounter with Christ as the Suffering Servant. It is tempting to fall back on old ideas and formulae, but I would encourage you to explore being creative, not to overwhelm the solemnity of the day, but to enhance it. As per usual, here are some suggestions for how you could approach this day, and for some possible resources.

READINGS:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12: A song of the suffering servant, who is persecuted and dies for the sake of others (“us”).

Psalm 22:  A Psalm of lament, grieving the suffering and abandonment of the writer, but celebrating the inevitable rescue that will come, and praising the God who brings this salvation.

Hebrews 10:16-25: We have confidence to approach God, because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, and can now live in hope, in intimacy with God, and in love-in-action.

John 18:1 – 19:42: Jesus is arrested, tried, crucified and buried – and through it all, reveals the brokenness and lack of integrity of those who face him, while revealing his own truth, integrity and divine character.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Good Friday is a tough day to prepare for . The story is so familiar, that the shock and impact of it can easily be lost in a “same old, same old” ritualism. However, with a little creativity and thoughtfulness, some powerful themes emerge. First is the question of Jesus’ purpose – did he live to die, or did he die in order to live and bring life to all? This is more than semantics. It opens up our faith to the reality that what Jesus came to do was not about death so much as it is about life in all its forms and possibilities. Jesus died because he refused to allow a lesser life – evil, compromise, expediency – take him over. He died because he embraced a life of love fully and completely, and would not be moved from it. And in so doing, he lived fully, and gave an example for us to follow and a way for us to enter life. The second theme is that of our response. What Jesus did was not simply to give us a ticket to bliss in heaven. Rather he opened the door for us to be forgiven – which requires us to face our darkness and brokenness – and to live fully, as he did, if we will also die to everything that keeps us from real, abundant life, and embrace a life of love. Good Friday, then, confronts us with what life is really meant to be, and with the price we must pay to find it – which, in the end, turns out to be much smaller than it may at first appear.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In so many ways religion has come to be irrelevant to the big issues of our world. Glen Beck’s recent call for Christians to leave social justice oriented churches simply illustrates the point. However, what Jesus did in his death goes to the heart of the crises we face. In a world of war, Jesus refuses to take up arms, and gives himself to death. In a world of corruption in the halls of power, Jesus exposes expediency and manipulation, and dies with his integrity intact. In a world of poverty, Jesus gives up everything in order to offer life to others. Jesus makes it clear, whatever the situation, practical, sacrificial, cross-bearing love, is the greatest confrontation and challenge to the broken systems of our world. And, while some view love as ‘wimpy’, the Sunday that is coming reveals it’s true, death-defeating power. What does this say to us about being Easter people in our world today?

LOCAL APPLICATION: A Christianity that is about nothing more than a guarantee of personal forgiveness and a life of eternal bliss is the antithesis of what Christ came to do – it is selfish, escapist and unloving. It removes us from any cost, and deceives us into believing that all we have to do is agree to a set of ideas and sit back until we get to heaven. Good Friday does not leave us with this delusion, however. Jesus confronts selfishness and self-protectiveness at every turn. He challenges us with his willingness to give his life in order to practically love even his enemies. He disrupts our comfort by mirroring back to us the extent of our depravity and collusion in the evil systems of our world. But, he also opens a way for us to find a new life now. He leads us into the abundant life that comes when we embrace the cross, commit to love, and refuse to settle for less than true, authentic, generous living.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Dying To Live
A Day Of Wonders
A Naked Death

Hymn Suggestions:
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
O Thou Who Camest From Above
Beneath The Cross Of Jesus
Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed
Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross
O The Wonderful Cross (Link to YouTube video)
Amazing Love (You Are My King) (Link to YouTube video)
This Place (Scroll down for chord chart). Go here & scroll down to listen to a preview.
Amazing Love (Link to YouTube video)
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
Once Again (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Communion Liturgy for Good Friday

Video Suggestions:
The Cross: A Curse For Us?
The Cross
Easter Part 2: Jesus Crucified
The Wonderful Cross
Wingclips.com Easter Videos

Image:
Crucifixion

As we move into the central event in the Church Year, the Liturgy of the Passion gives us an opportunity to prepare well and meaningfully. Many liturgists this year seem to be suggesting that, if the longer Gospel reading is used, it can be allowed to stand alone, preaching in its own way without a sermon to explain or mediate it. Whatever approach is used – or if the Liturgy of the Palms is combined – this Sunday opens doors to a deep encounter with the incarnate and crucified Christ. And that, after all, is hat our worship is all about.

READINGS:
Isaiah 50:4-9a: A prophecy of the obedient servant, beaten and mocked, but vindicated by God.

Psalm 31:9-16: The cry of God’s servant, persecuted and beaten.

Philippians 2:5-11: Jesus’ humility and obedience in his incarnate, crucified life, and God’s exaltation of Christ.

Luke 22:14-23:56: Jesus’ journey to death, from the last supper, to his burial.
OR
Luke 23:1-49: Jesus is tried before Pilate and Herod, and crucified.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The Liturgy of the Passion is, quite simply, a meditation on the suffering of Jesus, but, especially through the Psalm reading, also a reflection on God’s solidarity with all who suffer. The way the service is structured is, obviously, dependent on which version of the Gospel reading is used. Also, the Liturgy of the Passion can be combined with the Liturgy of the Palms to create a more diverse and “journeying” service that moves from celebration to solemnity. The possibilities are endless.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In the Liturgy of the Passion the justice focus does not need to be over emphasised. The clear call to find God in places of suffering, and to stand with all who suffer comes through without too much effort. A nice touch, though, could be to spend some time remembering those who have been affected by the recent spate of natural disasters, as well as those who live in ongoing pain because of AIDS, poverty or war.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Again, there is no need to overplay the theme here. The Scriptures do a lot of the work on their own, and the clear, comforting message of God’s initiative in coming to us in our pain – whatever that pain may be – comes through without any extra effort. Perhaps, the one thing that can be made use of – especially if the Passion and the Palms are combined – is the challenge that God’s reign presents to the systems of our world that cause or exacerbate suffering. And, of course, there remains the inspiring message of hope that pain and death do not have the final word.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
If Not For Your Embrace Of Death
The Mystery Of Your Love
No Dying Today
What Life Can Be

Hymn Suggestions:
O Sacred Head Now Wounded
O Love Divine What Hast Thou Done
Jesus! The Name High Over All
Depth Of Mercy
And Can It Be
This Place (Scroll down for chord chart). Go here & scroll down to listen to a preview.
God With Us (Link to YouTube video)
Amazing Love (Link to YouTube video)
Once Again (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Short Liturgy for Maundy Thursday (Although designed for Maundy Thursday, this liturgy can also be a fit for Passion Sunday).

Video Suggestions:
His Passion
What Would You Suffer For?

Image:
Crucifixion