Good Friday Service

[Cow Poke]

Recently, I had several people expressing their desire to have a Good Friday Service.
I had never ever presided over one, nor even attended one.

I decided we'd give it a try, though I actually wondered if it would end up being just a small crowd.

To my surprise, it was quite well attended, and the service went exceptionally well, I thought.
We dealt with the Seven Sayings From the Cross, leading up to serving Communion.

It was all done as a somber type of service, as though we were Christ followers in Jesus' day, not yet knowing that Jesus would come back from the dead.
I had suggested at the beginning of the service that, as we finish, we leave the building quietly.

I was quite impressed that, after receiving communion and a final prayer, everybody, indeed, left quietly and reverently, anticipating Resurrection Sunday Morning.

[rogue06]

[One Bad Pig]

Recently, I had several people expressing their desire to have a Good Friday Service.
I had never ever presided over one, nor even attended one.

I decided we'd give it a try, though I actually wondered if it would end up being just a small crowd.

To my surprise, it was quite well attended, and the service went exceptionally well, I thought.
We dealt with the Seven Sayings From the Cross, leading up to serving Communion.

It was all done as a somber type of service, as though we were Christ followers in Jesus' day, not yet knowing that Jesus would come back from the dead.
I had suggested at the beginning of the service that, as we finish, we leave the building quietly.

I was quite impressed that, after receiving communion and a final prayer, everybody, indeed, left quietly and reverently, anticipating Resurrection Sunday Morning.

Interesting. I don't recall hearing of serving communion on Good Friday; that's one of the few days when communion is never served in liturgical traditions. Then again, there are typically more services in the week leading up to Easter in liturgical traditions. I guess, if you're only doing the one service, it makes some sense to include it.

We commemorate the Last Supper with a liturgy Thursday morning, read the passion narratives (from the beginning of the Last Supper to Jesus' burial accounts) from all four gospels on Thursday evening (in John, starting with chapter 13), two services on Good Friday (the second centered on Jesus' burial), two services on Saturday - the first centered on the Lamentations, which is the recitation of Psalm 119 with a dirge accompanying each verse (which my parish unfortunately skips), the second commemorating the harrowing of hell (which is my favorite service of the whole year) - and then there's Sunday, commemorating the Resurrection. In some parishes, that celebration starts around 10:00 Saturday evening, ending about 2 AM followed by a feast; my parish splits it into two services, one starting at dusk on Saturday evening and the other Sunday morning (followed by feasting). And then everybody happily collapses into a food coma.

[Cow Poke]

Interesting. I don't recall hearing of serving communion on Good Friday; that's one of the few days when communion is never served in liturgical traditions. Then again, there are typically more services in the week leading up to Easter in liturgical traditions. I guess, if you're only doing the one service, it makes some sense to include it.

We commemorate the Last Supper with a liturgy Thursday morning, read the passion narratives (from the beginning of the Last Supper to Jesus' burial accounts) from all four gospels on Thursday evening (in John, starting with chapter 13), two services on Good Friday (the second centered on Jesus' burial), two services on Saturday - the first centered on the Lamentations, which is the recitation of Psalm 119 with a dirge accompanying each verse (which my parish unfortunately skips), the second commemorating the harrowing of hell (which is my favorite service of the whole year) - and then there's Sunday, commemorating the Resurrection. In some parishes, that celebration starts around 10:00 Saturday evening, ending about 2 AM followed by a feast; my parish splits it into two services, one starting at dusk on Saturday evening and the other Sunday morning (followed by feasting). And then everybody happily collapses into a food coma.

Yeah, I had never done Good Friday Service, so I was kinda playing it by ear. I'll have more time between now and next year to give it more thought and planning.

Thanks for your input.

[mossrose]

I think communion on Good Friday is perfectly appropriate. Done in several churches I've attended.

[tabibito]

Recently, I had several people expressing their desire to have a Good Friday Service.
I had never ever presided over one, nor even attended one.

I decided we'd give it a try, though I actually wondered if it would end up being just a small crowd.

To my surprise, it was quite well attended, and the service went exceptionally well, I thought.
We dealt with the Seven Sayings From the Cross, leading up to serving Communion.

It was all done as a somber type of service, as though we were Christ followers in Jesus' day, not yet knowing that Jesus would come back from the dead.
I had suggested at the beginning of the service that, as we finish, we leave the building quietly.

I was quite impressed that, after receiving communion and a final prayer, everybody, indeed, left quietly and reverently, anticipating Resurrection Sunday Morning.

All of which makes for a good report - and it seems to me that Good Friday would be the most appropriate of all days to commemorate Christ's sacrifice with communion.

[Cow Poke]

I think communion on Good Friday is perfectly appropriate. Done in several churches I've attended.

We did it because, in my mind, it was, in a sense, acting out the last Supper with the Disciples before the Cross.

The way I laid it out was that Jesus was 'repurposing' the Passover Seder - he departed from the script when He said "this is my body" and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood".
I believe the Disciples present 'went along with that', but didn't really see the significance of it until after the Cross.
I imagine that sat there in bewilderment, as the Passover discussion took an odd turn, but -- this was Messiah, so...

[rogue06]

We did it because, in my mind, it was, in a sense, acting out the last Supper with the Disciples before the Cross.

The way I laid it out was that Jesus was 'repurposing' the Passover Seder - he departed from the script when He said "this is my body" and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood".
I believe the Disciples present 'went along with that', but didn't really see the significance of it until after the Cross.
I imagine that sat there in bewilderment, as the Passover discussion took an odd turn, but -- this was Messiah, so...

Prolly figured it would soon be explained.

[Cow Poke]

Prolly figured it would soon be explained.

For the sarcastically impaired the following is said in jest

Or they were too busy trying to figure out which of them would be greatest in the Kingdom.

[One Bad Pig]

We did it because, in my mind, it was, in a sense, acting out the last Supper with the Disciples before the Cross.

The way I laid it out was that Jesus was 'repurposing' the Passover Seder - he departed from the script when He said "this is my body" and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood".
I believe the Disciples present 'went along with that', but didn't really see the significance of it until after the Cross.
I imagine that sat there in bewilderment, as the Passover discussion took an odd turn, but -- this was Messiah, so...

Well, Jesus had lately been talking about being killed, and he had just announced someone would betray him before saying that bit. This was not a topic any of the disciples were comfortable exploring, since it went directly counter to their expectations for the Messiah.

[Cow Poke]

Well, Jesus had lately been talking about being killed, and he had just announced someone would betray him before saying that bit. This was not a topic any of the disciples were comfortable exploring, since it went directly counter to their expectations for the Messiah.

Agreed 100%. And coming down from the high of Palm Sunday, things weren't 'trending' so good.

[mossrose]

We did it because, in my mind, it was, in a sense, acting out the last Supper with the Disciples before the Cross.

The way I laid it out was that Jesus was 'repurposing' the Passover Seder - he departed from the script when He said "this is my body" and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood".
I believe the Disciples present 'went along with that', but didn't really see the significance of it until after the Cross.
I imagine that sat there in bewilderment, as the Passover discussion took an odd turn, but -- this was Messiah, so...

We attended a Seder this year, for the first time in about 12 years. Held Thursday night, and following the traditions of the Jewish Seder, it is so meaningful when the symbolism in the program points to Christ.

For example, 3 matzoh loafs are layered one on top of the other, and all are placed in a linen bag. Later in the ceremony, they are removed, the middle one torn in half and replaced into the bag. Throughout the evening, small glasses are filled 4 times with "wine" (grape juice in our case), and the juice is drunk at certain points in the program, and the 2 untorn loaves of matzoh are shared among participants during the evening. At the very end, the last glass is filled, the torn matzoh is ripped into small pieces, and the juice and bread are taken as communion.

The symbolism of the bread is that the 3 loaves are the Father, Son and Spirit, the Son being the middle piece, symbolizing His body rent for us, and hidden in the tomb wrapped in linen cloths, then those torn pieces used for communion. That is the example of how it all points to the Lord that sticks with me most.

So a message on Good Friday that demonstrates how the Passover was changed into the new covenant is wonderful!

[Cow Poke]

We attended a Seder this year, for the first time in about 12 years. Held Thursday night, and following the traditions of the Jewish Seder, it is so meaningful when the symbolism in the program points to Christ.

For example, 3 matzoh loafs are layered one on top of the other, and all are placed in a linen bag. Later in the ceremony, they are removed, the middle one torn in half and replaced into the bag. Throughout the evening, small glasses are filled 4 times with "wine" (grape juice in our case), and the juice is drunk at certain points in the program, and the 2 untorn loaves of matzoh are shared among participants during the evening. At the very end, the last glass is filled, the torn matzoh is ripped into small pieces, and the juice and bread are taken as communion.

The symbolism of the bread is that the 3 loaves are the Father, Son and Spirit, the Son being the middle piece, symbolizing His body rent for us, and hidden in the tomb wrapped in linen cloths, then those torn pieces used for communion. That is the example of how it all points to the Lord that sticks with me most.

So a message on Good Friday that demonstrates how the Passover was changed into the new covenant is wonderful!

Yup, and we have a Jewish friend whose ministry we support who has, in the past, done a "Christ in the Passover" presentation.

He focuses on the Afikomen - that middle bread that is broken and hidden for later "discovery", as you said, to be "Resurrected" as a symbol of Resurrection Sunday Morning.

[mossrose]

Yup, and we have a Jewish friend whose ministry we support who has, in the past, done a "Christ in the Passover" presentation.

He focuses on the Afikomen - that middle bread that is broken and hidden for later "discovery", as you said, to be "Resurrected" as a symbol of Resurrection Sunday Morning.

Yes! I had forgotten the name....Afikomen!

[Cow Poke]

Yes! I had forgotten the name....Afikomen!

He points out that he had been part of this ritual for over 50 years, and nobody could tell him with confidence what that "broken and hidden" bread symbolized.
When he became a Christian, he was startled by the implication that it was, indeed, the body of Christ, buried and risen again.