Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18
On Good Friday, we come before the Lord in worship and faithful remembrance of His death on the cross.
Most of us probably grew up celebrating Good Friday with the “seven sayings” or the last statements of Jesus when He hung dying on the cross.
I’m sure traditional Good Friday services are best remembered for their length because you will hear seven short sermons by seven speakers.
You probably have experienced a Good Friday service where some speakers were carried away, forgot about the time limit and just talked on and on.
One Good Friday worship I can’t forget because one speaker took it as an opportunity to make an evangelistic invitation while the rest of the speakers waited for their turn.
For the pastor and the church, the Holy Week celebration is the busiest event in the church’s life.
Unlike Christmas, which is only one day, Holy Week is a series of celebrations from the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, Crucifixion on Good Friday and Resurrection on Sunday.
As a young person, I have experienced participating and preparing for special programs, like a play on Thursday and Friday and Easter Cantata on Sunday.
Oh, how tiring things could be, but then we were happy to have engaged in such activities, making the celebration memorable each year.
Today, some Christian churches hold joint Good Friday and Resurrection Day celebrations, concerting one big event for several churches and denominations.
Interestingly, some don’t mind lengthy Good Friday worship services because they only come to church twice a year, Good Friday and Christmas.
If you’re in the Philippines, you might hear some old folks remind you not to get wounded on Good Friday or Black Saturday because it won’t heal. Their explanation was God was dead when you got injured. You won’t heal. Of course, this could either be a superstition or a joke.
Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed” (emphasis mine).
The perfect thing about Good Friday is that the “goodness” isn’t limited to a specific day.
The atonement we gained from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is one great miracle that time, place, or religion could not confine.
It is a serious relationship with the Saviour Jesus. His goodness and mercy we ought to prove and celebrate on a day-to-day basis.
And we pray, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of life. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever” (Psalm 23:6).
PHOTO CREDIT: “Rusty Bolt” by Ross Waugh
There we a few of us about 75 of us who attended the Tenebre Service this Friday evening. We had a very simple dinner and we broke bread and have the “wine” after that we went into a candle lit chapel. It was very dark and the candles gave it a solemn feeling > then we read the bible with assigned readers and after every verse, the candles are extinguished until the last verse when Jesus died, the last candle was extinguished and there was extreme total darkness > followed by the strong closing of the big bible (I haven’t seen such a big book until now! Boom! It almost sounded like that) and it ended the service.
It was a very beautiful service
Thank you for giving us a glimpse of your Good Friday celebration. 🙂