Good Friday, April 18, 2019 10.00 a.m.
Hymn: Were You There
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?
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?
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?
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?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
FIRST STATION: Jesus Is Condemned
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Mark 15. 1-15
And as soon as it was morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barab′bas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he was wont to do for them. And he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barab′bas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barab′bas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Reflection
Let us pray:
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, Son of the Blessed One, You came to save us from sin and death. You came to bring life to people condemned by sin, and for that you were condemned to death. Open our hearts and give us the life only you can give. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, living and reigning for ever and ever.Amen.
SECOND STATION: Jesus Takes Up His Cross
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Matthew 27. 27-31
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
Reflection
Let us pray:
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, you asked us to take up our cross and follow you. Yours was a huge cross, heavy with the sins of the world. Ours is a small cross, but our shoulders are also small. Help us to carry our cross as we try to follow in your footsteps. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
THIRD STATION: Jesus Meets The Weeping Woman
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Luke 23. 27-31
And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Reflection
Let us pray.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, the wood is now very dry! Set fire to the world so that it might burn with your love. Destroy all hatred, fill us with joy again. Teach us to mourn the way things are; show us the way they could be.For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
FOURTH STATION: Simon Of Cyrene Helps Jesus
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Mark 15. 21
And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyre′ne, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
Reflection
Let us pray.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, you said, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” You carried the cross for all of us, and you asked us to carry it with you. Strengthen us as we try to bear the cross with Simon of Cyrene. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
FIFTH STATION: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Matthew 27. 33-36
And when they came to a place called Gol′gotha (which means the place of a skull), they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
Reflection
Let us pray.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, in baptism we put on Christ. We put on the garments of the Christian life, to walk in faith, charity and hope. But remnants of our former self still cling to us. Strip us of our sin. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
SIXTH STATION: Jesus Is Crucified
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Mark 15. 25-32
And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
Reflection
Let us pray.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, faithful to the end, fixed with nails to the cross you bore, your blood poured out means life for us all. Give us that life. Hold the cup of blessing to our parched lips. May our own little wounds be sign of your love for all. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, now living and reigning for ever and ever.Amen.
SEVENTH STATION: Jesus Promise Paradise To The Crucified Thief
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Luke 23. 39-43
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Reflection
Let us pray:
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, a criminal who was crucified, asked that you remember him, and you promised that he would be with you forever. See us in our need and hear us as we cry out to you. Help us to trust you in difficult circumstances. Give us eyes to see your power in hopeless times, to see your kingdom all we encounter. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
EIGHTH STATION: Jesus Creates the Church
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: John 19. 25-27
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Reflection
Let us pray.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, your Mother and the disciple you loved stood by with at the Cross, and there you entrusted them to each other, and so created the Church. Help us see that we too are the disciples of your love, and you have given Mary, your mother, to us, too. We pray that we might allow the Spirit to give us life as sisters and brothers joined in mutual care. For this we pray to you, our Lord and savior, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
NINTH STATION: Jesus Dies
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Mark 15. 33-37
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land[a] until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “E′lo-i, E′lo-i, la′ma sabach-tha′ni?” which means, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Eli′jah.” And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Eli′jah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last.
Let us pray.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, though in the form of God, you accepted to be human like us, accepting even death. Abandoned by all, you died for us. Be with us now as we face our own weakness and eventual death, that our lives be united in your supreme gift. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, now living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
TENTH STATION: Jesus Is Buried
Leader: We praise you, Jesus, and we give you thanks!
People: By your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!
Reading: Mark 15. 42-47
And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathe′a, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Mag′dalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
Reflection
Let us pray.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, they laid your body in a tomb. Many thought it was the end. Not so! Mortal like us, you had to die and be buried among us. There is so much in us that needs to die and be buried. Be with us always as we live out our baptism and offer our lives in service. For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior, now living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
