Good Friday
10th April 2020
Marsden Road Uniting Church
Carlingford
Walking
in the Light
10th April 2020
Good Friday in the year of Matthew 9.30am
Gathering God’s People
Hymns
(Tune - Horsley)
TIS Hymn 787: Longing for Light, we wait
in darkness
(Tune – Christ be our Light)
(Tune - Horsley)
(Tune – Lord
of the Dance)
(Tune – Hymn of Promise)
Readings
The First Reading: Isaiah 52.13 – 53.12
The Gospel Reading: Matthew
27:24‐26, 45‐54
Acknowledgement of First Peoples
We acknowledge the first people who have cared for this Land, where we
worship, the Wallumedgal.
May our worship join
with the voices of the First Peoples of this Land.
Call to Worship
Our way through Lent has brought us to
this hour.
During our journey of forgiveness and
restoration, we have faced old habits and explored new possibilities.
We have felt God’s protection.
We have heard about God’s plans for our
lives.
We have renewed our friendship with God.
We have experienced God’s gifts of
silence and introspection.
We now experience the passion of Jesus,
who suffered and died this day.
Let us worship God together, as we
remember the meaning of Jesus’ death, and embrace the new life to come.
We have gathered in our homes this Good
Friday to remember the betrayal, humiliation, and crucifixion of Jesus. We have
gathered to experience anew the events that would change the world. May we
experience all the pathos of that day, and may we participate in its meaning
together.
TIS Hymn 350: There is a green hill faraway
(Tune
- Horsley)
1.
There is a green hill far
away,
without a city wall,
where our dear Lord was
crucified
who died to save us all.
2.
We may not know, we cannot
tell,
what pains he had to bear,
but we believe it was for
us
he hung and suffered there.
3.
He died that we might be
forgiven,
he died to make us good,
that we might go at last to
heaven,
saved by his precious
blood.
4.
There was no other good
enough
to pay the price of sin,
he only could unlock the
gate
of heaven and let us in.
5.
dearly, dearly has he
loved!
And we must love him too,
and trust in his redeeming
blood,
and try his works to do.
Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818–1895
Music: William Horsley, 1744–1858
Opening prayer
O God, when our lives
ache with pain, and we feel alone, we long for your presence. We feel the empty longing
of the psalmist and of Jesus:
“My God, my God, why do you desert me? We cry desperately
for help, but it does not come.” We feel scorned and abused by those closest to
us. Like a pack of dogs, evil people close in on us. They surround us and tear at us. Stay close to us, O God, and we
will praise your power to all people! In the midst of the congregation, we will
praise you. Amen.
A Prayer of
Confession
Just as Judas betrayed Jesus out of good intentions,
thinking he could force Jesus’ hand against the Romans, we too betray Jesus out
of good intentions, thinking he will take our side and fight for us.
Just as Caiaphas sacrificed Jesus out of good intentions, believing it
better for one man to die for the people, we too sacrifice others out of good
intentions, convincing ourselves of the justness of our cause, and that our
actions are for the greater good.
Just as Peter denied Jesus
three times when asked if he knew the Nazarene, we too deny Jesus many times
when strangers ask us about our faith.
Just as Pilate washed his hands of responsibility of doing what he knew
to be right, we too have condemned the innocent and let the guilty go free.
Forgive us, kind Jesus, and help us never
again betray or deny you. Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness
Hear the words of Jesus, “Abba, forgive them. For they do
not know what they do.” Out of Christ’s anguish, we shall see light. Out of
Christ’ suffering, we shall touch the mystery of love and grace that pours from
the inexhaustible heart of God.
Thanks, be to
God!
TIS Hymn 787: Longing for Light, we wait
in darkness
(Tune – Christ be our Light)
Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we
turn to you. Make us your own, your holy people. Light for the world to see
Christ, be our light. Shine in our hearts, shine through the
darkness. Christ, be our light. Shine in your church, gathered today
Longing for peace, our world is troubled. Longing for hope,
many despair. Your word alone has pow'r to save us. Make us your living voice
Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many
still thirst. Make us your bread, broken for others, shared until all are fed
Text and music copyright 1993, 2011, Bernadette Farrell. Published by
OCP
The First
Reading: Isaiah
52.13 – 53.12
The Gospel Reading: Matthew 27:24‐26, 45‐54
Readings
from the NRSV Translation of Scripture
Isaiah 52.13 – 53.12
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him
—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals—
15 so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.
53 1 Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
4 Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
9 They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
11 Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
4 Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
9 They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
11 Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Matthew 27:24‐26, 45‐54
24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but
rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands
before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;[a] see to it
yourselves.” 25 Then the people as a whole
answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 So
he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to
be crucified.
45 From
noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And
about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 47 When
some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for
Elijah.’ 48 At once one of them ran and got a
sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to
drink. 49 But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see
whether Elijah will come to save him.’ 50 Then
Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At
that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The
earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs
also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were
raised. 53 After his resurrection they came out of
the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now
when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw
the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this
man was God’s Son!’
Preaching of the
Word - Walking in
the Light
As we journey
through Holy Week, we are invited into some of the darkest and most troubling
moments in Jesus’
life. Surely today’s story is the darkest and most troubling of all. A holy man
of God, who spent
three years of his life preaching and teaching, healing and caring, is put to
death. Not a very
fitting end to a life of compassion and kindness, is it?
Yet that ending is
too often the story of so many who bring light to our world. It is almost as if
the very light that
they bring offends and must be snuffed out. We could compose long lists of
the early church
martyrs who followed in Jesus’ footsteps as people offering compassion and
healing only to face
brutal deaths. In modern times, great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
and Mahatma Gandhi
have been assassinated cruelly.
When we think of
such deaths, we are
tempted to think
that the assassins and the politicians who would cause such deaths are evil or crazy,
nothing like the rest of us. Likewise, when we read the stories of this last
week of Jesus’
life, we are tempted
to think that disciples who betray and deny are weak willed or filled with
evil sinfulness,
nothing like the rest of us. The gift of this Holy Week journey is to remember
not
only Jesus’ story
but also the story of the disciples and the politicians. For in this story, we
are
invited to learn valuable
lessons from each person’s place on this journey.
On the disciples’
journey, we see fear ruling the day. Judas betrays, Peter denies, others fall
asleep or hide.
Betrayal and denial and fear are not unfamiliar themes in today’s world. If we
each took a few
minutes; I suspect all of us could come up with several stories in our own
lives
when we betrayed or
were betrayed, when we denied someone’s importance in our lives or were denied
by someone important to us. Living up to our relationship commitments with unwavering
loyalty is no easy task.
Living up to our
ethical and spiritual commitments with similar dedication is a mighty
challenge. On this journey to the cross, I am reminded of many places where I
need forgiveness for betraying and denying. On this journey of life, fear too
often haunts my steps and guides my actions. These are the aspects of my life
that need Christ’s forgiveness, coupled with the Spirit’s strength if I am to
walk as a disciple of Jesus with steadfast faithfulness.
When I journey as a
follower of Christ with that steadfast faithfulness, however, I run right into
the all‐too‐familiar theme of being light in a dark world that too
often wants to thrive on that
darkness. I love
thinking I might occasionally be a bit Christlike in my life. After all, that
is a major
goal of the
Christian journey, is it not? But being extinguished doesn’t sound inviting,
and having
our light
extinguished is not something that only happens to great saints of God. Even
everyday disciples like you and me run the risk of being an affront to people
who are frightened of the light.
We are called to be
the light of Christ in this dark world. But shining light into dark closets or
shadowy corners
where people hide their fears and inadequacies, their darkest secrets and sins,
is
dangerous work. For
light that reveals truth is never an easy light to face. Even light that
reveals
love and forgiveness
where we are harbouring anger and hate can seem offensive.
Knowing all of this,
Jesus went on preaching and teaching, healing on the Sabbath, and including the
excluded. We are challenged as followers of Christ to do the same. Knowing the painful
death, he would face, Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem even as that journey ended
at the cross. We are challenged on this day to find the strength to walk this
journey with Jesus. We are promised that we can walk this journey because of
Christ’s compassion and love for us. When we betray or deny, when we accuse or
crucify, we are still invited into the brilliant light of God’s forgiveness.
When we are afraid
or want to hide, God’s Holy Spirit offers us strength and courage to endure
whatever may transpire on this journey. When we live this journey as disciples
who walk all the way to the cross, who truly strive to walk in the way of
Christ Jesus, we make this Friday truly good. We make Jesus’ teachings come
alive. We make Christ’s sacrifice a worthwhile gift rather than a tragic
demise.
May we walk as
disciples who are steadfast and true, who are filled with light and love, and
who offer
forgiveness and compassion as readily as we receive these gifts. May we trust
in the Easter joy of new life and hope even as we embrace the reality of
Friday’s death and despair.
Hymn 242: Lord of the dance
(Tune – Lord of the Dance)
I danced in the
morning when the world was begun,
and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
and I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,
at Bethlehem I had my birth.
and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
and I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,
at Bethlehem I had my birth.
Refrain:
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced for the scribe and the pharisee,
but they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me.
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John -
they came with me and the dance went on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced for the scribe and the pharisee,
but they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me.
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John -
they came with me and the dance went on.
Refrain:
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;
the holy people said it was a shame.
they whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,
and they left me there on a Cross to die.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;
the holy people said it was a shame.
they whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,
and they left me there on a Cross to die.
Refrain:
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;
it's hard to dance with the devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I'd gone,
but I am the Dance, and I still go on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;
it's hard to dance with the devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I'd gone,
but I am the Dance, and I still go on.
Refrain:
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that'll never, never die;
I'll live in you if you'll live in me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that'll never, never die;
I'll live in you if you'll live in me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
Refrain:
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
Words © 1963 by Stainer & Bell Ltd. (admin. by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188).
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Intercessory
Prayers
This
material was first published by Redemptorist Publications
Jesus,
though crucified, is raised from the dead and now draws alongside us as we
offer prayers to God for the world, the church and all for whom Jesus died on
the cross.
We
pray for the church of God on this Good Friday that all who are disciples of
Jesus will be given the grace and strength they need to walk in the way of the
cross speaking words of love and truth in places of hatred and lies.
We
pray for God’s world on this Good Friday that the dying Jesus on the cross and
the living Jesus of resurrection will draw all people to himself, the source of
eternal reconciliation and salvation.
We
pray for the communities in which we live, work and worship that bonds of love
within families and between friends will be healed where they are broken and
strengthened where they are weak.
We
pray for all those who are experiencing their own Good Friday darkness that all
who suffer pain of body or mind will be held by the hands of Jesus which bear
the marks of his pain and the promise of restoration and resurrection.
Heavenly
Father, at the foot of the cross on which Jesus died we offer you these prayers
in hope, trusting in your promise to hear us and in your power, which raised
Jesus from the dead. Let your grace, mercy, love and peace surround us and all
those for whom we have prayed in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in
heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those
who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the
kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.
TIS Hymn 800: In the bulb there is a flower
(Tune
– Hymn of Promise)
1.In the bulb there is a flower;
in the seed, an apple
tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise:
In cocoons, a hidden promise:
butterflies will
soon be free!
In the coldness of the winter
In the coldness of the winter
there’s a spring
that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season,
Unrevealed until its season,
something God alone
can see.
2.There’s a song in every silence,
seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness,
There’s a dawn in every darkness,
bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
From the past will come the future;
what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season,
Unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
3.In our end is our beginning;
in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing;
In our doubt there is believing;
in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection;
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season,
Unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
Natalie Sleeth
(1930-1992)
Words and Music 1986
Hope Publishing Company
Lord Jesus Christ,
the story of your suffering is written on
our hearts, and the salvation of the world is in your outstretched hands. Keep your
victory always before our eyes, your praise on our lips, your peace in our lives. Amen.
Now that the Cross will have been draped with black cloth all over the
world and people everywhere are extinguishing the Christ candle. The minister
and people depart as all go into reflective silence as we await the days to go
by until the Resurrection on Easter Morn.
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