April 7 online worship

Preparations for Worship:

• Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
• Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
• This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
• Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
• Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
  “Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

GOOD FRIDAY LITANY

Behold the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world. Come let us worship.

The Lord says, “My people, what wrong have I done to you?  How have I offended you? Answer me!  Through baptism, I led you from slavery to freedom, but you lead your Savior to the cross.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I planted you as my fairest vineyard, I grafted you into the one true vine, I gave you the water of salvation, but you give me gall and vinegar to drink, and leave me thirsting upon a cross.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I gave you a royal scepter, but you give me a crown of thorns. I raised you up to newness of life, but you raise me high upon a cross.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I give you heaven, and yet you complain about that which you think you lack. I give you eternity, and yet you worry about this life.  You suffer, and you then blame me, though I have proven my love!  Should not I take everything from you?” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“What more could I have done for you?  I gave you my peace and my truth, but you fight with each other, you cause pain to those I love, you dismiss those I chose to lead you.  Should not my anger burn?  Should not I destroy you?” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I come as your brother and sister, hungry, yet you give me no food, thirsty, yet you give me no drink, a stranger, and you do not welcome me, naked, and you do not clothe me, sick and in prison, and you do not visit me.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

Silence for personal confession

The Lord also says, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel.  I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Amen

Behold the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world. Come let us worship.

Let us pray. God Most Holy, look with mercy on this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, be given over into the hands of the wicked, and suffer death upon the cross. Keep us always faithful to him, our only Savior, who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

FIRST WORD – LUKE 23:26-34

As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then “ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ‘ For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 

SECOND WORD – LUKE 23:38-43

There was a written notice above him, which read: This is the King of the Jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? 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, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

THIRD WORD – 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 his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

FOURTH WORD – MATTHEW 27:45-49

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

FIFTH WORD – JOHN 19:28-29

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.

SIXTH WORD – JOHN 19:30

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

SEVENTH WORD – LUKE 23:44-46

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

What follows are The Reproaches, are an ancient Good Friday custom. They combine various Old Testament prophecies of condemnation with words of rebuke as if spoken by the Savior. They express how serious God is about sin. Yet ultimately, God shows mercy by sending the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world.

FIRST REPROACH

Thus says the LORD: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer me. For I have raised you up out of the prison house of sin and death, and you have delivered up your Redeemer to be scourged. For I have redeemed you from the house of bondage, and you have nailed your Savior to the cross. O my people!
Holy LORD God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer, God eternal, leave us not to bitter death. O LORD, have mercy.

SECOND REPROACH

Thus says the LORD: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer me. For I have conquered all your foes, and you have given me over and delivered me to those who persecute me. For I have fed you with my Word and refreshed you with living water, and you have given me gall and vinegar to drink. O my people!

Holy LORD God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer, God eternal, allow us not to lose hope in the face of death and hell. O LORD, have mercy.

THIRD REPROACH

Thus says the LORD: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer me. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? My people, is this how you thank your God? O my people!

Holy LORD God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer, God eternal, keep us steadfast in the true faith. O LORD, have mercy.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

---