6:30 PM - Stations of the Cross with Contemporary Music
Most Good Friday services feel somber because we are reflecting on the death of our Savior on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. This is as it should be. It is meant to be a sober reminder of what we did to Jesus before our joyous celebration on Easter Sunday of what Jesus did for us. However, if we only feel the weight of our sins and do not feel the corresponding weight of God’s love, we have missed the message of Jesus.
Good Friday marks the death of Jesus Christ. It’s called ‘good’ because of what Jesus’ death means for the redemption of the world. Our worship tonight has three aims:
(1) to narrate and remember the events of Jesus’ death;
(2) to better understand the love of God and what Jesus accomplished on the cross;
(3) to be renewed in prayer and devotion.
Most Good Friday services feel somber because we are reflecting on the death of our Savior on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. This is as it should be. It is meant to be a sober reminder of what we did to Jesus before our joyous celebration on Easter Sunday of what Jesus did for us. However, if we only feel the weight of our sins and do not feel the corresponding weight of God’s love, we have missed the message of Jesus.
Therefore, our prayer for each one of us here tonight is the same as Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians written two thousand years ago:
“May he grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith— that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:16–19)
This evening’s service will follow a simple pattern ordered around the ‘Stations of the Cross’, a term first coined for all the places that early pilgrims to Jerusalem would visit. These stations are based on the biblical accounts that trace the journey of Jesus from his condemnation to his crucifixion and burial. At each station, we will remember, reflect upon, and respond to, the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever known.