Welcome Friends and Guests:
Welcome friends and guests: Life and death stand side by side as we enter Good Friday. In John’s passion account, Jesus reveals the power and glory of God, even as he is put on trial and sentenced to death. Standing with the disciples at the foot of the cross, we pray for the whole world in the ancient bidding prayer, as Christ’s death offers life to all. We gather in solemn devotion, but always with the promise that the tree around which we assemble is indeed a tree of life. We depart silently, and we anticipate the culmination of the Three Days in the Easter Vigil.
Good Friday Worship: This is a solemn service that includes the traditional “stripping the altar,” which symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and the stripping of Jesus by the soldiers before his crucifixion. This also represents the humiliation of Jesus and the consequences of sin as a preparation for the celebration of new life.
(The Good Friday Bulletin can be downloaded using the link above.)
