GOOD FRIDAY PRAYER VIGIL April 2, 2021
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GOOD FRIDAY PRAYER VIGIL April 2, 2021 Following the lead of the Gospels themselves, this vigil provides a crucial link between the revelation of God in Christ and the creation of the church with God’s past revelation of Himself and the creation of His people Israel. This important emphasis on the continuity of the church with the Old Testament’s witness to God also helps define the nature of the church and its mission in the world, thoroughly grounding it in the ongoing work of God in history. The vigil is meant to keep company with Christ during the long hours from the Tenebrae service on Good Friday until we celebrate together Christ’s resurrection. You may spend your time in quiet reflection, prayer, reading from devotional and prayer books, reading the Bible, following this prayer guide or even just resting. Take time to listen to God. INVOCATION In the Name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Matthew 28:19 Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God, our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Amen Hebrews 10:22 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:8 I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:5 THE CONFESSION OF SIN 2 O almighty God, merciful Father, I confess that I have sinned against You this day. Some of my sin I know—the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed— but some is known only to You. In the Name of Jesus Christ I ask forgiveness. Deliver and restore me that I may rest in peace. THE ABSOLUTION In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:6; Philippians 1:6 PSALM Psalm 66 Shout happily to God, all the earth! Make music to praise the glory of His name. Make His praise glorious. Say to God, "How awe-inspiring are Your deeds! Your power is so great that Your enemies will cringe in front of You. The whole earth will worship You. It will make music to praise You. It will make music to praise Your name." Come and see what God has done—His awe-inspiring deeds for Adam's descendants. He turned the sea into dry land. They crossed the river on foot. We rejoiced because of what He did there. He rules forever with his might. His eyes watch the nations. Rebels will not be able to oppose Him. Thank our God, you nations. Make the sound of His praise heard. He has kept us alive and has not allowed us to fall. You have tested us, O God. You have refined us in 3 the same way silver is refined. You have trapped us in a net. You have laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads. We went through fire and water, but then You brought us out and refreshed us. I will come into Your temple with burnt offerings. I will keep my vows to You, the vows made by my lips and spoken by my own mouth when I was in trouble. I will offer you a sacrifice of fattened livestock for burnt offerings with the smoke from rams. I will offer cattle and goats. Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for me. With my mouth I cried out to Him. High praise was on my tongue. If I had thought about doing anything sinful, the Lord would not have listened to me. But God has heard me. He has paid attention to my prayer. Thanks be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or taken away His mercy from me. ADMONITION TO PRAY COMMANDED BY GOD Be alert at all times. Pray so that you have the power to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand in front of the Son of Man. Luke 21:36 ENCOURAGED BY GOD Before they call, I will answer. While they're still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24 INSTRUCTED BY GOD Don't be in a hurry to talk. Don't be eager to speak in the presence of God. Since God is in heaven and you are on earth, limit the number of your words. Ecclesiastes 5:2 4 OFFERED BY GOD’S SON For through Him we both have access by One Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:18 IN THE NAME OF JESUS When that day comes, you will ask for what you want in My Name. I'm telling you that I won't have to ask the Father for you. The Father loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. John 16:26-27 POSTURE BEFORE GOD Come, let's worship and bow down. Let's kneel in front of the LORD, our maker. Psalm 95:6 ANSWERED BY GOD Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing Me. I've known that You always hear Me. However, I've said this so that the crowd standing around Me will believe that you sent Me." John 11:41b-42 THANKFULNESS (for His grace and mercy) The people were overjoyed that the leaders gave so generously and wholeheartedly to the LORD. King David was also overjoyed, and he praised the LORD while the whole assembly watched. David said, "May You be praised, LORD God of Israel, our Father forever and ever. Greatness, power, splendor, glory, and majesty are Yours, LORD, because everything in heaven and on earth is Yours. The kingdom is Yours, LORD, and You are honored as head of all things. Riches and honor are in front of You. You rule everything. You hold power and strength in Your hands, and You can make anyone great and strong. Our God, we thank You and praise Your wonderful name. 5 But who am I and who are my people that You enable us to give so generously? Everything comes from You. We give You only what has come from Your hands. I Chronicles 29:9-14 OUR SPIRITUAL PROVISION Deepening the spiritual walk of our membership: That we may accept the challenge of walking with You That we will spend more time reading, meditating on, & memorizing the Word of God May God grant us a closer walk with Him through prayer and reading of His Word The spiritual integrity of every member: May God grant us a more earnest burden for the lost May God grant us a renewed vision of our prayer ministry That we increase our Scripture memorization OUR COMPASSION FOR OTHERS God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the Holy Spirit will comfort and direct: Widows and widowers Those in sickness, grief, loneliness and pain Those who are lost and in need of Your grace Those who claim Your Name, but do not follow You and do not gather in Your Name Lord, continue to use those who have grown older in 6 your service that their service will not diminish and they do not become weary, but rather: Increase their zeal for being about Your work Turn them into prayer warriors for You and Your people Lift them up and bring others to help bear their burdens Bring the young into our fold so that they may be encouraged and grow in the wisdom of our aged TRUTHFULNESS (for our sin and forgiveness) The LORD is not too weak to save or His ear too deaf to hear. But your wrongs have separated you from your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face so that He doesn't hear you. Your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers are stained with sin. You speak lies, and you mutter wicked things. No one calls for justice, and no one pleads his case truthfully. People trust pointless arguments and speak lies. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil. They hatch viper eggs and weave spiderwebs. Those who eat their eggs will die. When an egg is crushed, a poisonous snake is hatched. Their webs can't be used for clothes, nor can they cover themselves with their works. Their works are evil. Their hands have committed acts of violence. Their feet run to do evil. They hurry to shed innocent blood. Their plans are evil. Ruin and destruction are on their highways. They don't know the way of peace. There's no justice on their highways. They've made their paths crooked. 7 Whoever walks on them will never know peace. That is why justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn't reach us. We hope for light, but we walk in darkness. We hope for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope like blind men along a wall. We grope like people without eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. We are like dead people among healthy people.