Liturgy for Good Friday April 2, 2021 Noon Welcome to Worship: Thank You for Making Grace-St
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liturgy for good friday april 2, 2021 noon Welcome to Worship: Thank you for making Grace-St. Luke’s part of your spiritual journey and for joining us today for this service. If you are new among us, please complete an online Connect Card at gracestlukes.org/online-visitor-card. Our clergy-staff team would like to reach out to learn more about you and to explore how life at Grace-St. Luke’s might bless your journey and you bless ours. For more about our thriving faith community including online formation (learning) offerings, please visit www.gracestlukes.org. Celebrant: The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher Assisting: The Rev. Laura F. Gettys All stand at the sound of the bell as the Clergy and Musicians enter in silence. All are invited to remain standing or kneel as the Clergy kneel for a period of time. Priest Blessed be our God. People For ever and ever. Amen. The Collect Celebrant Let us pray. Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was will- ing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The congregation is invited to be seated and meditate on the text of the hymn while the cantors and organist sing. Those worshiping from home are invited to join in singing. See page 7 regarding in-person congregational singing. Hymn 158, “AH, HOLY JESUS, HOW HAST THOU OFFENDED” music: Herzliebster Jesu, Johann Cruger (1598-1662), alt. text: Johann Heermann (1585-1647); tr. Robert Seymour Bridges (1844-1930) 2 The following spoken meditations and hymn improvisations are pieces for your contemplation on this Good Friday. Meditation and Improvisation 1 Meditation by The Rev. Laura F. Gettys Improvisation on “HERZLICH TUT MICH VERLANGEN” O sacred head, sore wounded, defiled and put to scorn; O kingly head, surrounded with mocking crown of thorn: What sorrow mars thy grandeur? Can death thy bloom deflower? O countenance whose splendor the hosts of heaven adore! In thy most bitter passion my heart to share doth cry, With thee for my salvation upon the cross to die. Ah, keep my heart thus moved to stand thy cross beneath, To mourn thee, well-beloved, yet thank thee for thy death. What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend, for this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end? Oh, make me thine forever! And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never, outlive my love for thee. Meditation and Improvisation 2 Poem: “Then Jesus cries out” from Cry of Jesus, Cry of the Oppressed (José Comblin) by The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher Improvisation on “HORSLEY” There is a green hill far away, outside a city wall, where our dear Lord was crucified who died to save us all. 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. 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. O dearly, dearly has he loved! And we must love him too, and trust in his redeeming blood, and try his works to do. Meditation and Improvisation 3 Poem: “O sorrow deep! Who would not weep” – O Traurigheti, from The Hymnal 1982 by The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher Improvisation on “STABAT MATER DOLOROSA” At the Cross her vigil keeping, Stood the mournful mother weeping, where he hung, the dying Lord: there she waited in her anguish, seeing Christ in torment languish, in her heart the piercing sword. With what pain and desolation, with what grief and resignation, Mary watched her dying son. Deep the woe of her affliction, when she saw the crucifixion of the sole begotten one. 3 Meditation and Improvisation 4 Meditation by The Rev. Laura F. Gettys Improvisation on “WONDROUS LOVE” What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to lay aside his crown for my soul, for my soul, to lay aside his crown for my soul. Meditation and Improvisation 5 The congregation may be seated for the first part of the Passion Gospel. The Passion Gospel Mark 15:1-39 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. ~ All stand ~ They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him. When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 4 ~ Silence is kept for a period. Some may wish to kneel. ~ And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” All sit Improvisation on “PANGE LINGUA” Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle; of the mighty conflict sing; tell the triumph of the victim, to his cross thy tribute bring. Jesus Christ, the world’s Redeemer from that cross now reigns as King. He endures the nails, the spitting, vinegar, and spear, and reed; from that holy body broken blood and water forth proceed: earth, and stars, and sky, and ocean, by that flood from stain are freed. Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory! Thy relaxing sinews bend; for a while the ancient rigor that thy birth bestowed, suspend; and the King of heavenly beauty gently on thine arms extend. Praise and honor to the Father, praise and honor to the Son, praise and honor to the Spirit, ever Three and ever One: one in might and one in glory while eternal ages run. All stand or kneel for The Solemn Collects Dear People of God: Our heavenly Father sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved; that all who believe in him might be delivered from the power of sin and death, and become heirs with him of everlasting life.