GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 3, 2015 HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH 1020 Mocho Street, Livermore, CA 94550 Church Office (925) 447-8840 Sunday Worship Celebration, 9:30 a.m. Please visit our web site at www.holycrosslivermore.org for more information Holy Cross Lutheran Pre-School & Junior Kindergarten - School Office (925) 447-1864 Welcome! We welcome you to this worship celebration! All newcomers and members are invited to give the requested information on the Attendance Pew Pad for our records. The Ark Nursery Parents with children to three years old are invited to use our staffed nursery across the hall from the sanctuary. A paging system is employed for your convenience and your child’s safety. Children’s Worship Helps There are activity sheets, crayons and books on the library shelves located in the Narthex. Ministry of the Word At the appointed time, a lector/reader will enact the grand narrative of our faith by reading from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the letters of Paul, and the Gospels. We believe the proclamation of these readings not only recalls the mighty acts of God, thereby serving as a reminder of who and whose we are, but also serves to constitute a new and right spirit within us, shaping and molding us to live authentically in light of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through the telling of this story, the liturgy serves to invite us into this sacred drama by simply listening to the proclamation of God’s divine narrative that comes to us in poetry, prose, and song, or by following along on the separately printed scriptural readings found on the back of your bulletin cover. We Celebrate Holy Communion All are welcome to the Lord’s Table. The wine is offered either by individual or common cup. For those who would prefer grape juice, it is already poured in cups in the center of the communion tray. While the age-appropriateness of when a child should receive the holy meal is not insignificant, a child’s age should not preclude full participation in the sacrament. It is God’s free gift to all, received in the spirit of faith that God can and does transcend all cognitive and emotive ability to fully understand the profound mystery of this most sacred of meals. At the same time, to more fully appreciate the rich and varied textures of the Holy Meal, one would do well to enroll their child in First Communion Instruction when he/she feels his/her child is of an age where such instruction would be meaningful. In short, the gift of God’s grace offered to us in the Holy Meal is free, but it is not cheap. If you have questions about the age-appropriateness of your child’s receiving the Holy Meal, please schedule a time to meet with Pastor John to discuss your concerns. 2 You hold in your hand a stone. Some stones are used as worry stones. Stones are used as weights. Stones are used as symbols of altars built where people have an encounter with God. And stones are used in modern Judaism to leave at a gravesite as a way to honor the memory of the deceased. Tonight, we employ all these symbols, and whatever new ones you bring. Together, we bring them; all of them, to the foot of the cross, for this is where the weight of our sin and the gravity of grace come face to face. CALL TO WORSHIP LEADER : All you who pass this way ALL : look and see the shadow of sin. LEADER : All you who pass this way ALL : look and see the weight of the world. LEADER : All you who pass this way ALL : look and see the suffering of our Savior. LEADER : All you who pass this way ALL : look and see the sorrow of Jesus Christ. LEADER : Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. 3 ELW 347 4 The Stone of Condemnation Luke 23:32-34 (following the reading, a large stone is placed at the foot of the cross) Prayer Forgiving Christ, when the world condemns us, when wrong is done to us, when we carry the weight of things that are too much to forgive, come alongside us in the darkness and give us the grace to be forgiven and forgiving. Silence ELW 353 CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 5 The Stone of Separation Luke 23:35-43 (following the reading, a large stone is at the foot of the cross) Prayer Reconciling Christ, we are weighed down by sin and separation, a world that is not at peace, a people who are not whole. You reached out to the thief, you welcomed him to God’s side. Come alongside us in the darkness and bring grace and peace to everything that is broken. Silence “The Wonderful Cross” Music Team by Lowell Mason, Chris Tomlin and Jesse Reeves 6 The Stone of Sorrow John 19:25-27 (following the reading, a large stone is placed at the foot of the cross) Prayer Loving Jesus, we carry the weight of the people we love. We are concerned for their sorrows and suffering. Our care for them is deep, and sometimes there is not much we can do. Come alongside us in the darkness and cradle the ones we love in your strong hands. Silence ELW 349 CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 7 The Stone of Despair Mark 5:33-34 (following the reading, a large stone is placed at the foot of the cross) Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, you know what it is to feel that God is far away. You know what it is to call out for God’s presence. Come alongside us in the darkness and help us call out for God. Silence “Song of Sorrow” Choir by Patrick Liebergen 8 The Stone of Suffering John 19:28-30 (following the reading, a large stone is placed at the foot of the cross) Prayer Suffering Savior, in all our thirst, in all our sickness, in all our longing, in all our pain, you are there. Come alongside us in the darkness and walk with us through all our suffering. Silence “Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted” Pastor John & Dabbie Bowron The Stone of Death Luke 23:44-49 Prayer Dearest Jesus, even in death you are with us. When we mourn, when we are afraid, when we come to our own end, you have been there too. Come alongside us in the darkness and carry us through death to life. Silence 9 ELW 666 CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 10 Silence Isaiah 53 “You Were On The Cross” Music Team by Matt Maher We leave in silence. As you leave you are invited to come forward and place your stone beneath the cross—leaving behind your worries, letting go of the weight, marking an encounter with God, and remembering the time Jesus spent spent in the grave until Easter morning. 11 .