An Order for Online Worship on Good Friday

Celebrant: Almighty Father,

look with mercy on this your family

for which our Lord Jesus Christ was content to be betrayed and given up into the hands of sinners

and to suffer death upon the cross;

who is alive and glorified with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

All Amen.

Psalm 22.

Deus, Deus meus

1

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *

and are so far from my cry

and from the words of my distress?

2

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *

by night as well, but I find no rest.

3

Yet you are the Holy One, *

enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

4

Our forefathers put their trust in you; *

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5

They cried out to you and were delivered; *

they trusted in you and were not put to shame.

6

But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *

scorned by all and despised by the people.

7

All who see me laugh me to scorn; *

they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

8

“He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *

let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”

9

Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *

and kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.

10

I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *

you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb.

11

Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *

and there is none to help.

12

Many young bulls encircle me; *

strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

13

They open wide their jaws at me, *

like a ravening and a roaring lion.

14

I am poured out like water;

all my bones are out of joint; *

my heart within my breast is melting wax.

15

My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *

and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.

16

Packs of dogs close me in,

and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *

they pierce my hands and my feet;

I can count all my bones.

17

They stare and gloat over me; *

they divide my garments among them;

they cast lots for my clothing.

18

Be not far away, O Lord; *

you are my strength; hasten to help me.

19

Save me from the sword, *

my life from the power of the dog.

20

Save me from the lion’s mouth, *

my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.

21

I will declare your Name to my brethren; *

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

22

Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *

stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;

all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.

23

For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;

neither does he hide his face from them; *

but when they cry to him he hears them.

24

My praise is of him in the great assembly; *

I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

25

The poor shall eat and be satisfied,

and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *

“May your heart live for ever!”

26

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *

and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

27

For kingship belongs to the Lord; *

he rules over the nations.

28

To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *

all who go down to the dust fall before him.

29

My soul shall live for him;

my descendants shall serve him; *

they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.

30

They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *

the saving deeds that he has done.

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John.

Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. Pilate said to the Jews,

Pilate

Here is your King!

Narrator

They cried out,

Priest

Away with him!

Police

Away with him!

Priest

Crucify him!

Narrator

Pilate asked them,

Pilate

Shall I crucify your King?

Narrator

The chief priests answered,

Priest

We have no king but the emperor.

Narrator

Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

All stand.

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,

Priest

Do not write, “The King of the Jews,” but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.”

Narrator

Pilate answered,

Pilate

What I have written I have written.

Narrator

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another,

Soldier

Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.

Narrator

This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother,

Jesus

Woman, here is your son.

Narrator

Then he said to the disciple,

Jesus

Here is your mother.

Narrator

And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture),

Jesus

I am thirsty.

Narrator

A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said,

Jesus

It is finished.

Narrator

Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Silence may be kept.

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed.

Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.

(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)

These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Silence is Observed for a Moment

Prayers of the People. Intercessions

(From Common Worship)

The president introduces the prayers

God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Therefore we pray to our heavenly Father

for people everywhere according to their needs.

A minister continues with these biddings, the president saying the Collect at the end of each section.

Minister    Let us pray for the Church of God throughout the world: for unity in faith, in witness and in service,

for bishops and other ministers, and those whom they serve, for N, our bishop, and the people of this diocese,

for all Christians in this place,

for those to be baptized,

for those who are mocked and persecuted for their faith, that God will confirm his Church in faith,

increase it in love, and preserve it in peace.

Silence is kept.

Lord, hear us.

All Lord, graciously hear us.

President    Almighty and everlasting God,

by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church

is governed and sanctified:

hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,

that in their vocation and ministry

they may serve you in holiness and truth

to the glory of your name;

through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

All   Amen.

Minister    Let us pray for the nations of the world and their leaders:

for All Presidents, Prime Ministers, Sovereigns, and

for those who administer the law and all who serve in public office, for all who strive for justice and reconciliation, that by God’s help the world may live in peace and freedom.

Silence is kept.

Lord, hear us.

All Lord, graciously hear us.

President    Most gracious God and Father,

in whose will is our peace,

turn our hearts and the hearts of all to yourself,

that by the power of your Spirit

the peace which is founded on justice

may be established throughout the world;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All   Amen.

Minister    Let us pray for God’s ancient people, the Jews, the first to hear his word:

for greater understanding between Christian and Jew,

for the removal of our blindness and bitterness of heart,

that God will grant us grace to be faithful to his covenant

and to grow in the love of his name.

Silence is kept.

Lord, hear us.

All Lord, graciously hear us.

President    Lord God of Abraham,

bless the children of your covenant, both Jew and Christian; take from us all blindness and bitterness of heart, and hasten the coming of your kingdom,

when the Gentiles shall be gathered in,

all Israel shall be saved,

and we shall dwell together in mutual love and peace

under the one God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All   Amen.

Minister    Let us pray for those who do not believe the gospel of Christ:

for those who have not heard the message of salvation,

for all who have lost faith,

for the contemptuous and scornful,

for those who are enemies of Christ and persecute those who follow him,

for all who deny the faith of Christ crucified,

that God will open their hearts to the truth

and lead them to faith and obedience.

Silence is kept.

Lord, hear us.

All Lord, graciously hear us.

President    Merciful God,

creator of all the people of the earth,

have compassion on all who do not know you,

and by the preaching of your gospel with grace and power,

gather them into the one fold of the one Shepherd;

Christ our Lord.

All   Amen.

Minister    Let us pray for all those who suffer:

for those who are deprived and oppressed,

for all who are sick, especially those affected by Covid 19,

for those in darkness, in doubt and in despair, in loneliness and in fear,

for prisoners, captives and refugees,

for the victims of false accusations and violence,

for all at the point of death and those who watch beside them,

that God in his mercy will sustain them

with the knowledge of his love.

Silence is kept.

Lord, hear us.

All Lord, graciously hear us.

President    Almighty and everlasting God,

the comfort of the sad, the strength of those who suffer:

hear the prayers of your children who cry out of any trouble,

and to every distressed soul grant mercy, relief and refreshment,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All   Amen.

Minister    Let us commend ourselves and all God’s children to his unfailing love,

and pray for the grace of a holy life,

that, with all who have died in the peace of Christ,

we may come to the fullness of eternal life

and the joy of the resurrection.

Silence is kept.

Lord, hear us.

All Lord, graciously hear us.

President    O God of unchangeable power and eternal light,

look favourably on your whole Church,

that wonderful and sacred mystery,

and by the tranquil operation of your perpetual providence

carry out the work of our salvation:

and let the whole world feel and see

that things which were cast down are being raised up

and things which had grown old are being made new

and that all things are returning to perfection

through him from whom they took their origin,

even Jesus Christ our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

 

The Proclamation of the Cross +++

Anthem before the Cross

Celebrant holding a Wooden Cross in the presence of all:

This is the wood of the cross,

on which hung the Saviour of the world.

All   Come, let us worship.

You are worthy, O Lamb, for you were slain,

and by your blood you ransomed for God

saints from every tribe and language and nation;

you have made them to be a kingdom and priests

serving our God.

All   We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

To him who loves us

and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

and made us a kingdom of priests

to stand and serve before our God;

All   to him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour, glory and might,

for ever and ever. Amen.

Acclamations

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,

All   because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

This is the wood of the cross,

on which hung the Saviour of the world.

All   Come, let us worship.

O Saviour of the world,

who by your cross and precious blood have redeemed us,

All   save us and help us, we humbly pray.

The Lords Prayer.

All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Conclusion

Silence is kept.

The service may conclude with the following prayer without a blessing or dismissal

O Lord Jesus Christ,

Son of the living God,

set your passion, cross and death

between your judgement and our souls,

now and in the hour of our death.

Grant mercy and grace to the living,

rest to the departed,

to your Church peace and concord

and to us sinners forgiveness,

and everlasting life and glory;

for, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

you are alive and reign,

God, now and for ever.

All Amen.

 

Dismissal

Let us commit ourselves to God, and pray for the grace of a Holy Life.  that with all who have departed in this world, and have died in the peace of Christ, and those whose faith is known to you alone, we may be accounted worthy to enter unto the fullness of the joy of our Lord, and receive the crown of life in the day of Resurrection.  Amen.