"Good" Friday

Carl Emerson said:

Maybe I can have a comment or two as to why "Good Friday" is so called.

It seems some denominations are more 'life centric' than others.

The service seemed to be a very long standing, pretty much like 150 years ago.

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Carl Emerson said:

Here is a personal reflection form one who has just attended a "Good" friday church service.

First a little background - my journey to wholeness in Christ has been a not without pain and loneliness - for years I could not look at a representation of Jesus on the cross.

Second - because of His graceful intervention in my personal shipwrecked circumstances, the core of my faith is a celebration of Life.

So I found the "good" Friday focus rather morbid. Even a celebration of death - I was the only one in the service that did not participate in throwing dirt on the cross (symbolising the participation in the death of Jesus by my sin)

Another church service had candles on the cross - this is much less bleak.

One young lady fainted in the service - which carried on regardless.

Somehow the service was rather something to endure than enjoy.

I would like to see a rethink of what is presented on this special day.

Someone asked me what I thought (that would have been a lengthy conversation and I knew they didnt have time for that.

So I drove home alone asking Jesus 'what was that all about'?

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Carl Emerson said:

Well the takeaway for me was realising that my sin directly contributes to His suffering.

Personalising the event by pondering on Him thinking of you as He made His way, up the hill to the Cross.

Clearly without the cross there is no power in the gospel.

Further the sufferings we are called to share in are those that He suffered on the Cross for the healing of the body of Christ.

2 Cor 4:
10always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who live are constantly being handed over to death because of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh. 12So death works in us, but life in you.

Col 1
24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.

Herein lies a secret in ministry (only a secret because it has not been taught.)

Not taught because it has not often been understood.

As we bare another's burdens we participate in the suffering of Jesus on the cross for the person we are ministering to.

Appropriating this truth is very powerful - no wonder Paul said "I will know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

I believe healing would break out in the church if we moved in this one truth.

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Paidiske said:

I encouraged people here to look not at individual services but the whole journey. Enter into the darkness, the grief, the despair of Thursday/Friday... so that you can more fully appreciate the light, the joy, the hope of Easter day. It's one extended experience.

That said, I know that the trend to make worship more participatory means that people try all sorts of creative things. Throwing dirt on the cross might not be my cup of tea (it really wouldn't), but I can appreciate the effort to get away from a service that was, historically, very much an occasion of the congregation being "talked at." Constructive feedback might be to think and research other participatory actions and make some different suggestions for next year.

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Carl Emerson said:

Here is a personal reflection form one who has just attended a "Good" friday church service.

First a little background - my journey to wholeness in Christ has been a not without pain and loneliness - for years I could not look at a representation of Jesus on the cross.

Second - because of His graceful intervention in my personal shipwrecked circumstances, the core of my faith is a celebration of Life.

So I found the "good" Friday focus rather morbid. Even a celebration of death - I was the only one in the service that did not participate in throwing dirt on the cross (symbolising the participation in the death of Jesus by my sin)

Another church service had candles on the cross - this is much less bleak.

One young lady fainted in the service - which carried on regardless.

Somehow the service was rather something to endure than enjoy.

I would like to see a rethink of what is presented on this special day.

Someone asked me what I thought (that would have been a lengthy conversation and I knew they didnt have time for that.

So I drove home alone asking Jesus 'what was that all about'?

Click to expand...

Paidiske said:

That sounds like what happens at Tenebrae; the candles being extinguished, all but one, which is hidden then returned to its place.

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