How Do You Observe Good Friday?

[Messerve]

Hi! I'm just curious what all of you do on Good Friday. Do you attend a service? What kind of service does your church hold? Does it tend toward solemn or joyful, traditional or contemporary? Are there any unique things your church does to observe the day?

My church is kind of in transition between pastors, so things were a little different this year. We had communion along with contemporary music and a sermon and it was less solemn. But in the past it was more solemn, the instruments were removed from the sanctuary, conversations were quiet and brief, we had a sermon, and we sang a mixture of hymns and contemporary songs.

One year there was a real sheep outside in a fenced area and they used to cover all the bulletin boards and literature racks with purple cloths to remove extra distractions.

So how about you?

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

Hi! I'm just curious what all of you do on Good Friday. Do you attend a service? What kind of service does your church hold? Does it tend toward solemn or joyful, traditional or contemporary? Are there any unique things your church does to observe the day?

My church is kind of in transition between pastors, so things were a little different this year. We had communion along with contemporary music and a sermon and it was less solemn. But in the past it was more solemn, the instruments were removed from the sanctuary, conversations were quiet and brief, we had a sermon, and we sang a mixture of hymns and contemporary songs.

One year there was a real sheep outside in a fenced area and they used to cover all the bulletin boards and literature racks with purple cloths to remove extra distractions.

So how about you?

Good Friday was yesterday. I worked. I didn't attend a service. My church doesn't have a service. After work, I did stop by Paris Baguette for a lovely mocha. Last night at home I listened to Issues Etc. They were discussing Good Friday hymnody.

 

[FireDragon76]

We had a Tenebrae service at night. Some hymns, extinguishing candles during a long Gospel reading, a sermon, more hymns, some prayers, then we sang another hymn and we had a devotion to the Cross where people would come up and show their respect in various ways. The cross had a crown of thorns made from a bush on our property by one of our sextons.

 

[lambofgod43985889]

my mother gave chocolate rabbits to his grandchild and me too

 

[Tutorman]

So how about you?

We go to Mass, venerate the Cross, and receive the reserved Eucharist

 

[anna ~ grace]

I was not able to get to any services..... but I fasted as best I could, and hope to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries later tonight. God bless you guys!

 

[anna ~ grace]

We go to Mass, venerate the Cross, and receive the reserved Eucharist

You are seriously the most Catholic Protestant I have ever met, my friend! That's a compliment, by the way. Bless you! Have an awesome Easter!

 

[MariaJLM]

I typically go to church. Most of Holy Week has services, but the most important ones are obviously on Good Friday and then on Easter. During the Good Friday service, though, we read through the passages about the Passion.

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

my mother gave chocolate rabbits to his grandchild and me too

Your mother is a man?

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

I was not able to get to any services..... but I fasted as best I could, and hope to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries later tonight. God bless you guys!

The Sorrowful What Now?

 

[lambofgod43985889]

Your mother is a man?

her not him

 

[anna ~ grace]

The Sorrowful What Now?

Sorrowful Mysteries, of the Rosary.

http://m.theholyrosary.org/site/sorrowfulmysteries.html

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

her not him

Hmm... you said, "my mother gave chocolate rabbits to his grandchild and me too"

 

[PloverWing]

Our service was dark and solemn. We read Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and the story of the crucifixion from John's gospel. The altar was stripped at last night's service (that means that all the decorative cloths normally on the altar have been removed), so tonight the altar and the interior of the sanctuary were bare of all decorations. There was no communion this evening, and there will not be again until the Easter Vigil. In our tradition, we celebrate communion almost every time we gather for worship, so the absence of communion stands out starkly as a symbol of the terrible pain of this day's events. There was a time of veneration of the cross. We left in silence.

 

[FireDragon76]

I was not able to get to any services..... but I fasted as best I could, and hope to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries later tonight. God bless you guys!

That's a good practice, I used to do that myself years ago. My pastor also uses a rosary; his wife is Catholic.

I had a salad and fish filet sandwich today. I am not as good at fasting as I used to be, but I think its more important during Lent to focus on God, not my fasting.

 

[Original Happy Camper]

I observe the Sabbath at sundown on Friday as Commanded by the LORD JESUS CHRIST

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I observed that many people go grocery shopping while off work from noon until 3:00 pm (I had a hard time finding a parking space).

I too will rest on the Sabbath.

 

[~Anastasia~]

We have amazing services. There is a prayer and hymn service in the morning. Later we have a service focusing on the Crucifixion, and Christ being removed from the Cross. Little girls in the Church usually get to volunteer (the myrhh-bearers) wearing white dresses - they sprinkle the epitaphios with rose petals. (The epitaphios is the "tomb of Christ" ... it's a piece of furniture really - usually very beautiful and it is decorated with fresh flowers for Holy Friday) ... the large image of Christ that usually is in the altar all year is removed from the cross, wrapped in a white sheet, and laid in the epitaphios. (Later it is replaced with a cloth version showing the burial of Christ, that normally hangs on the front of the choir loft most of the year.) We venerate the empty Cross. In another service in the evening, we all gather and sing lamentations. We take the decorated epitaphios outside and process it around the block, with all the faithful following carrying funeral candles and singing "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Have mercy on us". And at the doors of the Church the epitaphios is held up and we all duck under it going in, as we were immersed in the water for baptism. After the end of the service, everyone received a flower from Christ's tomb to take home.

Most of the day is very solemn and very sad. The entire week feels like reliving Christ's last days, from the Triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, right through the joyous Resurrection (that's an even better service!). So it's very emotional and very sad, but we know the celebration is coming and that His death and resurrection made the way for our eternal life.

And ours hasn't happened yet. We calculate the Resurrection differently from the west, so it can be on a different day. Holy Friday is next week for us. So we begin our dive into the whole thing in about ... nine hours from now. (I always feel Lazarus Saturday is the start.) I'm very excited!!!

 

[anna ~ grace]

I also got to go through the daily readings for Good Friday. Very beautiful! I don't have any contact with the Church. But at least I can do small things, and be blessed in those small things. To be able to read the OT and New Testament lined up with each other is good.

 

[sunshineforJesus]

Our church didnt do anything special but I have been meditating on Jesus sacrifice all day.