A service for Good Friday, based on Mark 14.26-15.39
Preparation
Put on or around the Communion table or altar seven small lit candles and one larger unlit one.
Prepare a cup of wine that will be circulated round the congregation.
You will need:
- a white sheet and a sword in a scabbard;
- a white feather;
- a bowl of water and a towel;
- a crown of thorns/barbed wire;
- a six-inch nail and a hammer;
- a wooden notice marked ‘The king of the Jews’ and another piece of wood on which to fasten it;
- a length of cloth.
Identify people beforehand who will take responsibility for the actions connected with each item.
The monologue should be delivered ideally without a script, by someone in a sharp suit.
Introduction
Today we reflect on events that happened nearly 2000 years ago, half a world away, yet are still relevant to each of us. Let us listen for God’s word in Mark’s account of those 24 hours. We will use symbols and silence, experiencing the advancing darkness of that day… Let us go in heart and mind to the cross.
Hymn such as Were you there when they crucified my Lord? or Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom
Reading Mark 14.26-38
Pray
Lord Jesus, may we watch and pray with you this night, as we contemplate your cup of covenant, your blood poured out, dissolving all the sin, suffering and sorrow of this broken world. You were acutely aware of the weakness of the flesh as you braced yourself to drink. So strengthen us by your Spirit as we seek to drink more deeply than we have done before.
Amen.
The cup of wine is circulated in silence. A pre-selected person places it on or in front of the Communion table/altar and extinguishes one of the small candles.
Reading Mark 14.39-52
A white sheet and a sword in a scabbard are brought to the Communion table/altar. The sheet is set down in a bundle on or in front of the table, the sword is drawn, the sword and scabbard are placed in the form of a cross on the sheet. A second small candle is extinguished.
Hymn such as From heaven you came
Reading Mark 14.53-72
A member of the congregation comes forward and places a white feather on or in front of the Communion table/altar and extinguishes a third small candle.
Prayer of confession
Lord Jesus Christ, as your disciples we confess that we have failed both you and those people who suffer innocently, as your disciples also failed you from the first.
When we are tempted to betray you for the sake of selfish gain,
Christ have mercy. Lord, forgive us and help us.
When we do not keep watch in prayer,
and seek to avoid sharing in your suffering,
Christ have mercy. Lord, forgive us and help us.
When we choose the way of the sword,
the way of violence in place of the path of peace,
Christ have mercy. Lord, forgive us and help us.
When we run away from difficult situations and desert those who need us,
Christ have mercy. Lord, forgive us and help us.
When we do not admit to being your followers,
and are fearful of what others might say,
Christ have mercy. Lord, forgive us and help us.
When we spurn your sacrificial love
and will not offer you the sacrifice of our own lives,
Christ have mercy. Lord, forgive us and help us.
Cleanse us from our sins by your precious blood,
and graciously restore us to your service.
For your praise and glory alone.
Amen.
Reading Mark 15.1
A monologue
It has nothing to do with me…
It is a Jewish matter… Nothing to do with Rome. If I had my way I would have left them to it. Another spat between religious fanatics. So what if he claims to be the son of this Jewish god? What difference does that make? Sons of god are two a penny in the lunatic asylum… We’ve even had one or two on the throne of Rome… Sons of god, that is, not lunatics… Though some might say… No!! Don’t quote me on that. I’m in trouble enough as it is. I can’t afford another letter of complaint going to Caesar. That’s why I finally decided to try this man… The priests said that he was claiming to be the rightful King of the Jews… If I hadn’t acted on that I’d have had Herod up in arms as well as these damned religious fanatics.
I tried getting Herod to deal with him… He’s a Galilean so strictly speaking he is Herod’s problem, not mine. And he got rid of that other rabble rouser, the Baptiser, a few years ago… I thought he would be glad to get his hands on this one… But he passed the buck straight back to me…
And the people… I thought they would be glad to have me release him. A few years ago I invented a little tradition… Something happens here twice and it becomes a tradition… But with this tradition I release a prisoner in honour of the Jewish holiday… These holidays are always trouble… Passover… I wish I could just pass over it and forget it… But no… every holiday season the pilgrims pour in from all over the Empire, bringing their problems with them.
Well, I offered to release Jesus to them in honour of the holiday… And they threw the offer back in my face. I don’t understand these people… Last week they were praising him to the heavens when he waltzed into the city on the back of a donkey… They were taking the very shirts off their backs and laying them down as a carpet of honour for him. This week they were baying for his blood… They demanded that I crucify him… And then they had the gall to ask for Barabbas, a convicted murderer and rebel to be released in his place… I don’t know how I’ll ever explain that one to the senate… The guilty goes free and the innocent is executed… There’s justice for you.
But what could Jesus have done in a week to turn the people against him? King of the Jews!? Standing there, bruised and bloodied… Covered in what looked like spit. Wearing clothes that weren’t exactly the highest quality before they had been torn to shreds. Him, a king! And when I tried to explain what a dangerous situation he was in… That I had the power of life and death over him, he reminded me that my power was given to me from above… And that those above me would share responsibility for any of my actions… What was he trying to do? Absolve me of responsibility… When none of it was my responsibility in the first place…
So I just washed my hands of him… Literally… If he wants to die, that’s his choice…
It has nothing to do with me…
Reading Mark 15.15
A member of the congregation brings a bowl of water and towel to the Communion table or altar, washing his hands and drying them before extinguishing a fourth small candle.
Hymn such as My song is love unknown
Reading Mark 15.16-20
Reflection read as the crown of thorns/barbed wire is brought to the front through the congregation.
The crown of the king of kings:
a crown of torment and taunting,
of mockery and mutilation,
laceration and laughter,
an obscene joke.
Mock love if you will,
laugh at compassion if you must,
spit in the face of justice if you have to,
but never forget the face of God we see in Jesus,
battered and bruised,
with blood and tears mingling on his face,
tears shed not for himself, but for us.
The crown of thorns is placed in silence on or in front of the Communion table/altar and a fifth small candle is extinguished.
Reading Mark 15.21-32
The six-inch nail is hammered through the notice marked ‘The king of the Jews’ attaching it to another piece of wood. This is placed upright on or in front of the Communion table/altar. The hammer is placed in front of it. The sixth candle is extinguished.
Hymn such as How deep the Father’s love for us or I cannot tell why he, whom angels worship
Reading Mark 15.33-39
Two members of the congregation bring a cloth to the front of the church and tear it in two. They place one piece on either side of the Communion table/altar. The seventh candle is extinguished.
Hymn such as When I survey the wondrous cross (widely available)
Reflection
The cross, the hammer, the wood, the nails,
the pain, the sin, the flesh, the bone,
the nerves, the blood.
Christ is nailed to the cross.
But so are faith, hope and love,
and these things cannot be killed.
They are the things of God.
A young member of the congregation lights the central candle on the Communion table or altar.
Benediction
Give me, for light, the sunshine of thy sorrow,
Give me for shelter, shadow of thy cross;
Give me to share the glory of thy morrow,
Gone from my heart the bitterness of loss.
(G.A. Studdert Kennedy)
David Campton is a Methodist minister in Belfast, Northern Ireland.