Introduction to the Service
This morning, we gather in quiet reflection to remember the cross. This is a solemn space — a moment to pause, to listen, and to reflect on the depth of Christ’s sacrifice.
Good Friday is a day of sorrow, but not of despair. It is a day of grief, but also of love — the greatest love ever shown. As we journey through scripture, song, poetry, and silence, we will step into the story of Jesus’ suffering, His final words, and His willingness to surrender for our sake.
There is no rush. You’re invited to sit in the weight of these moments, to let the words sink deep, and to bring before God your own prayers and reflections.
After each reading and reflection, there will be a time of silence. In that silence, allow the Holy Spirit to help you be present before the cross and mourn, give thanks, and worship.
May this time touch our hearts, not just for the sorrow of today, but for the hope that is to come.
Mark 14
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
Mark 15
Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
Hymn: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
(Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:1-6)
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
• Reflective text: Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, bore our griefs. As we reflect on the cross, we remember that He carried our sin, our shame, and our pain.
• In the silence, let us bring before Him our burdens, knowing He has already borne them.
Moment of silence
2. Worship Song: “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”
(Scripture Reading: Luke 23:33-34)
• 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
• 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.’
• 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’
•
• Reflective text: On the cross, love spoke through suffering. Even as He was nailed to the wood, Jesus spoke forgiveness. Where do we need to receive His forgiveness today?
Where have we mocked Jesus by claiming His name but denying His lordship?
Where have we sneered at His mercy by refusing to believe He can save us?
Where have we hammered a nail into His hands by our sin?
• Moment of silence
3. Poem: “The Darkest Hour” (original)
The Darkest Hour
The sky grew dim, the earth stood still,
As Love climbed Calvary’s lonely hill.
With thorn-crowned brow and wounded side,
The Lamb of God was crucified.
The hands that healed, now pierced with nails,
The voice that calmed the storm now wails.
Forsaken there, yet not in vain,
He bore our sin, He took our shame.
[p] quiet
The world fell silent, hope seemed lost,
As mercy hung upon the cross.
But in that sorrow, love poured free—
A sacrifice for you, for me.
And as He breathed His final breath,
The veil was torn, love conquered death.
The grave would hold Him three short days,
Then break with resurrection praise.
So now we wait in solemn trust,
By nail-scarred hands, redeemed from dust.
For though this day feels dark and long,
The dawn will rise, the Light is strong.
(Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:45-46)
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)
• Reflective text: In the darkness, Jesus felt forsaken, abandoned - so that we might never be. As we sit in this moment, we bring our own loneliness, fears, and struggles to the One who understands.
• Moment of silence
4. Worship Song: “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”
(Scripture Reading: John 19:28-30)
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
• Reflective text: "It is finished." Not the end of defeat, but the cry of victory. The work of salvation is done. As we sit in the stillness, may we rest in the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice.
• Moment of silence
5. Closing Hymn: “Were You There?”
(Scripture Reading: John 19:38-42)
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about thirty-five kilograms. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was near by, they laid Jesus there.
• Reflective text: As Jesus' body was laid in the tomb, the world held its breath. But we know that even in the silence of waiting, God is still at work. May we leave tonight in quiet trust, knowing that Sunday is coming.
• Moment of silence
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
This morning, we have stood at the foot of the cross. We have heard the words You spoke, felt the weight of Your sacrifice, and sat in the silence of Your suffering.
In Your wounds, we find healing. In Your sorrow, we see love poured out. In Your death, we find life.
As we leave this place, may we carry the cross in our hearts—not as a burden of guilt, but as a symbol of grace. Help us to walk in the shadow of Your love, to live in the depth of Your mercy, and to wait in the hope of resurrection.
Though the night is dark, we know that dawn is coming. Keep us near to You in the waiting.
We bow in reverence, we rise in gratitude, and we go in the peace of Christ, who gave everything for us.
In His holy name we pray,
Amen.
