GOOD FRIDAY
Antiphon Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:21-24
(Setting by Stephen Dean: https://tinyurl.com/s7t5v4re)
Ant. Ours were the griefs he bore,
ours were the pains he carried,
Ours were the sins he took on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
V. Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example
that you should follow in his steps.
He committed no sin,
no guile was found on his lips.
When he was reviled,
he did not revile in return. Ant.
V. When he suffered, he did not threaten
but he trusted to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins
in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness. Ant.
Jesus Christ is our peace;
in his flesh he has broken down the dividing wall,
that is, the hostility between us.
He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances,
that he might create in himself one new humanity
in place of the two, thus making peace,
and might reconcile both groups to God
in one body through the cross,
thus putting to death that hostility through it.
So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near;
for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. WS2; cf. Eph. 2:14-18
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
HYMN: Johann Heermann; trans. Robert Bridges
Tune: Herzliebster Jesu https://tinyurl.com/mr3kr7nj
1 Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted!
2 Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee!
‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee.
3 Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered.
For our atonement, while we nothing heeded,
God interceded.
4 For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life’s oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.
5 Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.
PSALMS
Psalm 69 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybbl2s4j)
1 Save me, O God *
for the waters are come in, even unto my soul.
2 I stick fast in the deep mire, where no ground is *
I am come into deep waters, so that the floods run over me.
3 I am weary of crying; my throat is dry *
my sight faileth me for waiting so long upon my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause
are more than the hairs of my head *
they that are mine enemies, and would destroy me guiltless, are mighty.
5 I paid them the things that I never took *
God, thou knowest my simpleness, and my faults are not hid from thee.
6 Let not them that trust in thee, O Lord God of hosts,
be ashamed for my cause *
let not those that seek thee be confounded through me,
O Lord God of Israel.
7 And why? for thy sake have I suffered reproof *
shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren *
even an alien unto my mother’s children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath even eaten me *
and the rebukes of them that rebuked thee are fallen upon me.
10 I wept, and chastened myself with fasting *
and that was turned to my reproof.
11 I put on sackcloth also *
and they jested upon me.
12 They that sit in the gate speak against me *
and the drunkards make songs upon me.
13 But, Lord, I make my prayer unto thee *
in an acceptable time.
14 Hear me, O God, in the multitude of thy mercy *
even in the truth of thy salvation.
15 Take me out of the mire, that I sink not *
O let me be delivered from them that hate me,
and out of the deep waters.
16 Let not the water-flood drown me,
neither let the deep swallow me up *
and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
17 Hear me, O Lord, for thy loving-kindness is comfortable *
turn thee unto me according to the multitude of thy mercies.
18 And hide not thy face from thy servant, for I am in trouble *
O haste thee, and hear me.
19 Draw nigh unto my soul, and save it *
O deliver me, because of mine enemies.
20 Thou hast known my reproof, my shame, and my dishonour *
mine adversaries are all in thy sight.
21 Thy rebuke hath broken my heart; I am full of heaviness *
I looked for some to have pity on me, but there was no man,
neither found I any to comfort me.
22 They gave me gall to eat *
and when I was thirsty they gave me vinegar to drink.
23 Let their table be made a snare to take themselves withal *
and let the things that should have been for their wealth
be unto them an occasion of falling.
24 Let their eyes be blinded, that they see not *
and ever bow thou down their backs.
25 Pour out thine indignation upon them *
and let thy wrathful displeasure take hold of them.
26 Let their habitation be void *
and no man to dwell in their tents.
27 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten *
and they talk how they may vex them whom thou hast wounded.
28 Let them fall from one wickedness to another *
and not come into thy righteousness.
29 Let them be wiped out of the book of the living *
and not be written among the righteous.
30 As for me, when I am poor and in heaviness *
thy help, O God, shall lift me up.
31 I will praise the Name of God with a song *
and magnify it with thanksgiving.
32 This also shall please the Lord *
better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
33 The humble shall consider this, and be glad *
seek ye after God, and your soul shall live.
34 For the Lord heareth the poor *
and despiseth not his prisoners.
35 Let heaven and earth praise him *
the sea, and all that moveth therein.
36 For God will save Sion, and build the cities of Judah *
that men may dwell there, and have it in possession.
37 The posterity also of his servants shall inherit it *
and they that love his Name shall dwell therein.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 88 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/tl4xkf)
1 O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee *
O let my prayer enter into thy presence, incline thine ear unto my calling.
2 For my soul is full of trouble *
and my life draweth nigh unto hell.
3 I am counted as one of them that go down into the pit *
and I have been even as a man that hath no strength.
4 Free among the dead, like unto them that are wounded, and lie in the grave *
who are out of remembrance, and are cut away from thy hand.
5 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit *
in a place of darkness, and in the deep.
6 Thine indignation lieth hard upon me *
and thou hast vexed me with all thy storms.
7 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me *
and made me to be abhorred of them.
8 I am so fast in prison *
that I cannot get forth.
9 My sight faileth for very trouble *
Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched forth my hands unto thee.
10 Dost thou shew wonders among the dead *
or shall the dead rise up again, and praise thee?
11 Shall thy loving-kindness be shewed in the grave *
or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall thy wondrous works be known in the dark *
and thy righteousness in the land where all things are forgotten?
13 Unto thee have I cried, O Lord *
and early shall my prayer come before thee.
14 Lord, why abhorrest thou my soul *
and hidest thou thy face from me?
15 I am in misery, and like unto him that is at the point to die *
even from my youth up thy terrors have I suffered with a troubled mind.
16 Thy wrathful displeasure goeth over me *
and the fear of thee hath undone me.
17 They came round about me daily like water *
and compassed me together on every side.
18 My lovers and friends hast thou put away from me *
and hid mine acquaintance out of my sight.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 69 (Karl Kohlhase: https://tinyurl.com/avzank29)
Save me, O God,
rising waters have reached my soul.
I sink in the mire, without a foothold;
deep waters like an overwhelming flood.
I am weary with my crying, and my throat is parched;
my eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Those who hate me without a cause
are more than the hairs on my head;
They are strong who would destroy me, attacking me with their lies
What I did not steal, must I now restore?
O God, you know my folly, my wrongs I cannot hide.
May those who wait for you not be ashamed
through me, O Lord GOD of hosts;
May those who seek you not be dismayed
through me, O God of Israel,
For you I bear reproach;
dishonor covers my face;
estranged to my brothers,
foreign to my mother’s sons.
For zeal for your house has consumed me,
the reproaches aimed at you fall on me.
When I fast and weep,
I am dishonored;
when I wear sackcloth
I become like a byword.
In the city gate they sit and talk about me;
I’ve become the mocking song of the drunkards.
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD,
in the time of your favor;
O God, in the greatness of your love,
answer me with your saving truth.
Deliver from the mire, do not let me sink;
save me from my foes and deep waters.
May the flood not sweep over me
Nor the deep swallow me whole,
Nor the pit shut its mouth upon me.
O save me, save me, save me; O save me, save me, save me
Answer me, O LORD, for your love is good;
in the depths of your compassion turn to me
Do not hide your face from your servant,
see my distress and quickly answer me.
Draw near to my soul and redeem me;
and ransom me from my enemies!
You know my reproach, my shame and dishonor;
all my enemies are set before You.
Reproach breaks my heart and I am sickened;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found no one;
they give me gall for my food
and vinegar for my thirst
Let their table become a snare to them;
and their welfare become their own trap.
May their eyes grow dim
so that they cannot see;
may their loins always fail them
Pour on them your indignation and fierce anger;
may their camp be barren,
no one dwelling in their tents.
For they persecute him whom you have smitten,
and they relish the pain of your wounded.
Add guilt to their guilt,
who miss your righteousness.
May they be blotted from the book of life
I am afflicted and in pain, O God;
may your salvation set me safely on high.
I will praise the name of God with a song
and magnify Him with thanksgiving.
It will please the LORD
better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
The humble shall see this and be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
For the LORD hears the needy ones,
he will not neglect all those in prison.
O let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that moves therein.
For God will save Zion and build up Judah,
that they may dwell there and possess it.
The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
Yes those who love his name will dwell there
Yes those who love his name will dwell there
Psalm 88 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-88-KH.mp3)
O LORD, God of salvation,
I cry to you day and night
O let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry
My soul’s had its fill of trouble,
my life has reached Sheol
Like those who sink in a pit;
like men without any strength
O LORD, God of salvation,
I cry out to you day and night
Detached among the dead,
like slain ones lain in the grave
Like those remembered no more,
like those cut off from your hand
You placed me in the lowest pit,
in darkness down in the depths
Your anger rested upon me,
assailing me with all your waves.
O LORD, God of salvation,
I cry out to you day and night
Those known to me you made far off;
made like a loathsome thing
Restrained, I cannot go out;
my eye wears out from affliction
I call out to you every day, O LORD;
I stretch out my hands to you
For the dead will you work your wonders?
Will they rise to praise you? Selah
O LORD, God of salvation,
I cry out to you day and night
Will your love be told in the grave,
your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Will your wonders be known in the darkness?
Your right in the land of forgetfulness?
O LORD, to you I cry out for help,
in the morning my prayer comes to you
O LORD, why do you spurn my soul?
Why hide your face from me?
O LORD, God of salvation,
I cry out to you day and night
Impoverished and dying from childhood;
bearing dread, I am overwhelmed
Your anger has passed over me;
your terrors demolishing me
Surrounding like water all through the day;
completely encompassing me
Removing both loved one and friend,
until all I know is darkness
O LORD, God of salvation,
I cry out to you day and night
PRAYER
Assist us mercifully with your help,
O Lord God of our salvation,
that we may enter with joy
upon the contemplation of those mighty acts,
whereby you have given us life
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. WS2
THE WORD OF GOD
Reading: Lamentations 4
Gold is tarnished; even the purest gold is changed.
Sacred jewels are scattered on every street corner.
Zion’s precious children, once valued as pure gold—
oh no!—now they are worth no more than clay pots made by a potter.
Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young.
But the daughter of my people has become cruel, like desert ostriches.
The baby’s tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth, thirsty.
Children ask for bread, beg for it—but there is no bread.
Those who once ate gourmet food now tremble in the streets.
Those who wore the finest purple clothes now cling to piles of garbage.
Greater was the punishment of the daughter of my people than Sodom’s penalty,
which was quickly overthrown without any hand-wringing.
Her nazirites were purer than snow; they were more dazzling than milk.
Their limbs were redder than coral; their bodies were sapphire.
But their appearance grew darker than soot; they weren’t recognized in the streets.
Their skin shriveled on their bones; it became dry like wood.
Things were better for those stabbed by the sword
than for those stabbed by famine—
those who bled away, pierced, lacking food from the field.
The hands of loving women boiled their own children
to become their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The Lord let loose his fury; he poured out his fierce anger.
He started a fire in Zion; it licked up its foundations.
The earth’s rulers didn’t believe it—neither did any who inhabit the world—
that either enemy or adversary could enter Jerusalem’s gates.
It was because of her prophets’ sins, her priests’ iniquities,
those who shed righteous blood in the middle of the city.
People wandered blindly in the streets, polluted with blood.
No one would even touch their clothing.
“Go away! Unclean!” was shouted at them, “Go away! Away! Don’t touch!”
So they fled and wandered around. The nations said, “They can’t stay here anymore.”
It was the Lord’s presence that scattered them; he no longer notices them.
They didn’t honor the priests’ presence; they didn’t favor the elders.
Our eyes continually failed, looking for some help, but for nothing.
From our watchtower we watched for a nation that doesn’t save.
Our steps were tracked; we could no longer walk in our streets.
Our end had drawn near; our days were done—our end had definitely come.
Our hunters were faster than airborne eagles.
They chased us up the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness.
The Lord’s chosen one, the very breath in our lungs, was caught in their traps—
the one we used to talk about, saying, “Under his protection we will live among the nations.”
Rejoice and be happy, Daughter Edom, you who live in the land of Uz.
But this cup will pass over to you too. You will get drunk on it. You will be stripped naked.
Your punishment is over, Daughter Zion; God won’t expose you anymore.
But he will attend to your punishment, Daughter Edom; he will expose your sins.
HYMN: Psalm 22; para. Calvin Seerveld, alt.
Tune: Gordon (Caritas) https://tinyurl.com/3fpc7uzv
1 My God! O my God! Have you left me alone?
Why have you forsaken me, deaf to my groan?
2 I cry to you daily and plead late at night,
but you do not answer or pity my plight.
3 Yet you are the Holy One, Israel’s King,
4 to whom all our fathers and mothers did sing.
5 They counted on you to come through when they prayed;
whenever they trusted, then you always saved.
6 Yet I am a worm who is laughed at and mocked,
7 despised by the godless who saunter about.
8 “His help is the LORD! Foolish fellow,” they sneer,
“let God set him free since he holds him so dear.”
9 Since I was a baby, dependent and weak,
10 I nestled in safety, LORD, close to your cheek.
11 Please don’t go away, for deep trouble is near!
Who else can secure me and keep away fear?
12 Surrounding brute beasts make me shudder with fright,
13 and jaws of fierce lions are ready to bite.
14 My bones seem disjointed, I can’t catch my breath
15 my heart melts like wax, and I face cruel death.
16 Like dogs they surround me, I cringe and I groan;
they pierce through my hands and my feet to the bone.
17 They measure me out for the kill, as they gloat.
18 They scatter their dice for my garments and coat.
19 My God! O my God! Do not leave me exposed.
20 Voracious, these dogs only deepen my woes.
21 These beasts, mad with violence, want me to die:
O stop them, Almighty, and answer my cry!
Reading: Hebrews 4
Therefore, since the promise that we can enter into rest is still open, let’s be careful so that none of you will appear to miss it. We also had the good news preached to us, just as the Israelites did. However, the message they heard didn’t help them because they weren’t united in faith with the ones who listened to it. We who have faith are entering the rest. As God said,
And because of my anger I swore:
“They will never enter into my rest!”
And yet God’s works were completed at the foundation of the world. Then somewhere he said this about the seventh day of creation: God rested on the seventh day from all his works. But again, in the passage above, God said, They will never enter my rest! Therefore, it’s left open for some to enter it, and the ones who had the good news preached to them before didn’t enter because of disobedience. Just as it says in the passage above, God designates a certain day as “today,” when he says through David much later,
Today, if you hear his voice,
don’t have stubborn hearts.
If Joshua gave the Israelites rest, God wouldn’t have spoken about another day later on. So you see that a sabbath rest is left open for God’s people. The one who entered God’s rest also rested from his works, just as God rested from his own.
Therefore, let’s make every effort to enter that rest so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience, because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. No creature is hidden from it, but rather everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an answer.
Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin.
Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.
HYMN: William Bright
Tune: Unde et Memores https://tinyurl.com/2k48ev4n
1 And now, O Father, mindful of the love
that bought us, once for all, on Calvary’s tree,
and having with us him that pleads above,
we here present, we here spread forth to thee
that only offering perfect in thine eyes,
the one true, pure, immortal sacrifice.
2 Look, Father, look on his anointed face,
and only look on us as found in him;
look not on our misusings of thy grace,
our prayer so languid, and our faith so dim:
for lo, between our sins and their reward
we set the Passion of thy Son our Lord.
3 And then for those, our dearest and our best,
by this prevailing presence we appeal:
O fold them closer to thy mercy’s breast,
O do thine utmost for their souls’ true weal;
from tainting mischief keep them white and clear,
and crown thy gifts with strength to persevere.
4 And so we come: O draw us to thy feet,
most patient Saviour, who canst love us still;
and by this food, so aweful and so sweet,
deliver us from every touch of ill:
in thine own service make us glad and free,
and grant us never more to part with thee.
The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s house, and they gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a red military coat on him. They twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then they bowed down in front of him and mocked him, saying, “Hey! King of the Jews!” After they spit on him, they took the stick and struck his head again and again. When they finished mocking him, they stripped him of the military coat and put his own clothes back on him. They led him away to crucify him.
As they were going out, they found Simon, a man from Cyrene. They forced him to carry his cross. When they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Skull Place, they gave Jesus wine mixed with vinegar to drink. But after tasting it, he didn’t want to drink it. After they crucified him, they divided up his clothes among them by drawing lots. They sat there, guarding him. They placed above his head the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” They crucified with him two outlaws, one on his right side and one on his left.
Those who were walking by insulted Jesus, shaking their heads and saying, “So you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, were you? Save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross.”
In the same way, the chief priests, along with the legal experts and the elders, were making fun of him, saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. He’s the king of Israel, so let him come down from the cross now. Then we’ll believe in him. He trusts in God, so let God deliver him now if he wants to. He said, ‘I’m God’s Son.’” The outlaws who were crucified with him insulted him in the same way.
From noon until three in the afternoon the whole earth was dark. At about three Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?”
After hearing him, some standing there said, “He’s calling Elijah.” One of them ran over, took a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a pole. He offered it to Jesus to drink. But the rest of them said, “Let’s see if Elijah will come and save him.”
Again Jesus cried out with a loud shout. Then he died.
Look, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection they came out of their graves and went into the holy city where they appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what had just happened, they were filled with awe and said, “This was certainly God’s Son.”
Many women were watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to serve him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
CANTICLE (https://tinyurl.com/fsmara3e)
Ant. O my people, what have I done to you?
Why are you tired of me? Answer me, O answer me.
1 For you I scourged your captors and their first-born sons,
but you brought your scourges down on me. Ant.
2 I led you from slavery to freedom and drowned your captors in the sea,
but you handed me over to your high priests. Ant.
3 I opened the sea before you,
but you opened my side with a spear. Ant.
4 I led you on your way in a pillar of cloud,
but you led me to Pilate’s court. Ant.
5 I bore you up with manna in the desert,
but you struck me down and scourged me. Ant.
6 I gave you saving water from the rock,
but you gave me gall and vinegar to drink. Ant.
7 For you I struck down the kings of Canaan,
but you struck my head with a reed. Ant.
8 I gave you a royal scepter,
but you gave me a crown of thorns. Ant.
9 I raised you to the height of majesty,
but you have raised me high on a cross. Ant.
THE PRAYERS WS2
Lamb of God,
being human, you knew the pain the cross would inflict;
being divine, you knew it was the only way we could be redeemed.
We praise you for willingly suffering a cruel death
so that we may experience the glories of heaven.
And so we thank you
for the redemption of creation . . .
for the sacrifice of your servants around the world . . .
for your work as it continues in our community . . .
for the sacrifice of those who serve us in your name . . .
for our redemption . . .
While your death and resurrection assure us of your victory over evil, we have yet to experience that reality in its fullest. And so today we pray
for creation and its care . . .
for the nations of the world . . .
for our nation and its leaders . . .
for this community and those who are in authority . . .
for the church universal as it works on your behalf . . .
for this local church in its ministry . . .
for persons with particular needs . . .
Setting by Eric Wyse:2
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
We thank you, heavenly Father,
that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son;
and we pray that, as by his death he has recalled us to life,
so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys;
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen. WS2
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources
The three main scripture readings are from the The New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Edition, The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalm 78 is in the version sung by Karl Kohlhase http://www.k4communications.com/karl/index.html.
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2024 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
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