April 3, 2026 Good Friday
Prelude “When In the Hour of Utmost Need” J.S. Bach
Call to Worship: Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Hymn No. 624
“I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art”
1 I greet thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
my only trust and Savior of my heart,
who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray thee from our hearts all cares to take.
2 Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,
reigning omnipotent in every place:
so come, O King, and our whole being sway;
shine on us with the light of thy pure day.
3 Thou art the life, by which alone we live,
and all our substance and our strength receive;
sustain us by thy faith and by thy power,
and give us strength in every trying hour.
4 Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness;
no harshness hast thou and no bitterness.
O grant to us the grace we find in thee,
that we may dwell in perfect unity.
5 Our hope is in no other save in thee;
our faith is built upon thy promise free;
Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure,
that in thy strength we evermore endure.
Litany of Remembrance
Let us remember Jesus:
who, though rich, became poor and dwelt among us,
who was mighty indeed, healing the sick and the troubled,
who, as a teacher to his disciples, was their companion and servant.
May we ever be grateful for Jesus the Christ and what he has done for us.
Let us remember Jesus
who prayed for the forgiveness of those who rejected him and for the perfecting of those who received him,
who loved all people, and prayed for them, even if they
denied and rejected him who hated sin because he knew the cost of pride and selfishness, of cruelty
and hatred, both to people and to God.
May we ever be grateful for Jesus the Christ and what he has done for us.
Let us remember Jesus, who humbled himself, obedient unto the cross. God has exalted him who has redeemed us from the bondage
of sin and given us new freedom.
May we ever be grateful for Jesus the Christ and what he has done and continues to do for us.
THE FIRST WORD
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34.
Reading: Psalm 51:1-14
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
Prayer on the First Word from the Cross
Almighty God, to whom your crucified Son prayed for the forgiveness of those who did not know what they were doing, grant that we, too, may be included in that prayer. Whether we sin out of ignorance or intention, be merciful to us and grant us your acceptance and peace: in the name of Jesus Christ, our suffering Savior. Amen.
Hymn No. 218
“Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended?”
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 thine 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.
THE SECOND WORD
“Today you will be with me in Paradise” Luke 23:43
Reading: ]ohn 14:1-6
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe[a] in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.”[c] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Prayer on the Second Word from the Cross
O Lord Jesus Christ, who promised to the repentant the joy of paradise, enable us by the Holy Spirit to repent and to receive your grace in this world and in the world to come. Amen.
Hymn No. 417 “Lord Jesus, Think on Me”
1 Lord Jesus, think on me,
and purge away my sin.
From earth-born passions set me free,
and make me pure within.
2 Lord Jesus, think on me,
amid the battle’s strife.
In all my pain and misery
be thou my health and life.
3 Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray.
Through darkness and perplexity
point thou the heavenly way.
4 Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when this life is past,
I may the eternal brightness see,
and share thy joy at last.
THE THIRD WORD
“Dear woman, here is your son.” “Here is your mother.” John 19:26-27
Reading: Mark 3:31-35
31 Then his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers[a] are outside asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Prayer on the Third Word from the Cross
O Blessed Savior, who in your hours of greatest suffering expressed compassion for your mother and made arrangements for her care, grant that we who seek to follow your example may show our concern for the needs of others, reaching out to provide for those who suffer in our human family. Hear this our prayer for your mercy’s sake. Amen.
Hymn No. 216 “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”
1 Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
the shadow of a mighty rock
within a weary land;
a home within the wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
from the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day.
2 Upon the cross of Jesus
mine eye at times can see
the very dying form of One
who suffered there for me;
and from my stricken heart with tears
two wonders I confess:
the wonders of redeeming love
and my unworthiness.
I take, O cross, thy shadow
for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
the sunshine of his face;
content to let the world go by,
to know no gain or loss,
my sinful self my only shame,
my glory all the cross.
THE FOURTH WORD
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
Reading: Psalm 22:1-11
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night but find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not human,
scorned by others and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they sneer at me; they shake their heads;
8 “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”
9 Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
10 On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is no one to help.
Prayer on the Fourth Word from the Cross
Almighty God, who forsook your Son upon the cross showing the world your judgment upon human sin and guilt, grant us, upon hearing his cry, the grace to know and believe that we will never be forsaken, that he is present with us even to the end of the age: for the sake of Jesus Christ who bore our sins on the cross. Amen.
Hymn No. 221
“O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”
1 O sacred head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down;
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred head, what glory,
what bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine.
2 What thou, my Lord, hast suffered
was all for sinners’ gain:
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
’Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
and grant to me thy grace.
3 What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love to thee.
THE FIFTH WORD
“I am thirsty.” John 19:28
Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5
Hear, everyone who thirsts;
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread
and your earnings for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Now you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
Prayer on the Fifth Word from the Cross
O blessed Savior, whose lips were dry and whose throat was parched, grant us the water of life that we who thirst after righteousness may find it quenched by your love and mercy, leading us to bring this same relief to others. Amen.
Hymn No. 223
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
1 When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
2 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.
3 See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down;
did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4 Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
THE SIXTH WORD
“It is finished.” John 19:30
Reading: Luke 13:31-35
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me,[a] ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you.[b] And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when[c] you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Prayer on the Sixth Word from the Cross
O Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work that you were sent to do, enable us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful to our call. Grant us strength to bear our crosses and endure our sufferings, even unto death. Enable us to live and love so faithfully that we also become good news to the world, joining your witness. O Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Hymn No. 217 “On A Barren Hilltop”
1 On a barren hilltop
just outside the walls
of an ancient city
as the evening falls,
speaks a dying figure
hanging on a tree,
saying “It is finished,”
words of victory.
2 Tested just as we are,
in a world of strife,
through the pain and conflict
of a human life,
here at last completed
with his final breath
is a life triumphant
over sin and death.
3 Let us then come boldly
to the heavenly throne,
where our human weakness
is so fully known,
and the mercy given
by which we are freed,
and the grace provided
for our time of need.
THE SEVENTH WORD
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46
Reading: Luke 2:29-35
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word,
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”
Prayer on the Seventh Word from the Cross
Father, into whose hands your Son Jesus Christ commended his spirit, grant that we too, following his example, may in all of life and at the moment of our death entrust our lives into your faithful hands of love. In the name of Jesus who gave his life for us all. Amen.
Solo “Where You There?” Katherine Pepe-Coleman
Darkness
Tolling of the Bell
Silence
After a moment of meditation, the congregation is asked to leave in silence.
TENEBRAE – SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST
____________________THE FIRST WORD
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34.
Reading: Psalm 51:1-14 Switch No. 1 – Balcony
____________________THE SECOND WORD
“Today you will be with me in Paradise” Luke 23:43
Reading: ]ohn 14:1-6 Switch No. 2 – Chandeliers
Switch No. 2 – Chandeliers
____________________THE THIRD WORD
“Dear woman, here is your son.” “Here is your mother.” John 19:26-27
Reading: Mark 3:31-35 Switch No. 3 – Wall Sconces
____________________THE FOURTH WORD
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
Reading: Psalm 22:1-11 Switch No. 4 – Choir
____________________THE FIFTH WORD
“I am thirsty.” John 19:28
Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5 Switch No. 5 – Flood Lights
____________________THE SIXTH WORD
“It is finished.” John 19:30
Reading: Luke 13:31-35 Switch No. 6 – Flood Lights
____________________THE SEVENTH WORD
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46
Reading: Luke 2:29-35 Switch No. 7 – Cross