Good Friday Program
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And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 15:1–5.
Good Lord,
Deliver Us
Oh — Oh — Oh—, deliver us
Oh — Oh — Oh—, deliver us
Good Lord, Good Lord, Good Lord, deliver us
Good Lord, Good Lord, Good Lord, deliver us
From the merchants in the temple,
And the worship of our greed,
From the whisper of the tempter,
That we should take more than we need!
From the chains of wealth and plunder,
From our avarice and pride,
From the ever growing hunger,
From our vanity and strife
Good Lord, Good Lord, Good Lord, deliver us
Good Lord, Good Lord, Good Lord, deliver us
From our constant quest for power,
Over all that we survey,
From the lies that we devour,
From the fears we cannot face
Come and save us from our demons!
Come and strip away our hate!
Come, O Lord, restore our reason!
Come, O Christ, the time is late!
Good Lord, Good Lord, Good Lord, deliver us!
Good Lord, Good Lord, Good Lord, deliver us!
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Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 15:6–15.
Man of Sorrows
Man of sorrows, Lamb of God
By His own betrayed
The sin of man and wrath of God
Has been on Jesus laid
Silent as He stood accused
Beaten, mocked, and scorned
Bowing to the Father's will
He took a crown of thorns
Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation!
Where Your love poured out over me!
Now my soul cries out, hallelujah!
Praise and honor unto Thee
Sent of heaven, God's own Son
To purchase and redeem
And reconcile the very ones
Who nailed Him to that tree
Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation!
Where Your love poured out over me!
Now my soul cries out, hallelujah!
Praise and honor unto Thee
Praise and honor unto Thee
Now my debt is paid
It is paid in full
By the precious blood
That my Jesus spilled
Now the curse of sin
Has no hold on me
Whom the Son sets free
Oh, is free indeed
Now my debt is paid
It is paid in full
By the precious blood
That my Jesus spilled
Now the curse of sin
Has no hold on me
Whom the Son sets free
Oh, is free indeed
See the stone is rolled away
Behold the empty tomb—
Hallelujah, God be praised
He's risen from the grave
Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation
Where Your love poured out over me
Now my soul cries out, hallelujah
Praise and honor unto Thee
Praise and honor unto Thee
Praise and honor unto Thee
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And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 15:16–20.
Meditation and Reflection
Use this time to reflect on how you have mocked Jesus, personally.
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And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 15:21–32.
Let’s Pray Together
Leader: We are ashamed, Lord, and we blush to lift up our faces before you.
Congregation: Our sins increase over our head, and our trespasses rise up to heaven. To us belong shame and confusion, because we have sinned against you.
Leader: If we try to justify ourselves, our own mouths will condemn us. You, who are greater than our hears, know all things.
Congregation: We ourselves know that we have sinned, Father, against heaven and before you, and we are no more worthy to be called your children.
Leader: But there is forgiveness, mercy, and redemption with you. You will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
Congregation: Though Heaven is your throne, and the earth your footstool, still you will look to the poor and humble person who trembles at your word. You revive the spirit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite.
Leader: The ones who cover their sins will not prosper, yet those that confess and forsake them will find mercy. You have said that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All: Forgive us Lord. Amen.
Adapted from “We are Ashamed” by Matthew Henry in Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans
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And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 15:33–41.
All Sufficient Merit
All sufficient merit,
Shining like the sun
A fortune I inherit,
By no work I have done
My righteousness I forfeit
At my Savior's cross
Where all sufficient merit
Did what I could not
In love, He condescended
Eternal, now in time
A life without a blemish
The Maker made to die
The law could never save us
Our lawlessness had won
Until the pure and spotless
Lamb had finally come
It is done, it is finished—
No more debt I owe
Paid in full, all sufficient
Merit now my own
I lay down my crowns
Any empty boasts
Good works all corrupted
By the sinful host
Dressed in my Lord Jesus
A crimson robe made white
No more fear of judgment
His righteousness is mine!
It is done, it is finished—
No more debt I owe
Paid in full, all sufficient
Merit now my own
All sufficient merit,
Firm in life and death
The joy of my salvation
Shall be my final breath
When I stand accepted
Before the throne of God
I'll gaze upon my Jesus
And thank Him for the Cross
Yes, I'll thank You for the Cross
It is done, it is finished—
No more debt I owe
Paid in full, all sufficient
Merit now my own
It is done, it is finished
No more debt I owe
Paid in full, all sufficient
Merit now my own
Merit now my own
Merit now my own
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And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 15:42–47.
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
’Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ, I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
’Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
