Grieving on Good Friday

After Maundy Thursday comes Good Friday. This is the day that Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross, as we grieve and mourn. 

Our Scripture passages include Matthew 27:1-56, Mark 15:1-41, Luke 23:1-49, and John 18:28-19:37. These passages stop after Jesus' death, because the burial passages will be read tomorrow for Holy Saturday. 

This is a more somber day in the church year. It is a day for prayer, fasting, and church services. You can read more details of these events as well as some of the history of this day here. We grieve in the words we pray. We grieve as we abstain from food. We grieve through the services we attend.

This site here recommends setting aside the fun activities (and even work or school if possible) to more fully observe this day of mourning. Some Christians sit in silence from noon until three pm as we remember Jesus' suffering on the cross. Other Christians choose to sing hymns while Jesus was on the cross. This site here has song suggestions. We grieve as we set down our enjoyable hobbies and activities. We grieve as we sit in silence. We grieve as we sing hymns of Jesus' suffering and death. 

The stations of the cross continue from Maundy Thursday as we walk through Jesus' last hours and consider His last words on the cross. These sites here and here goes into more details. The key times are the 3rd hour (9am), 6th hour (12pm), and 9th hour (3pm). So even if "fixed hour praying" isn't common in our denomination, we could set alarms to pause and pray at these times as we remember Jesus' death sentence at 9am, Jesus being nailed to the cross at 12pm, and Jesus' death at 3pm. We grieve as we go through the stations of the cross.

The Tenebrae service from Maundy Thursday could be held instead on Good Friday. It might be possible to split the service into two nights based on the Thursday-Friday split in the Bible. So the Last Supper through Jesus' trials could be observed on Thursday and His sentencing through death could be observed on Friday. (I didn't come across this idea in my research, but was something I wondered about, since some churches hold these services on Thursdays, while others have them on Fridays.) We grieve as the lights are extinguished as we hear about Jesus' suffering and death.

Many people like to rush from the death to the resurrection, but I want to challenge us to sit in the stillness, in the darkness, in the grief of a life cut short, in the uncertainty of what happens next. The disciples experienced fear, hopelessness, and despair from 3pm Friday until Sunday morning. Let us sit with them in this dark watch of the night. 

How will you observe Good Friday this year? 

Consecrating on Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is a Holy Week holiday. As we lead up to Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter), we have 3 significant holy days to observe: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Each of these holy days will have a verb attached to it in these posts. For Maundy Thursday, our verb is "consecrating". When we consecrate something, we set it aside or apart as holy or sacred. It is devoted or dedicated to a specific purpose, such as set apart for God's use. We are setting aside these three days leading up to Resurrection Sunday as holy and sacred. Instead of doing what we want on these days, we are giving them up to God for worshiping Him as a bit of the sacred time overcomes our secular workweek. 

Each of the Gospels has plenty of text devoted to this night. We can read Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13 for their accounts of that night's events. (Technically we should be reading John 13-18:27 for all of Jesus' prayers, plus the betrayals, trials, and denials that the other passages include)

For those curious, "Maundy" comes from a variation of the Latin word for "commandment" since Jesus gave His disciples "a new command" to love each other. Historically, this was a day to for those estranged from the Church or wanting to join the Church to prepare to be reconciled and admitted. You can read more of the history here and here and here

Throughout history, this day has involved foot-washing, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. When we wash feet, we consecrate our time by serving others instead of ourselves, as well as humble ourselves. When we give money or food to those in need, we are consecrating a part of our income. When we pray, we consecrate our schedules and goals, as we subjugate them to the Spirit's timing. When we fast, we are consecrating our bodies as we pause from food to better listen for the Spirit's guidance. 

In the Orthodox Church, some Christians will fast from food from supper on Maundy Thursday until either the pre-Easter service on Saturday night or the morning service on Sunday, with the exception of a little fruit on Saturday. By abstaining from food for 40+ hours, we are consecrating this period of waiting. Resurrection Sunday becomes something that we are longing for, anticipating, and eagerly awaiting, as we grow increasingly hungry. As our stomachs growl, we are reminded throughout the day of what we are waiting for. (Obviously don't fast in this way if you have health problems that would flare up by not eating)

Some people hold special services or meals such as a Tenebrae service (where the lights in the sanctuary are gradually extinguished as the service goes on) or a Passover Seder where Christians partake in that traditional meal Jesus & His disciples were eating that night. Other Christians have a communion service on this day. Some churches set up the "stations of the cross" for people to pray through. You can read more detailed descriptions of ways people observe this holy day here and here. By observing an unfamiliar tradition, we are consecrating our preferences and desires as we meet God in a new way. 

Alternatively, we can look for online (either video or text) resources for a Tenebrae service or the stations of the cross to experience Maundy Thursday in a new light as we are guided through those Scripture readings.

Tenebrae service ideas here and here 

Station of the Cross ideas here and here and here and here and here

How will you observe Maundy Thursday this year?