Here's the liturgy for our Clearnote Church, Bloomington's Good Friday service this past week. We publish it here for the use of any who may find it helpful. The choir offering above occurs midway through the service. (TB, w/thanks to at least Jody and Phil)
Introit "Were You There?" (solo, a capella, from behind congregation)
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Call to Worship John 3:16; 1:29
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" Isaac Watts, 1707
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.
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.
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?
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.
Scripture Lesson Matthew 27:27-54
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
32 As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.
33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,
34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.
35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.
36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.
37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.
39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads
40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,
42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
43 “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.
49 But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord.
Congregation: Thanks be to God.
Hymn "Ah, Holy Jesus" Johann Heermann, 1630
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.
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.
Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man's atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.
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.
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.
Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father, You are wise and holy, and all Your judgments are just. We humble ourselves today under Your mighty hand, confessing that we are a proud and hypocritical people. Like the Pharisees we love to project the external appearance of righteousness, while inwardly we are ravenous wolves. We are satisfied when the outside of our cup is clean, yet care nothing for the approval of our Sovereign Creator who alone is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We confess our hypocrisy as sin and repent of it. For the sake of Your dear Son who suffered and died so that we might have life, cleanse us from all ungodliness and deceit, grant us truth in our inmost being, and help us from now on to walk in the honesty and humility of a renewed life. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon Isaiah 53:5, 6 (responsive)
Pastor: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
Congregation: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts!
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord!
Hymn "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" Bernard of Clairvaux, 1153
O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn.
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.
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, vouchsafe me to Thy grace.
Sermon "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"
Rev. Stephen Baker
Musical Offering "Crucifixus" A. Lotti, ca. 1700
Clearnote Choir (see above)
Prayer for Unbelieving Peoples
O merciful God, You have made all men, and You hate nothing that You have made, nor do you desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live. Have mercy therefore, we pray, on all who reject the Gospel—on Pagans, and Atheists; on Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists; on Arians and Roman Catholics, and on all who, in their pride, like to make much of their own ability.
Knowing, Father, that you resist the proud but give grace to the humble, we ask that you grant the gift of humility to these people. Cause them to see their depravity, as you have allowed us to see our own, and lead them to repentance through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our only hope of salvation.
Now Almighty and eternal Father, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we especially appeal to you this day on behalf of your ancient people, Israel. Do not cast them off forever, O Lord, but look on them now in Your mercy. Remove from them their blindness and hardness of heart. May the time quickly come when you cause the Jews to recognize Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, uniting them to Him by faith, and grafting them in again unto the rich root of the olive tree, Your Church.
O Lord, let it be in our day that You do these things, that we may see it and rejoice knowing that Your Kingdom is very near.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
Hymn "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood" William Cowper, 1772
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there have I, as vile as he
Washed all my sins away:
Washed all my sins away,
Washed all my sins away;
And there have I, as vile as he,
Washed all my sins away.
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme
And shall be till I die:
And shall be till I die,
And shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved, to sin no more:
Be saved, to sin no more,
Be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God,
Be saved, to sin no more.
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Thy power to save:
I'll sing Thy power to save,
I'll sing Thy power to save;
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Thy power to save.
Benediction Revelation 1:5b, 6
Pastor: To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood--and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
