Chris Vacher describes his Good Friday service:
At Compass we do a Good Friday service where we focus squarely on the crucifixion of Christ and what it means for us. Good Friday is a holiday in Canada and most people are able to attend a daytime service. Good Friday becomes an event on the spiritual calendar with a significant amount of anticipation in our own church community as we approach the weekend.
As a worship leader I find the challenge of Good Friday is to keep the focus on the cross. Yes, we live in the reality of the resurrection. Yes, the cross is not the end of the story. Yes, Jesus is alive, hallelujah! Yet the death of Christ is so significant and carries so much weight, bringing the focus of this service to the cross and leaving people there is completely acceptable but also a significant challenge.
Romans 5 speaks so clearly of the importance of the death of Jesus yet we tend to fall into the trap of making it significant but not significant enough. We’ll give it the focus and the attention it deserves but move quickly to celebrating (which we should do!) the resurrection. Good Friday is an invitation to worship God under the weight of the cross, the reality of our own sin and the sacrifice of Jesus. What an opportunity.
Here’s what our Good Friday service looked like: Continue reading.