Good Friday – 2 April 2021
On this day the ministers enter in silence.
All then kneel for silent prayer, followed by the Collect for the Day
Celebrant Let us pray.
Celebrant and People
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lesson Genesis 22:1-18
The appointed lesson is read, the Reader first saying
A Reading from Genesis, beginning at chapter 22, the first verse.
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
After the Lesson, the Reader says
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Silence may follow.
Psalm 40
The customary Gloria Patri (“Glory to the Father, et.c”) is omitted on this day.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.
6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
The Passion Gospel Mark 15:1-47
The congregation may be seated for the first part of the Passion. At the verse which mentions the arrival at Golgotha (15:22) all stand.
Parts read by the congregation as a whole are in boldfaced italics.
The Passion Gospel is announced in the following manner
Narrator The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
The customary responses before and after the Gospel are omitted.
Narrator 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,
Pilate Are you the King of the Jews?
Narrator And he answered him,
Jesus You have said so.
Narrator And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him,
Pilate Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.
Narrator But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. 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,
Pilate Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?
Narrator 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,
Pilate Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?
Narrator And they cried out again,
Congregation Crucify him.
Narrator And Pilate said to them,
Pilate Why, what evil has he done?
Narrator But they shouted all the more,
Congregation Crucify him.
Narrator So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 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,
Congregation Hail, King of the Jews!
Narrator 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. 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.
[Here the congregation stands]
Narrator 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,
Congregation Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!
Narrator So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying,
Congregation 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.
Narrator Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. 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,
Jesus Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?
Narrator which means,
Jesus My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Narrator And some of the bystanders hearing it said,
Congregation Behold, he is calling Elijah.
Narrator And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying,
Bystander Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.
Narrator And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
Silence is kept
Narrator 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,
Centurion Truly this man was the Son of God!
Narrator 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.
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 Homily
The Solemn Collects
All standing, the Deacon, or other person appointed, says to the people
Dear People of God: Our heavenly Father sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved; that all who believe in him might be delivered from the power of sin and death, and become heirs with him of everlasting life.
We pray, therefore, for people everywhere according to their needs.
The biddings may be read by a Deacon or other person appointed. The Celebrant says the Collects.
Let us pray for the holy Church throughout the world: that the Lord our God may preserve her in unity, peace, and safety, bringing into divine subjection all powers and principalities; and that he may grant us to dwell in such peace and tranquility that we may show forth the glory of God.
Silence
Almighty Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray for Foley, our Archbishop, Martyn, William and John, our Bishops, for our Standing Committee, for all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons; and for all God’s holy People.
Silence
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray for Joseph our President, for Thomas our Governor and for all in Civil Authority; that they, knowing whose ministers they are, may above all things seek God’s honor and glory: and that we, remembering whose authority they bear, may faithfully and obediently honor them in accordance with your holy Word.
Silence
Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting and whose power is infinite: We commend our nation to your merciful care, that being guided by your Providence, we may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to our President and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness; and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in your fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray to God the Father Almighty, that he would cleanse the world from all evil; deliver it from pestilence and famine, and especially from the coronavirus; set free those who are in captivity; restore the sick to health; and bring those who travel to a haven of safety.
Silence
Gracious God, the comfort of all who sorrow, the strength of all who suffer: Let the cry of those in misery and need come to you, that they may find your mercy present with them in all their afflictions; and give us, we pray, the strength to serve them for the sake of him who suffered for us, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray for all those who do not believe in Christ, that the light of the Holy Spirit may fill them and bring them into the way of salvation.
Silence
Merciful God, creator of all the peoples of the earth and lover of souls: Have compassion on all who do not know you as you are revealed in your Son Jesus Christ; let your Gospel be preached with grace and power to those who have not heard it; turn the hearts of those who resist it; and bring home to your fold those who have gone astray; that there may be one flock under one Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us commit ourselves to our God, and pray for the grace of a holy life, that, with all who have died in the peace of Christ, and those whose faith is known to God alone, we may be accounted worthy to enter into the fullness of the joy of our Lord, and receive the crown of life in the day of resurrection.
Silence
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
If desired, the liturgy may end here with the singing of a hymn or anthem, the Lord’s Prayer, and the concluding prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
The Celebrant then says
And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray
Celebrant and People together pray
All Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not bring us to the test, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
The service always concludes with the following prayer. No blessing or dismissal is added.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, we pray you to set your passion, cross, and death between your judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living; pardon and rest to the dead; to your holy Church peace and concord; and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.