Liturgy and Prayers - Friday, 7 April 2023 – Good Friday, Year A
Liturgy in one document: Liturgy in One Document, Good Friday
Opening sentence
God forbid that I should boast of anything
but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In him is salvation, life, and resurrection from the dead;
by him we are redeemed and set free.
May God be gracious to us and bless us,
and make his face shine upon us.
(Gal 6:14 REB, Ps 67:1 NIV – Church Rites, p283)
OR
Jesus loved his own who were in the world,
and he loved them to the end. (John 13:1 NRSV)
Prayer of the day - (Collect):
Traditional
Almighty God,
look graciously on this your family,
for whom our Lord Jesus Christ
was willing to be betrayed
and given up into the hands of sinners
and to suffer death upon the cross;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with the you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Modernised Traditional
Almighty God,
look mercifully on your family,
for whom our Lord Jesus Christ
was willing to be betrayed
and given up into the hands of sinners,
and to suffer death on the cross.
We ask this through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with the you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Alternative
(Let us pray that we accept the cross of Christ. [silence])
Almighty and merciful God,
we thank you for bringing life and peace for us
through the shame, suffering, and death of your Son.
Teach us to boast about nothing
but the cross of Christ,
and be willing to suffer gladly for his sake.
For he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
New
Alleluia Verse
The rite suggests that a hymn may be sung at this point. Alternatively, one of the following verses may be said or sung.
Christ humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name that is above every name. (Phil 2:8,9 NRSV)
OR
You were killed, and by your death you bought people for God,
from every tribe, language, nation and race. (Rev 5:9b TEV)
Prayer after the Gospel
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ (, Lamb of God).
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for completing our salvation on the cross.
Help us always to trust in your atoning death.
Amen.
Offering Prayer
It is difficult to fit an offering into the Good Friday liturgy while being sensitive to the nature and flow of the service. If communion is celebrated, an offering may be taken up during the hymn after the Reproaches before the ‘Liturgy of the sacrament’ begins. If communion is not celebrated, a special time of silence for the collection of the offering may take place after the sermon, before the bidding prayer. Alternatively, a retiring offering may be taken. In this case, however, the announcement of the offering must be done very discretely, since silence is observed both at the beginning and end of the service. Perhaps a sign next to a bowl at the door would be the best idea.
If an offering is collected, this prayer may be used at the presentation:
Saving God, strengthen us to trust in your Son,
our great high priest and the sacrifice for our sins.
Make us ready to give ourselves in service,
to help one another,
and to reach out in love to all people.
Amen.
Prayer points
Additional Prayer Points
Services with Holy Communion:
Preface
It is indeed right and good,
Lord God, holy Father,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
On the tree of the cross he gave salvation to all,
so that, where death began,
there life might be restored,
and that the enemy,
who by a tree once overcame,
might by a tree be overcome.
And so, with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we adore and praise your glorious name:
Communion Invitation
Every time we eat this bread and drink from this cup
we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
(Thanks be to God.)
Come, everything is ready.
Prayer after Communion
Even if communion is celebrated, there is no post-communion canticle at this service. Once the communicants have been dismissed, the final prayer is said.
FINAL PRAYER
Lord our God,
send down your rich blessing on us
as we remember
the suffering and death of your Son.
Grant us pardon and comfort,
so that we may be assured of our eternal salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
OR
Almighty God,
whose Son suffered death on the cross,
before he was enthroned in glory:
Grant that as we walk with him
on the way of the cross,
we may find it to be
the way of pardon and peace and life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Dismissal
Instead of the blessing, the service ends abruptly with the ministers leaving in silence after the concluding sentences:
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
It is inappropriate to include any vocal announcements at any point before, after, or during this service. Necessary announcements may be printed on the service sheets or posted on notices at the door. If it is necessary to make a vocal announcement (of welcome, Easter services etc) it should be well before the beginning of the service, so that at least five minutes’ silence is allowed in the church before the service begins.