Sing the hymns if you know them and / or have accompaniment, otherwise speak them together.

By God's rich, abundant and never-ending mercy in Christ we will soon be together again in God's Holy House. Till then be patient in Christ. For St. James writes: "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord." James 5:7

GOOD FRIDAY TENEBRAE SERVICE WITH THE REPROACHES TO BE PRAYED AT HOME

LEADER: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
ALL: Amen.

THE REPROACHES

LEADER: Thus says the Lord: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer me. For I have raised you up out of the prison house of sin and death, and you have delivered up your Redeemer to be scourged. For I have redeemed you from the house of bondage, and you have nailed your Savior to the cross. O my people.

ALL: Holy Lord God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer; God eternal, leave us not to bitter death. O Lord have mercy.

(Sung) Lamb of God pure and holy; Who on the cross did suffer,
Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer
All sins thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned O’er us;
Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus.

LEADER: Thus says the Lord: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you. Answer me. For I have conquered all your foes, and you have given me over and delivered me to those who persecute me. For I have fed you with my Word and refreshed you with living water, and you have given me gall and vinegar to drink. O my people.

ALL: Holy Lord God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer; God eternal, allow us not to lose hope in the face of death and hell. O Lord have mercy.

(Sung) Lamb of God pure and holy; Who on the cross did suffer,
Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer
All sins thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned O’er us;
Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus.

LEADER: Thus says the Lord: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you. Answer me. What more could I have done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? My people, is this how you thank your God? O my people.

ALL: Holy Lord God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer; God eternal, leave us steadfast in true the true faith. O Lord, have mercy.

(Sung) Lamb of God pure and holy; Who on the cross did suffer,
Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer
All sins thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned O’er us;
Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus.

PSALM 2

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

LEADER: Christ Himself carried our sins in His body to the cross.
ALL: So that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by His wounds that we have been healed.

LAMENTATIONS 2:8-11

8 The LORD determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languished together. 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the LORD. 10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. 11 My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.

LEADER: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord, your God.
ALL: Even my best friend, the one I trusted most, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

LAMENTATION 3:1-9

I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; 2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3 surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; 5 he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6 he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; 8 though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9 he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked.

LEADER: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord, your God.
ALL: Behold the hour has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the power of sinful men.
HEBREWS 4: 12-15

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

LEADER: He endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain we should have borne.
ALL: He was put to death for the sins of the people.

HEBREWS 5:7-9

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
LEADER: Is it nothing to you, all who pass by?
ALL: Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.

SERMON: By Rev. George Fyler (Read by the LEADER)

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions.
he was crushed for our iniquities.
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray.
we have turned everyone to his own way.
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Dear beloved of the Lord:

What griefs burden you this day? What sorrows? What transgressions weigh heavily on your heart and mind? What iniquities cause you shame? What is robbing you of peace? How have you gone astray from your Lord and His ways, His pasture, His life?

Whatever it is, dear child of God, you are free! For on Good Friday we hear, and we see all these things on Jesus. Not because you have put them there — who would dare do that! The Father has laid them on Jesus, and He bears them willingly.

This is the depth of His love for you that He would rather bear them for you. All those things that drag you down and make your life less than it should be. All are on Jesus.

That makes this a good Friday. A very good Friday, indeed. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). It is He alone who takes away your sin?

How can you be sure? St. Paul told us (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). His words were simple, but don’t overlook them. St. Paul said: He died for all! Read the text, He said it twice, that we would know. There is no person for whom Jesus did not die.

For Adam and Eve at the very beginning of time, to the end of time and for those not yet born — He died for all! No one is excluded; no one is excepted; no one is left out. He died for all, which means He died for you. No matter who you are or what you have done. No matter how great your sin, His sacrifice is greater. For it is no mere man who dies on the cross, but the very Son of God.

By His stripes you are healed. Healed in the forgiveness of your sins. The forgiveness that brings peace, and the peace that brings life. For this He came. For this day, for this cross, for this sacrifice. To fulfill His name, the name the prophet Isaiah said would be His: Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:14).

God with us in the womb. God with us in birth. God with us in infancy. God with us in childhood. God with us in life. God with us in work. God with us in trials and temptations. God with us in sorrows and struggles. And God with us, yes, even in death and the grave.

Could there be a more remarkable statement than that? Could there be a more remarkable God than that? He is God with us in every sense of His name, in every place of our lives. That by His coming to us in the depth of our sin and death, He might raise us to the heights of His forgiveness and life.

With Him being with us, there is no place too far, no sin too deep, no person too far gone, that He cannot reach and rescue and save. This is the very thing He desires to do. Let all look upon Him on the cross, esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted, and see their substitute. The one God made to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Bearing our sin, with our curse, He goes to Golgotha. And from the cross, what does He speak? With humility and repentance in our heart and on our lips we will again hear. He speaks not words of bitterness, but of forgiveness. He speaks not words of despair, but of confidence. Having left His Father, He now leaves His mother, and holds fast to His Bride, the Church. He prays. The words of the psalter which sustained Him in life now sustain Him also in death. He thirsts, for He drank the cup of suffering and death that we might drink the cup of blessing and life. He speaks not words of defeat, but of triumph. It is finished. All that He has come to do to make us new — It is finished

At the last, He commits Himself into the hands of His Father, as He had done all along. With that surrender, the great High Priest has offered Himself. The Lamb of God for the life of the world. With that, we are healed. We are forgiven. We have life again. We are a new creation. The old swallowed up in death on the altar of the cross. The new rising up from death and the grave.

For as He dies, He hands over His Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the bond of unity in the Holy Trinity, He gives to us, that we might be drawn into that same unity and life. That we be one with Him. That His life, be our life, and so our life, be eternal life.

Often, we began this service with the haunting words of the Reproaches. Each of them started the same way: Thus, says the Lord: What have I done to you, O My people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer Me.

What are we to answer? How can we answer for our sins to the Almighty God?

Do you remember what our answer was? Lamb of God, pure and holy!

The answer to our sin is Jesus. Christ crucified. Apart from Him we are guilty as charged. In Him, we are forgiven. Apart from Him is only death. In Him, we have life. Apart from Him we have no hope. In Him, we abound in hope. Apart from Him we must bear our own sin. In Him, we are set free. Remember what Jesus told us earlier: If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed (John 8:36).

So, you are free. Today you remember, Jesus is bound for you, is crucified for you, is an offering for you. That all your griefs, all your sorrows, all your transgressions, all your iniquity, all your shame, all your sin be washed away in the peace of His forgiveness and love.

Rejoice, they are. It is finished! You may still see them and feel them, but your Lord does not. In His sight, you are pure and holy. For you are in Christ. You are His child.

This Good Friday we relive the darkness, for a moment. Not to feel sorry for Jesus, but to rejoice. For he who by a tree overcame, is now by a tree overcome.

One time for all time. One man for all men. Behold, the Lamb of God!

In Jesus name. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

OFFERING: (gather your offerings to be presented the next time we are gathered in church)

ALL: LORD’S PRAYER:

THE SEVEN WORDS

(If you have seven candles, one may be extinguished after each lesson is read. If you only have one candle, extinguish it at the final word)

LEADER : LUKE 23:32-34 32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. THE WORD OF THE LORD.

LEADER: COLLECT: Lord Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God was taken; and by the hand of wicked men was crucified and slain; and did make intercession for the transgressors … We pray that you would grant us all the blessed assurance that there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, and that if any man sin, you the Righteous One, whose blood speaks better things than the blood of Abel, are our Advocate with the Father. You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever one God, world without end. AMEN

ALL: LSB HYMN 447 Jesus, in Your Dying Woes First Word
1. Jesus, in Your dying woes, Even while Your lifeblood flows,
Craving pardon for Your foes: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
2. Savior, for our pardon sue When our sins Your pangs renew,
For we know not what we do: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
3. Oh, may we, who mercy need, Be like You in heart and deed,
When with wrong our spirits bleed: Hear us, Holy Jesus.

LEADER: LUKE 23:39-43 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." THE WORD OF THE LORD.

LEADER: COLLECT: Lord Jesus Christ, O merciful King and Prince of Peace, you who veiled your divine glory and were robed in humility; crowned with thorns; nailed upon the tree of shame; and numbered with the transgressors, we thank you that you have remembered us in our condemnation and have transferred us into your Kingdom by your blood. We pray that you would rule in our hearts with the scepter of you righteousness and, when life’s brief day is ended, take us with you into Paradise. You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. AMEN.

ALL: LSB 447 Second Word
4. Jesus, pitying the sighs Of the thief, who near You dies,
Promising him paradise: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
5. May we in our guilt and shame Still Your love and mercy claim,
Calling humbly on Your name: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
6. May our hearts to You incline and their thoughts Your cross entwine.
Cheer our souls with hope divine: Hear us Holy Jesus.

LEADER: JOHN 19:25-27 But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 27 Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. THE WORD OF THE LORD.

LEADER: COLLECT: O compassionate Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the perfect obedience which rendered for us even to the death of the cross. Grant us, we pray, your Holy Spirit that he may write you holy Law upon our hearts so that, following your example of filial love and obedience, we may honor and serve our parents; and from the least to the greatest may learn obedience, and walk in your footsteps. Let your strength be made perfect in our weakness, O you who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. AMEN

ALL: LSB 447 Third Word
7. Jesus, loving to the end Her whose heart Your sorrows rend,
And Your dearest human friend: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
8. May we in Your sorrows share, For Your sake all peril dare,
And enjoy Your tender care: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
9. May we all Your loved ones be, All one holy family
Loving, since Your love we see: Hear us, Holy Jesus

LEADER: MATTHEW 27:45-47 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." THE WORD OF THE LORD.

LEADER: COLLECT: Lord Jesus Christ the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who tread the winepress of God’s wrath alone; and became a curse for us on the tree of the cross, being forsaken of God … grant, we pray, that our faith in you might never know falter. Strengthen us in the sure knowledge and confidence that nothing shall separate us from the love of God and that though the Father hide his face from us in a little moment of wrath, we may never despair of his loving-kindness, for the sake of your bitter agony; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. AMEN

ALL: LSB 447 Fourth Word
10. Jesus, whelmed in fears unknown, With our evil left alone,
While no light from heav’n is shown: Hear us, Holy Jesus
11. When we seem in vain to pray and our hope seems far away
In the darkness be our stay: Hear us, Holy Jesus
12. Though no Father seem to hear, Though no light our spirits cheer,
May we know that God is near: Hear us, Holy Jesus

LEADER: JOHN 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. THE WORD OF THE LORD.

LEADER: COLLECT: O Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world, who on the tree of the cross endured the pains and anguish of body and soul to accomplish all things for our redemption. And in your cry “I thirst!” revealed your fervent desire to draw all men unto yourself. Grant that the souls of men everywhere may hear your gracious gospel and drink of the waters of life and be satisfied; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. AMEN

ALL: LSB 447 Fifth Word
13. Jesus, in Your thirst and pain, While Your wounds Your lifeblood drain,
Thirsting more our love to gain: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
14. Thirst for us in mercy still; All Your holy work fulfill;
Satisfy Your loving will: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
15. May we thirst Your love to know. Lead us in our sin and woe
Where the healing waters flow; Hear us, Holy Jesus

LEADER: JOHN 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave over his Spirit.
THE WORD OF THE LORD.

LEADER: COLLECT: Lord Jesus who on the cross cried out: “It is finished!” we worship and glorify you for you completed the work which your Father gave you to do. You fulfilled the Law of God for us. You bore its curse in our place. You reconciled all men to God. Grant that we may, with our whole heart, believe this and that we may never rely on any merit of our own, but always on your finished work on Calvary … You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. AMEN

ALL: LSB 447 Sixth Word
16. Jesus, all our ransom paid, All Your Father’s will obeyed;
By Your suff’rings perfect made: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
17. Save us in our soul’s distress; Be our help to cheer and bless
While we grow in holiness; Hear us, Holy Jesus.
18. Brighten all our heav’nward way With an ever holier ray
Till we pass to perfect day; Hear us, Holy Jesus

LEADER: LUKE 23:44-49 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. THE WORD OF THE LORD.

LEADER: COLLECT: Lord Jesus Christ who in your dying moment commended your soul into the Father’s hands; thereby assuring us that you completed the work of redemption; and that the Father is well pleased in you … By your Holy Spirit grant us great confidence in this redemption that, washed of our sin in your blood, we, too, may in our dying hour confidently commend ourselves into the Father’s hand. You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. AMEN.

ALL: LSB 447 Seventh Word
19. Jesus, all Your labor vast, All Your woe and conflict past,
Yielding up Your soul at last: Hear us, Holy Jesus
20. When the death shades round us low’r, Guard us from the tempter’s pow’r
Keep us in that trial hour: Hear us, Holy Jesus.
21. May Your life and death supply Grace to live and grace to die,
Grace to reach the home on high: Hear us, Holy Jesus.

THE BURIAL GOSPEL

MATTHEW 27:57-60 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

THE WORD OF THE LORD.

THE STREPITUS (the loud noise of the tomb being sealed)

Leave In Silence