St. Andrew's Lutheran Church and Campus Center
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Good Friday
Background
The services from the evening of Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday form one continuous liturgy known as the Triduum (three days). Therefore, this service has neither entrance rite nor benediction. (In earliest times all the events of Christ’s Passion, from the Last Supper to the Resurrection, were celebrated in one day and night’s continuous service called Pascha.)This is the chief service for Good Friday. It contains a number of ancient elements, particularly the reading of St. John’s Passion, the Bidding Prayer, and the Reproaches.
The Bidding Prayer is a form of prayer in which a deacon or assisting minister bids (i.e. invites) the people to pray for a particular request, and the people’s prayers are summed up in a collect by the presiding minister, which the people confirm by their “Amen.” The bidding prayer is one of the oldest forms of prayer in the church’s treasury, dating back to the body of writings known as the Apostolic Constitutions (ca. 380); because of its antiquity, it has always been part of the Good Friday liturgy.
The Reproaches are the words of the Lord against His people, the Church, to which the congregation replies with a plea for mercy.
Good Friday is not observed as a funeral for Christ; it is a day for repentance over sin, and restrained joy and praise for the redemption Christ accomplished for us on the cross. The music in tonight’s service, though not silenced, is in keeping with this character. Elaborations such as the acclamations of praise surrounding the Gospel, the Gradual, and verses have been omitted. The altar remains bare, having been stripped last night. The communion liturgy is provided in an abbreviated form, and is spoken given the solemn character of the occasion.
Scripture
Hymn of the Day
- LSB 454 "Sing, My Tongue, The Glorious Battle" (midi)
Other Hymns
