A few people from various churches have asked me about our Good Friday service, so I’ve listed it below in a simple listing. Remember that we are a multi-site church so we create services and events that can take place in multiple places and they have freedom to make changes based on their environment and need. I should also say this production was a collaborative effort and could not have been possible without input from Alex Moore, Stacey Barr, Beth Luca, Dwight Fitch, Victoria Acosta, Kristian Sanchez, Javier Acosta, Haylee Thacker and with feedback and input from our campus pastors and associate pastors. Enjoy.
Good Friday – 2014
Pre-Service
3 Songs – 15 minutes
Song suggestions include:
– This Is Amazing Grace
– All Because of Jesus
– Sweetly Broken
– At The Cross
– This Is Our God
– Overcame – Jeremy Riddle
– Savior King – Hillsongs
– Your Great Name – Natalie Grant
– Lead Me To The Cross
– Stronger
Live Welcome with Just Like Jesus Bumper – 3
– Communication Card
– Kidztown and Club 56
Offering Introduction and Prayer Transition (with background music – keyboard pads) – 2
(Offering Collection begins as spoken word video plays)
Part One – FALLING PLATES VIDEO – (Spoken Word on video – recorded in a garden-like setting – Niko) – 3
Part Two – REJECTED – (Campus Pastor or Associate Pastor Sharing) – 5
2.A. Betrayed by Judas
Speaker: On the night before Jesus was crucified, He was in anguishing prayer, knowing what was about to happen. Then, He was betrayed with a kiss by one of his disciples, a friend, or at least a pretend friend named Judas Iscariot. Judas had spent three years with Jesus. Three years. Jesus had commissioned him, fed him, loved him, taught him, cared for him, and invested in him, but Judas betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver.
(Speaker 1 holds up small biblical purse with 30 pieces of silver)
Speaker 1: It sounds like a lot of money, but in reality, it was only enough money to buy a small field in that time period.
(Speaker 1 pours pieces of silver slowly into a metal bowl, creating a loud clanging sound with each quarter that falls)
2.B. Denied by Peter
Speaker 1: After Jesus was arrested, Peter followed Him to the home of the high priest, but had to stay outside the gate until a woman opened it for him. As he entered, the woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”
“No,” he said, “I am not.”
Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards made a fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself. Once again, someone asked Peter, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it once again, saying, “No, I am not.”
Soon after, one of the slaves of the high priest, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” And for the third time, Peter denied it.
(Play Audio of Rooster Crowing)
2.C. Condemned by Pilate
Speaker 1: Jesus was taken to Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked Him.
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent, much to the governor’s surprise.
It was Pilate’s custom each year during Passover to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.
(Crowd sound effect begins and continues until next cue)
As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas or Jesus?”
Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.
So Pilate asked the crowd, “Then what should I do with Jesus?”
(Sound effect of crowd shouting, “Crucify Him!” continues until Speaker 1 pours water below)
“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What has He done?”
Then Pilate sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.”
(Speaker 1 pours water into the basin and begins washing his hands)
So Pilate released Barabbas to the people. He ordered Jesus to be scourged, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
Part Three – CRUCIFIED –5
3.1. – Scourged
Speaker 2: Then the Bible says, “They took Him and had Him scourged.” Now, scourging was such that it often killed the victim. But Jesus was a young and strong man in his early thirties. He was in good physical condition. That could be why He didn’t die from the scourging. They stripped Jesus nearly naked, and shackled his hands over His head. Then soldiers stood on either side of Him and whipped Him brutally with what’s called a flagrum or a cat o’ nine tails. It was a wooden handle that had long straps of leather protruding from it. At the end of each strap was a ball of either metal or stone, and that would tenderize the human flesh. Sometimes there were hooks at the end, usually made of metal.
(Sound effects of Roman whips begin and continue through the next sentence)
Speaker 2: So the soldiers took turns doing their job, inflicting as much pain as possible on Jesus.
(Whips sound effects stop)
Speaker 2: At this point, for Jesus, the process of death has begun.
3.2. Nailed to the Cross – Jesus was forced to carry His cross to the place of death. The cross was an enormous wooden beam that you would use to secure a roof in an ancient home. This was recycled timber. Other men had carried it to their own crucifixion. It was covered with their tears and their blood, and their sweat.
On the way, Jesus was so exhausted that He collapsed under the weight of the cross. Simon of Cyrene, a bystander, was commanded to help Him carry the cross to the place of crucifixion. And then, this Carpenter who Himself had driven many nails, had the equivalent of railroad spikes driven through His hands and feet.
(Speaker 2 holds up a railroad spike as a sound effect of nails pounding plays. There will be 3 sets of 3 pounds each. After the nailing stops, stage hands raise cross in silence.)
(As soon as the cross is in place, lead instrument for song below begins playing)
Speaker 2: Jesus’ cross was then lifted up and dropped into the ground, shaking His body violently.
3.3. It Is Finished –
Speaker 2: From the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In that moment, something legal, something spiritual, something eternal happened. Jesus traded places with us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Adam and Eve, in the Garden, substituted themselves for God and introduced sin to mankind. But here, in this place God substituted Himself for us, defeating the power of sin.
Then He cried out, “It is finished!” His last words might have been hard to understand, but they were triumphant just the same. Salvation through Him was available. It was finished.
Song – Your Love, So High by Hillsong – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MakjmEUkY6M – 5 –
(Worship Leader motions for everyone to be seated at the end of the song. Falling Plates video plays as soon as most of the people are seated)
Falling Plates Video –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08peJK0m510 – (Starting at 0:04 and ending at 3:55)
Part Four – ALIVE – 5
Campus Pastor –
– Resurrection, Letting Go/Decision Time
Communion – 8 – with At The Cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOY0mjjmx8Y or Worthy Is The Lamb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz5F4ntVKvU orequivalent song
Closing Announcements – 2
Baptisms – (timing t.b.a.)
Short Closing Song – 1
59 Minutes plus baptisms
Props List:
1. 6 foot table with black cover
2. Small container for 30 pieces of silver
3. 30 quarters ($7.50) or 30 silver dollars
4. Large metallic bowl for 30 pieces of silver to land
5. 1 Large Railroad Spike
6. Large Wooden Cross with stand
7. Water pitcher filled with water
8. Water basin
9. 1 small hand towel
