We’ve prepared Good Friday Reflections to help lead you through remembering Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
This guide is available to download:
Good Friday eBook
Good Friday PDF
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The following is identical to the eBook & PDF.
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Introduction
Dear brothers and sisters,
This Good Friday, as we are not able to meet together, we wanted to put together a guide for you to reflect and meditate on Good Friday in whatever circumstance you are in.
We’ve designed 5 different experiences for you to try throughout the day Feel free to do just one, or as many as you like. The important thing is to use this time to reflect on Jesus’ last day on earth. Imagine what he might have felt. Consider his suffering and his love. And pray and ask God to speak to you through each experience. Open your heart and mind to what He wants to say to you.
This Good Friday, let’s come and remember the sacrifice Christ made for us. If the Lord speaks to you, a verse comes to mind, or you capture a photo of the day, please share it on the BCEC Facebook Page so that we can mutually build each other up.
in the love of Christ,
Bert, Ansy and Ben
1 The Hymn
Reading:Matthew 26:1-16
As the disciples gathered with Jesus at the last supper, they didn’t realise it would be last time they ate with him. They didn’t know that in a few hours, Jesus would be arrested, tried, and then crucified. And even as they talked and sat in the presence of their teacher, they didn’t know that he would be taken away from them soon. I wonder if they had taken the presence of Christ for granted. Maybe they expected him to always physically be there. Maybe they had questions they were going to ask him tomorrow. Maybe they were waiting for the right moment to say how much they loved him. Did they know the hymn they sang at the end of the meal, would be the last?
Perhaps we have forgotten how precious it is to have Christ with us. Perhaps we have taken for granted the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Perhaps we have worshipped with our lips but not with our hearts. We’d like to encourage brothers and sisters to take some time worshipping on this Good Friday. To appreciate the presence of God in your life. To acknowledge Christ. To recognise him.
We’ve curated a playlist available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Music for you to listen to. I’d encourage you to find time to worship him today. Like the woman who poured out her jar of perfume, valuing every moment she had with Jesus, pour out your heart to him today.
2 The Last Supper
Reading: Matthew 26:17-30
Whilst we are physically separated from each other, one of the big questions that has come up is, what shall we do about the Lord’s Supper? Can we still have communion together? And what does it mean? We believe that the sacrament reflects a preciousness of physical gathering. There is something irreplaceable about being together. But we also see that throughout history, there have been times of exception, in exceptional circumstances. We also know that Spirit is not bound by physical space. In fact, the very reason that Christ ascended to heaven, was so that His Spirit could allow the Church to be one — regardless of where we are. It is why we can pray for a brother or sister on the other side of the world, and know God is there.
We recognise that Good Friday is a special time. It is our opportunity to deeply reflect on Christ’s sacrifice, on the meaning of Passover, of seeing that He is the firstborn given as payment for our sin. It is also our time to appreciate the first Lord’s Supper. The breaking of the bread, as a symbol of his body broken for us. The pouring of the cup, as a symbol of his blood poured out for us. So in this exceptional time, we’d like to suggest an exception for communion. If you are a believer, we’d like to encourage you to call up another believer today and take communion together. You should prearrange with them. Set a time. And during that time, share Jesus with one another. Share your story of becoming a Christian. Share something from God’s Word. Read Matthew 26:17-30 together. And then take the bread. And then take the cup. And pray for one another.
It will be a more personally relational communion. It is your chance to share the heart of the bread and the cup with a friend or loved one. They can be in our church. They can be somewhere else. But use this experience to commune with a fellow believer.
If, however, you have your own convictions about who should take the communion, or if communion should only be taken in the physical gathering of the church, feel free to stay true to your conviction. There is no obligation to partake in this experience. We are suggesting this one off experience as our way of remembering the Lord’s Supper on Good Friday during these exceptional times.
We have included a recipe for unleavened bread. You can make this before hand, to make the experience for personal. This might be a good activity to do as a family, or over a video call.
Unleavened Bread (Matzah) | Alyona’s Cooking
You should also prepare some juice, squash, or wine.
What to do during your time of communion.
- Call a friend, or with your family, or your household
- Share with each other how you came to know Jesus
- Read Matthew 26:17-30 together
- Break off a piece of the bread and eat it.
- Pour some of the “wine” and drink it.
- Pray for one another.
3 The Walk
Reading: Matthew 26:57-75;27:27-33
Jesus had seen the chief priests and the Sanhedrin many times before. He knew their faces, their names. He may have even been to this courtyard before. When they dragged him from the garden and into the courtyard, these were familiar streets. He looked into the eyes of Peter, even as Peter betrayed him. And after he was beaten and stripped, he was forced to walk on the street towards Golgotha. These were streets he had walked before. This was a city he knew well. And the people on the road, some of them he may have recognised from his many teachings.
If it is safe for you to take a walk down your street, or to a nearby park, following government guidelines, we’d like to encourage you to take a walk. And as you do, look at the familiar surroundings. The street where you live. The neighbours that you may or may not know. And reflect on Jesus’ own walk to his death. How he knew the area. He knew the people. And the sorrow which must have gripped his heart as he gave his life for them, and for us.
Use the time to prayer walk. Pray for each of your neighbours. Pray for the world around you. Pray for the lives on the street that you live. For the souls in the city that you dwell.
If you’re taking a walk as a family, you can use this time to talk about why Jesus was willing to suffer for us. You can use this time to talk about the cost of sin, and how Jesus paid for that with his life. You can talk about how people on the street might carry different “burdens” and how to pray for them. You can ask them to share if they have any “burdens”. Jesus knew how important it was for him to be our sacrifice to save us — even though it was difficult, he chose to do it for us.
4 The Crucifixion
Reading: Matthew 27:33-56
When we read about the crucifixion in the scriptures, we see a glimpse into the suffering of Christ for our sins. It highlights the depravity of man, and mankinds ability to cause such great harm to their fellow brother. For us, as Christians, it lets us see the great depth of God’s love. The lengths to which Christ went for our redemption. Every few years, i have found it helpful to reread A Physician Analyses the Crucifixion: an Explanation of What Jesus Endured on the Day He Died,by Dr C. Truman Davis.
I have provided an audio reading of the text available here. However, because some of the medical descriptions are graphic, I do not recommend it for a younger audience.
If you would prefer a different way to reflect on the crucifixion, I would recommend reading the passage. Listening to Via Dolorosa, by Sandi Patti or Why, by Nichole Nordeman may be two good ways to reflect.
Audio Reading of A Physician Analyses the Crucifixion
https://thebcec.org.uk/Downloads/Crucifixion.mp3
5 The Tomb
Reading: Matthew 27:57-61
Christ gave so much for us. In the garden, he was abandoned by his own disciples, his dearest friends. He was betrayed by a brother who had walked beside him for the past three years. He was tried before the officials with no one to defend him. And on the cross, when he took on the sin of the world, his perfect perfection besieged by our own sinfulness, as Father God turned his face away. Jesus faced the greatest isolation. The greatest suffering. And then he was laid in the tomb, sealed off.
When that moment came, and the disciples scattered, and they were uncertain what they would do next. Did they regret falling asleep in the garden? Did they regret not sharing with Jesus deeper parts of their lives? Did they know what to do next?
- How does Jesus being locked in the tomb compare to our current state of lockdown?
- How does Jesus’ sacrifice for us give us a different hope for the future?
- How does Jesus inspire us to face the situations and feelings that we face?
Read Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
As you stand in the door, stand as a watchman waiting for the dawn of the new day. That even though there is uncertainty, we are certain that Christ has risen. That the dawn will come. That the darkness does not last forever. If Christ was victorious over sin and death, then there is nothing he has not overcome.
Spend time praying, as a watchman, proclaiming God’s power over this broken world. Praying his love over the broken-hearted. His comfort those who mourn.
You can end your prayer by declaring out loud the prayer of St Francis of Assisi.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
And then by saying the Lord’s prayer.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.