Good Friday: Journey to the Cross
By Pastor David Lyle
You may have noticed something different on our Holy Week worship schedule this year. At 9:00 a.m. on Good Friday, we will be going on a Journey to the Cross.This replaces the 8:30 a.m. service of Adoration of the Cross held in years past (it does not impact the two services later in the day).You may have actually experienced Journey to the Cross last year, as we used a version of this service during the education hour on the Second Sunday of Easter.
So, what can you expect at Journey to the Cross? This worship service is for people of all ages but is especially geared toward children and youth. It is reminiscent of the Stations of the Cross, moving us through the story of Holy Week by moving us to different stations around Grace.
Beginning in the Atrium, we will follow Jesus from the Hosannas of Palm Sunday to the Upper Room where Jesus shared the Last Supper with his friends.We will hear of Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane and before Pontius Pilate.We will hear again his commandment to love one another and of his great love shown on the cross.Throughout, there are tangible experiences to help draw us into Jesus’ Passion.
The service will conclude in the sanctuary with a time of Adoration of the Cross. One element that will carry over from Good Fridays past is the opportunity to kneel before the cross and tie colored ribbons upon it. As we leave worship, we will be reminded that this is not the end of the story; Easter is coming!
I hope you’ll consider joining us on Good Friday for this new worship service. I especially hope families with children will come, but the invitation is open to all – just like God’s invitation to us!