Almighty, suffering God,whose love for us extends from the heights of heavento the depths of Mary’s womband even into the darkness of the grave,Receive now these prayers we offer at the foot of your cross:For those, like Jesus, who must flee their homelands for fear of violence.For those, like Jesus, with no place to lay…
Here is a “stations of Holy Week” service we did several years ago at Peace Mennonite. It takes people through the story of Holy Week through Jesus’ burial. It will need to be adapted for different theological and logistical contexts, but I hope you find the overall structure and simplified readings helpful if you hope…
As we move from Palm Sunday to Good Friday, a lot of people wonder how the “Hosanna” of Palm Sunday gave way to the “Crucify him!”of Good Friday. How did the crowd go from praising Jesus to condemning him, all in a matter of days? Well, it didn’t. Because we are talking about two different…
Some were there when Jesus, bloody and bruised, climbed the hill to the Place of the Skull. The women, wailing along with the infants in their arms; Simon of Cyrene, forced to carry the cross beam that Jesus could no longer bear; the chief priests and scribes and elders re-writing the narrative in their heads,…
Good Friday, April 3, 2015 Peace Mennonite Church Welcome and Introduction Hymn: Abide with me Call to Worship We are Jesus’ disciples, following him even as he moves toward the cross. Even as he wraps a towel around his waist. Even as he kneels to wash the filth from the feet of his friends. We…
About a month ago, on a Sunday night, my mom took my dad to the emergency room because he had a fever that wouldn’t go away. After discovering his blood pressure was extremely low, they admitted him to the hospital. Then they sent him to another hospital. By the time I got there three days…
This is the Good Friday service I put together for this year. We will again be using a script put together by a church member that simply pulls out the dialog of the passion story. I find this to be a powerful reading, though it could be confusing for people unfamiliar with the story. You…
Here is the prayer we will pray at the beginning of our Good Friday service: Holy One, we gather in your presence on this holy night. We look forward to the resurrection celebration. But we know that first, we must walk this path with you. Give us ears to hear. Give us eyes to see.…
Holy Week tends to be pretty hard on pastors–or at least on me. There is, of course, the practical aspect of organizing and leading extra worship services. (Between today and next Sunday there are seven worship services in which I have a significant part.) More worship services means more sermons to write, more music to…
*This order of worship is from 2011. You can see the 2013 service, which does not include foot washing, here. – – – – – Welcome and Introduction Confession and Assurance Hymn: What wondrous love is this (v. 1) Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon (From Psalm 51) Hymn: What wondrous love is this…
Spacious Faith 