Book of Common Prayer (ECUSA)/Proper Liturgies for Special Days/Good Friday
Good Friday
On this day the ministers enter in silence.
All then kneel for silent prayer, after which the Celebrant stands and begins the liturgy with the Collect of the Day.
Immediately before the Collect, the Celebrant may say
| Blessed be our God. | |
| People | For ever and ever. Amen. |
Let us pray.
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old TestamentIsaiah 52:13—53:12, or Genesis 22:1‑18, or Wisdom 2:1, 12‑24
Psalm22:1‑11(12‑21), or 40:1‑14, or 69:1‑23
EpistleHebrews 10:1‑25
The Passion Gospel is announced in the following manner
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
The customary responses before and after the Gospel are omitted.
John 18:1—19:37or 19:1-37
The Passion Gospel may be read or chanted by lay persons. Specific roles may be assigned to different persons, the congregation taking the part of the crowd.
The congregation may be seated for the first part of the Passion. At the verse which mentions the arrival at Golgotha (John 19:17) all stand.
The Sermon follows.
A hymn may then be sung.
The Solemn Collects
All standing, the Deacon, or other person appointed, says to the people
Dear People of God: Our heavenly Father sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved; that all who believe in him might be delivered from the power of sin and death, and become heirs with him of everlasting life.
We pray, therefore, for people everywhere according to their needs.
In the biddings which follow, the indented petitions may be adapted by addition or omission, as appropriate, at the discretion of the Celebrant. The people may be directed to stand or kneel.
The biddings may be read by a Deacon or other person appointed. The Celebrant says the Collects.
Let us pray for the holy Catholic Church of Christ throughout the world;
For its unity in witness and service
For all bishops and other ministers
and the people whom they serve
For N., our Bishop, and all the people of this diocese
For all Christians in this community
For those about to be baptized (particularly___________)
That God will confirm his Church in faith, increase it in love, and preserve it in peace.
Silence
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray for all nations and peoples of the earth, and for those in authority among them;
For N., the President of the United States
For the Congress and the Supreme Court
For the Members and Representatives of the United Nations
For all who serve the common good
That by God’s help they may seek justice and truth, and live in peace and concord.
Silence
Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth; that in tranquillity your dominion may increase, until the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray for all who suffer and are afflicted in body or in mind;
For the hungry and the homeless, the destitute and the oppressed
For the sick, the wounded, and the crippled
For those in loneliness, fear, and anguish
For those who face temptation, doubt, and despair
For the sorrowful and bereaved
For prisoners and captives, and those in mortal danger
That God in his mercy will comfort and relieve them, and grant them the knowledge of his love, and stir up in us the will and patience to minister to their needs.
Silence
Gracious God, the comfort of all who sorrow, the strength of all who suffer: Let the cry of those in misery and need come to you, that they may find your mercy present with them in all their afflictions; and give us, we pray, the strength to serve them for the sake of him who suffered for us, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray for all who have not received the Gospel of Christ;
For those who have never heard the word of salvation
For those who have lost their faith
For those hardened by sin or indifference
For the contemptuous and the scornful
For those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and persecutors of his disciples
For those who in the name of Christ have persecuted others
That God will open their hearts to the truth, and lead them to faith and obedience.
Silence
Merciful God, creator of all the peoples of the earth and lover of souls: Have compassion on all who do not know you as you are revealed in your Son Jesus Christ; let your Gospel be preached with grace and power to those who have not heard it; turn the hearts of those who resist it; and bring home to your fold those who have gone astray; that there may be one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us commit ourselves to our God, and pray for the grace of a holy life, that, with all who have departed this world and have died in the peace of Christ, and those whose faith is known to God alone, we may be accounted worthy to enter into the fullness of the joy of our Lord, and receive the crown of life in the day of resurrection.
Silence
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The service may be concluded here with the singing of a hymn or anthem, the Lord’s Prayer, and the final prayer on page 282.
If desired, a wooden cross may now be brought into the church and placed in the sight of the people.
Appropriate devotions may follow, which may include any or all of the following, or other suitable anthems. If the texts are recited rather than sung, the congregation reads the parts in italics.
Anthem 1
We glory in your cross, O Lord,
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection;
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world.
May God be merciful to us and bless us,
show us the light of his countenance, and come to us.
Let your ways be known upon earth,
your saving health among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
We glory in your cross, O Lord,
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection;
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world.
Anthem 2
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;
if we endure, we shall also reign with him.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Anthem 3
O Savior of the world,
who by thy cross and precious blood hast redeemed us:
Save us and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
The hymn “Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle,” or some other hymn extolling the glory of the cross, is then sung.
The service may be concluded here with the Lord’s Prayer and the final prayer below.
In the absence of a bishop or priest, all that precedes may be led by a deacon or lay reader.
In places where Holy Communion is to be administered from the reserved Sacrament, the following order is observed
A Confession of Sin
The Lord’s Prayer
The Communion
The service concludes with the following prayer. No blessing or dismissal is added.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, we pray you to set your passion, cross, and death between your judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living; pardon and rest to the dead; to your holy Church peace and concord; and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.