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Featured Discipleship/Faith Formation Resources
This is part of the worship series, "Rooted and Established in Love”Introduction Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4—World Communion Sunday Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8—All Saints /Reformation SundayWeek 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12—Christ the King SundayWeek 3: The Calling TreeScripture: Exodus 3Faith Practice: Obedience and DiscipleshipGatheringCall to WorshipNow Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”And Moses said, “Here I am.”“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”—Exodus 3:1–5 NIVPrayer of ConfessionAlmighty God, so often we, like Moses, fear what it means to be called by you. So many times we look at the risks, we look at our own inadequacies for the task, we look around and see so many other people who are better equipped to serve you, and we shy away or close our ears to hear your call. We ask, “Who am I to be used by you?” But God, you say to us again and again, “I will be with you.” You, God, will be with us because you are almighty, you are everlasting, and you are always faithful. Your grace is enough. Amen.Assurance of Pardon“Your Grace Is Enough” MaherWordScriptureExodus 3MessageThe Calling TreeResponseGuide to Grateful LivingJoining the mission of God,the church is sentwith the gospel of the kingdomto call everyone to know and follow Christand to proclaim to allthe assurance that in the name of Jesusthere is forgiveness of sinand new life for all who repent and believe.The Spirit calls all membersto embrace God’s missionin their neighborhoodsand in the world:To feed the hungry,bring water to the thirsty,welcome the stranger,clothe the naked,care for the sick,and free the prisoner.We repent of leaving this work to a few,for this mission is central to our being.—Our World Belongs to God, para. 41, © 2008, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Grand Rapids MI. www.crcna.org. Used by permission.SendingParting Blessing Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, as he works among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.—Hebrews 13:20–21 NRSVUESong “Thuma mina / Send Me, Lord” South AfricanRevised Common LectionaryYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 17 (22)
QI have been a musician all my life, but I just recently started serving my church as a worship leader. I thought it would be easy to pull together music, rehearse a team, and lead on Sunday mornings, but it has been such a challenge! How do I think about my role, and where do I start to develop my skills?AI understand the mix of confidence and uncertainty that comes with embarking on a new endeavor. I have been a lifelong runner. But in the last few years, I have taken on the role of a middle school track and cross-country coach. Middle schoolers can sniff out uncertainty in a coach like bloodhounds and deliver you as the evening meal!To improve my coaching skills, I recently started working toward a coaching certification. In the first learning module, I was inspired by a top ten list of qualities of a good coach. I was surprised that only one of the items was about understanding the sport. The rest had to do with the capacity for learning and leadership, the skills of mentoring and motivation, the example of character and care, and the ability to listen and communicate effectively (International Olympics Committee, “Qualities of a Great Sports Coach,” tinyurl.com/QualitiesCoach).These same qualities are what make a good worship leader. Musical skills and public speaking are essential, but they are not sufficient. I have mentored emerging worship leaders over many years and have discerned six essential identity markers for their development. I will define these markers here and provide several reflection questions and prompts for growth in these areas. 1. Pastoral TheologiansThe titles “pastor” and “theologian” can be intimidating for emerging worship leaders. Pastors preach and provide pastoral care. Theologians use sophisticated language, debate theories, and confront controversies. But worship leaders have a pastoral and theological role. They help the church to imagine who God is and how God relates to us and the world. I’m fond of this Eugene Peterson quote: “That is why I am a pastor, to introduce people to the real world and train them to live in it.” (“The Subversive Pastor,” Leadership Journal 10 (Spring 1989), archived at Christianity Today). Worship leaders introduce people to God through the names, images, and metaphors for God used in our songs and prayers. Worship leaders train people how to relate to God through acts of praise, confession, lament, and dedication. Worship leaders communicate God’s triune nature and activity in their spoken introductions and transitions. Worship leaders must therefore learn to integrate the tasks of planning and leading worship with a full-orbed theological imagination of the person and work of the triune God. At the heart of the task is shaping our prayers and song selections to mirror what we believe. Reflective PromptsWhen you pray, what names, images, and metaphors for God most readily come to mind? How have worship leaders, worship songs, and public prayers contributed to your imagination?How is God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—active in a worship service? What expectations do you bring with you into public worship? What is the role of the worship leader in relation to God’s activity?Worship enacts a relationship between God and us. In what ways do you best relate to God in worship? How do you best hear from God? How do you best respond? What practices of worship help the people to hear and respond to God?What healthy relational habits with God (praise, confession, lament, dedication, etc.) come most naturally to you? How have these been shaped by your experience of public worship? What habits are more difficult?Imagine standing before your community in public worship. How do your beliefs about God’s church shape how you view them? How might your beliefs affect how you plan and lead worship for them? 2. Followers of JesusWorship leaders are also disciples. We must apprentice ourselves to the person and work of Jesus and rely moment by moment on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We grow in discipleship by engaging in classic spiritual disciplines, and for worship leaders, discipleship includes submitting all the tasks of planning and leading worship to Christ. As followers of Jesus, worship leaders ought to embody the life of Christ and cultivate a “congruence between what we do and the way we do it” (Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eerdmans, 2009, p. 333). We must regularly ask what Christlike virtues we want to embody as worship planners and leaders. We must discern how to cultivate these virtues and how these virtues translate into both the process of our planning and the products. Reflective PromptsTheologian Dallas Willard wrote, “I am not necessarily learning to do everything that [Jesus] did. I am learning how to do everything I do in the manner that he did all that he did” (The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, Harper, 1998, p. 283).Considering the administrative tasks of planning and leading (e.g., communicating with team members, preparing song binders, setting up the drum set, editing visual presentations, etc.), describe how you might apply and practice Christlike virtues such as humility, patience, and gratitude.Considering the creative tasks of planning worship (e.g., choosing songs, selecting Scripture passages, preparing prayers and spoken words, etc.), describe how you might apply and practice Christlike virtues such as imagination, wisdom, and unity.Considering the performative tasks of leading worship (e.g., leading in song, delivering prayers, reading Scripture, etc.), describe how you might apply and practice Christlike virtues such as discernment of gifts, courage, and presence.Is the person you portray when leading worship consistent with who you are on Friday nights, in the workplace, or with your family? What would your friends say about your character and behavior outside of being a worship leader?How have you seen God at work in you and in others as you have served in worship leadership? What practices will help you continue during the next year to pay attention to God’s activity? 3. Curators of CultureEver more so in our multicultural world, worship leaders are those who gather the gifts of the global church and steward the talents of their diverse communities. Cultural intelligence is as valuable as musical aptitude. Worship leaders need not attempt to become experts in all cross-cultural practices of worship. But they must learn to appreciate and adapt to different cultures in order to extend hospitality, stand in solidarity, and mutually share in the abundant resources God has given the church (Sandra Maria Van Opstal, The Next Worship, IVP, 2015, p. 74). As curators of culture, worship leaders foster a multicultural approach to worship, seeking to wisely and adeptly relate their planning and leading to the global and ecumenical church loved by Jesus Christ.Reflective PromptsAuthor, speaker, and worship leader Sandra Maria Van Opstal writes, “The biggest barrier Christians face in developing communities hospitable to people of every ethnicity and culture is their ignorance about their own culture” (The Next Worship, p. 40). How would you describe your worship culture?What is one aspect of your worship culture that you cherish? How would you warmly and winsomely describe it to a guest?How do you feel about leading songs from outside of your cultural experience? What does it mean to lead with authenticity?What contributes most to your cross-cultural awkwardness? Fear? Preference? Lack of exposure? (Van Opstal, p. 26). What steps can you take to overcome your awkwardness? 4. Collaborative LeadersSome worship leaders serve within a team structure. Others work more independently in staff or volunteer positions. It is rare, however, for a worship leader not to collaborate with a pastor, with fellow musicians, or with other worship volunteers. Nevertheless, in North America individualism is idolized, and worship leaders must resist the all-too-common “go it alone” approach to ministry. As collaborative leaders, worship leaders seek opportunities with others to plan, lead, and evaluate the basic elements of a worship service. When we collaborate, we share the load, we balance strengths and weaknesses, we benefit from the wisdom and perspective of others, and we practice the virtues of Christ in community. Reflective PromptsReflect on your active listening skills. Do you stay visibly engaged when another person is speaking, or are you easily distracted? Do you validate the emotions of others, or do you try to “fix” them? Do you listen for what questions to ask, or do you listen for how you want to respond? Presbyterian minister Adam S. McHugh writes, “If you are ‘listening’ in such a way that the speaker must make an abrupt shift to listen, you are not doing it right” (The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction, IVP, 2015, p. 142).How do you show consideration when you don’t agree with an idea? Do you act with courage to share your perspective, or do you constantly defer to others?Do you tend to celebrate the accomplishments of others, or are you envious? Why?Do you tend to take responsibility for your failures, or do you blame others? Why?What does it look like for you to appropriately share your struggles and frustrations?Be honest: Can you be flexible and work with the schedules of others? Why or why not?Describe what it means to work hard and demonstrate passion for doing a good job.Do you take initiative to address a problem, or do you wait for others to act? Why? 5. Astute AdministratorsLet’s face it: If you lead worship, you need administrative skills. Worship leaders manage the mechanics of executing services and lead teams of volunteers. I preach to my students that administration is how we love our teams. Organizing schedules, responding to emails, photocopying music, hosting meetings, sending thank-you notes, printing worship outlines, and many, many other tasks are not merely chores leading to worship. When done out of love in the name of Christ, they are worship. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey encouraged his readers to be efficient with things and effective with people (p. 170). Efficiency with weekly tasks demands sage attention to time management. Effectiveness with people requires polished social skills. Worship leaders must devote time and energy to becoming astute administrators. Reflective PromptsCovey suggested we evaluate our time management based on a time matrix attributed to President Dwight D. Eisenhower (see sidebar). He claimed tasks could be grouped into four categories: 1) Important and Urgent, 2) Important and Not Urgent, 3) Not Important and Urgent, or 4) Not Important and Not Urgent (Covey, p. 151). Astute worship leaders will devote a significant percentage of time to the second category, Important and Not Urgent. Reflect honestly on how you spend your time in each category. Where would you like to spend more of your time?What is your preferred method of communication? Why? What are ways that other forms of communication might be more effective to convey your plans, ideas, or feelings?How do you feel about checklists? Do they feel constraining, or do they lower your anxiety and strengthen your confidence?Be honest: Do you love the idea of filing music, compiling binders, or producing photocopies? If not, what support do you need to fulfill these administrative tasks? If support isn’t available, what strategies can you employ to get these tasks done?What values do you embody in the quality of your work? Does your work serve others? Is it loving, considerate, kind, thoughtful? URGENTNOT URGENTImportant DoTasks with clear deadlines and significant consequences if not completed in a timely fashion.DecideTasks with no set deadlines but which still bring you closer to long-term goals.Not Important DelegateTasks that need to get done but perhaps don’t require your expertise to be accomplished.DeleteTasks that distract you from your goals and don’t add measurable value.6. Worship ApprenticesThe Calvin University students I train in worship and leadership are aptly called “worship apprentices.” I challenge them to continually learn and grow in knowledge, skills, and identity. Discerning talents and passions for serving in worship leadership is a lifelong endeavor. Some learning in worship leadership can be acquired through the classroom, video tutorials, articles, and books, but a great deal happens through hands-on learning, reflection, and mentoring. Reflective PromptsWhat is your vision for worship leadership and planning in your community and beyond?What skills and knowledge do you need to achieve your vision?What are your strengths and weaknesses as a worship leader?How do you approach and evaluate new situations? Do you ask yourself if you will succeed or fail, look smart or dumb, be accepted or rejected? (Carl S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Ballantine, 2016, p. 6). Where do these concerns come from? Does this hold you back from following your curiosity and learning new things?Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull wrote: “Failure isn’t a necessary evil; in fact, it isn’t evil at all. It’s a necessary process of doing anything new” (Creativity Inc., Random House, 2024, p. 317). Do you agree? How do you typically respond to mistakes and failures?Describe any skill that you had to learn. How did you grow in confidence? What helped you stay motivated and positive amid hardship?Who can mentor you in worship leadership or serve as a conversation partner as you continue to learn and grow? Most vocations require more than just skills and knowledge in a given discipline. Engineers need time management as well as mathematics. Teachers need passion as well as pedagogy. Entrepreneurs need grit as well as a great idea. The same is true for worship leaders. Musical skill is required. Knowledge of repertoire is indispensable. Charisma on the platform is crucial. But being and becoming an effective worship leader is so much more. It demands theological imagination, discipleship, cultural curiosity, teamwork, attention to detail, and a growth mindset. Developing as a worship leader is a worthy endeavor, an act of worship in and of itself.
The Way of the Cross is a Tenebrae service that uses music, dramatic readings, and PowerPoint slides. It is based on the Stations of the Cross, a devotional practice developed in the Middle Ages by the Franciscans as a way of allowing people who could not travel to the Holy Land to walk where Christ walked on the day of his passion. By meditating on the different stations, we are viewing the crucifixion not only as a historical recounting, but also as an event that still affects our world, our society, our neighbors, and ourselves. In doing so, we can witness God’s passionate love for us revealed by the willingness of Jesus to die for us to be reconciled to God.In our worship, we are invited to challenge ourselves to follow Jesus’ example of selfless love in our daily lives and to remind ourselves that the path of discipleship is indeed the Way of the Cross.The ParticipantsThe service is structured around the reflections of three persons journeying with Christ on the road to Calvary. The service is scripted for five people: a leader, the voice of Christ, and three voices representing the world, the local community, and our individual selves. Interspersed throughout are prayers that could be spoken by the congregation, the person representing the individual or by a sixth leader.The Physical SpaceThe focus of the physical space is on the cross and candles up front. There should be nine candles or votives plus a larger Christ candle that remains lit and is carried out at the end of the service. A person dressed in black extinguishes each candle at the appropriate time, calling as little attention to themself as possible. Depending on the lighting in your worship space, you may want to start with all the lights on and dim them slightly each time a candle is snuffed out until the very end, when all is dark as the Christ candle is taken out (a few lights could then be turned back on so people can safely exit). If you include projected images throughout the service, they will cast some light, so it may be wise to meet with your technical crew once at the same time of day as your service to consider the lighting, especially if your space has windows.To keep the focus on the cross and candles, the speakers in our service were located on the balcony, but stage directions are included in case they are up front. Depending on the location of your organ or piano, musicians might sing from a balcony, the back of the worship space, or on one side of the stage.Musical SelectionsThis service includes suggestions for a choir or a soloist. If lights will be dimmed, make sure the singers either have another light source or have the songs memorized. This service does not include congregational singing, but the choral or vocal pieces could easily be exchanged for congregational songs—but keep your lighting decisions in mind if the congregation will be using printed bulletins or hymnals rather than projected lyrics.Communal Reflection and Projected ImagesA few weeks before the service, various church groups, such as youth group, adult bible study, and small groups, reflected on one of the passages used in this service and chose public domain images related to their insights. These images were then used as the projected visual accompaniment to this service. You could also invite individuals to create artistic reflections on each passage and photograph the creations to include in the service. The Way of the CrossCall to Worship and Opening PrayerSurely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.—Isaiah 53:4–6Merciful Father, whether we know it or not,we bear the imprint of the cross.We find life’s journey hard,we know the mystery of death, and we recoil from it.Tonight, help us to face life’s dark sidein ourselves and in our world.Open our hearts to the realization of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice,which showed your great love for all humankind.Through the way of the cross, help us find you tonight.Abba, Father, walk with us.The Journey BeginsLeader: Hours before his crucifixion, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus surrendered. Not to the Roman soldiers. Not to his betrayer. Not even to his own death. Rather, he surrendered to his Father’s will. He said:Christ: “Abba, Father, dear father, my father . . . For you all things are possible. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”(Matthew 26:39 adapt.)Leader: At one time or another, all of us will be asked to surrender our will to God’s. It could be the cup of betrayal, persecution, or disease, loss of love, or sacrificing personal gain for the greater good. Surrender is not easy. Christ in his anguish sweated great drops of blood. But in the end:Christ: “Not my will . . .”Leader: Do we have the courage to follow our Savior’s lead?Christ: “Your will be done.”(Matthew 26:42)[As the music starts the first candle is extinguished.]Choral Anthem“Thy Will Be Done” CourtneyFirst Station: Jesus Is Condemned to DeathLeader: As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. . . . Pilate [asked the crowd], . . . “What do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” . . . After flogging Jesus, [Pilate] handed him over to be crucified.(Mark 15:1, 12–15, NRSV)World: It is a haunting scene. Why doesn’t Jesus try to defend himself? He is tried and convicted of a crime he did not commit. He just stands there, an innocent man, and takes the blame for the sins of the very people who are condemning him.Community: Justice—dear, blind Madame Justice, where are you? Segregation. Condemnation. Extermination.Leader: Jesus said, “Love one another.”Community: How pathetic are we not to see, not to hear, not to treat each other with compassion, with mercy . . .Leader: “Love one another.”Individual: I close my eyes. I’m afraid to look inside, afraid I may see the very things I condemn in others staring back at me.Choral Music“Father, Forgive Us” Martin and CourtneyPrayerO Lord Jesus, so many times we see you hungry, sick, and helpless,and we do not reach out to you.We blindly turn our backs on the injustices of the worldonly to focus on ourselves.Haunt us with your loveso we can be love to your world.Amen.[The second candle is extinguished.]Second Station: Jesus Is Condemned to DeathLeader: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” . . . Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).(Matt: 16:24, John 19:17, NLT)World: Humanity is burdened with many crosses: war, hunger, and famine, greed and poverty, sickness and death. We can’t escape them. It gets hard to watch the news.Community: I watch my neighbors bear their crosses. Some are mourning; some are struggling to survive financially; some are living in fear and loneliness. I pray about them every day. Is there more to be done?Leader: Jesus said; “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”Individual: The cross? Surely you can’t mean . . . No, not that cross. Please! [long pause] Abba . . . please!Leader: Jesus went out carrying his cross. He knows what it is to carry a heavy burden. He showed us how—not out of guilt or obligation, but out of love.Vocal Solo“Take Up Thy Cross” EverestPrayerLord Jesus, you embraced your cross to redeem the world.Help us to accept the crosses in our lives:the hardships, losses, struggles, disappointments, and pain.Help us to see these crosses not as tiresome burdens,but as ways of surrendering to you:surrendering to your love,surrendering to the peace of acceptancethat lies in every cross that comes our way.Amen.[The third candle is extinguished.] Third Station: Jesus Falls the First TimeLeader: As they led [Jesus] away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.(Luke 23:26, NRSV)World: Simon of Cyrene. A perfect stranger in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or was it the right place at the right time? He is grabbed and forced to take the cross. Is he reluctant? Or does he step forward, ever so slightly, at God’s nudging?Community: Where and when are those God-touched moments in our lives? Do we resist the nudges to open ourselves to the needs of others?Individual: I don’t like to make myself vulnerable.Leader: Jesus calls us to bear one another’s burdens, to let each other in. We are the body of Christ.Organ Instrumental“Out of the Depths I Cry to You” Drieshner, arr. of Martin Luther’s AUS TIEFER NOTPrayerThank you, God, for strangers in our midstwho often, like angels, unwittingly show us what to doand how to do it.Thank you, Abba, for the nudgesthat open us up to your redeeming love.Amen.[The fourth candle is extinguished.]Fourth Station: Jesus Speaks to the WomenLeader: A large number of people followed [Jesus], including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.”(Luke 23:27–28)World: Ours is a world filled with death and destruction: wars and earthquakes, car bombs and terrorists, genocide and starvation. Have we lost the ability to comprehend and feel compassion in the face of loss? Are our tears sufficient? We’ve seen the pictures— thousands of tearless eyes, drained by grief. So we cry in their stead.Community: The women following Jesus are weeping tears. Tears of what? Grief, guilt, remorse, anger, rage, helplessness, hopelessness? They cry, these women cry, as I am crying inside. Our tears are not enough. They cannot touch his pain. They cannot stop the agony.Individual: Yet my tears cannot feed the hungry. My tears cannot bring peace. Are tears enough? Abba, Father, how can we move beyond weeping when it hurts too much even to breathe sometimes?Leader: Lord, have mercy upon us.Vocal Solo“Have Mercy, Lord” J. S. Bach, alto aria from St. Matthew PassionPrayerLord Jesus, your great compassion overwhelms us.I feel petty and selfish when I think of you and the way you love.Open our eyes. Heal our hearts.Help us to pour out our agony and fearsto make room in our hearts for your love.Show us how to love through our tears.Amen.[The fifth candle is extinguished.]Fifth Station: Jesus Is Stripped of His GarmentsLeader: When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them, and cast lots for my garment.”(John 19:23–24)World: The soldiers strip Jesus of his clothing. They gamble away his dignity—and their own. A man is being executed just a few feet away, and they don’t even notice. They don’t care.Community: We spend fortunes to wrap ourselves in pride and false securities at the expense of others, at the expense of our own planet. We can’t seem to stop. Or don’t we care?Individual: Why do I keep grasping for more? Me! Mine! My accomplishments. My possessions. My desires. Always demanding my own way, not caring how it might hurt anyone else.Leader: How well we understand this truth from the apostle Paul: when we want to do good, we don’t. And when we try not to do wrong, we do it anyway.(adapted from Romans 7:15–21)Individual: [to Leader 1] It’s hard!Leader: [to Individual] I know. I was there, too. [looks down] I threw the dice with the rest of them. [to congregation] Didn’t you?Vocal Duet“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” WattsPrayerAbba, Father, tonight we see the shattered illusionsof our self-importance.We see our possessions laid naked before us,exposed by the Truth for what they really are:substitutions for you.Help us choose the true treasures of faith, hope, and lovethat bring healing and wholeness into our world.Help us choose you.Amen.[The sixth candle is extinguished.]Sixth Station: Jesus Is Nailed to the CrossLeader: There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”(John 19:18–22)Individual: To mock you, to make sport, a sign is placed above your head announcing in jest your lineage as king of God’s chosen people. Little do they know what they were doing.World: Don’t think for a moment this was a peaceful death. This was a scene of horror, of humanity at his worst. There is no more painful death than the one Jesus died.Leader: It is a love that humanity struggles to comprehend.Community: I don’t want to claim responsibility for this gruesome act. I am disgusted too, like Pilate, and I want to walk away. And yet . . . on the streets today, do I mock you still by the silence in which I announce your love for me?Choral Music“He Never Said A Mumblin’ Word / They Crucified My Lord” Traditional SpiritualPrayerSweet Lord,you once withstood abuse in view of the entire worldand never said a word.Even today we abandon youand mock you by our indifference.Yet you love us still. You were trying to tell usthat death does not mean the end,that suffering has meaning,and we would not listen.Forgive us, Lord.Amen.[The seventh candle is extinguished.]Seventh Station: Jesus on the CrossOrgan Solo“Adagio for Strings” Barber [played throughout the seventh station]Leader: When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”(John 19:26–27)Community: And still he loved, even as he was dying: caring for those he cherished most, making sure they would not be left alone, never thinking of himself.Leader: Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. . . . One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him: “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly. . . . But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”(Matthew 27:38; Luke 23:39–43)World: Again, Christ reaches beyond his own pain to calm the fear of others. “Don’t be afraid, my friend; you’re coming with me. We’re going home! I’ll show you the way. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!”Leader: At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).(Mark 15:33–34)Individual: You too, Abba? Must you leave me too? How dark is the night of the soul who feels abandoned by God. [sits]Leader: When Jesus had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.(John 19:30) [sits]PrayerLord Jesus, you chose death—even death on the cross.You did this for us.Your words still ring in our ears.They are deafening.They bring us to our knees.“Not my will, dear Father. Abba . . . thy will be done.”Amen.[The eighth candle is extinguished.]Eighth Station: Jesus Taken Off the CrossLeader: At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. . . . The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” . . . And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.(Matthew 27:51–54; Luke 23:48–49, NLT)World: Death. The loss overwhelms us. Agony sometimes escapes as a scream. At Jesus’ death the earth quakes—screams! A centurion whispers. And then silence.Individual: Silence. Then silence. The still, silent moment of abandonment that keeps us frozen and watching as if at a distance. It takes a while to learn to breathe again.Community: When the silence of death stills us and all who have been watching go home, we reach out. Your hand, O God, is the only hand to hold on to on nights like this one.[The ninth candle is extinguished.]Leader: Abba, you know the feeling of loss. You understand inconsolable anguish. You weep with us. Your heart was broken once too.Choral Music“O Ye People” CasalsAll Speakers: Abba. Abba. Abba. . . .Ninth Station: Jesus Is Laid in the TombLeader: Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock.(Luke 23:50–53, NLT)Vocal Solo“Were You There” AnonymousLeader: He then rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.(Mark 15:46)[The larger candle representing Christ is carried out, and those gathered are invited to follow in silence when ready to leave.]
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