This Week in Worship – 3/29

Dear Grace Family,

Good Friday, it is such a strange name for the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. As a child, I remember that it was sometimes called Black Friday. That seems more appropriate as black is the primary color for the day. We have already changed the color draped on the cross outside the church and in the Celebration Center. Black also describes how we feel about this day. So why do we call today Good Friday? The answer is actually pretty simple. The word good can mean pious or holy like when we call the Holy Bible the Good Book. Saying today is Good Friday really means that it is Holy Friday, maybe the holiest Friday of the year.

Tonight, we will observe Good Friday with a Tenebrae service in the Celebration Center. It is a powerful worship experience led by our choir as they sing Hope in the Shadows, a contemporary Tenebrae service. Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness. The service is an experiential journey to the cross through the shadows of betrayal, injustice and agony. You can experience the Good Friday worship either in person or online at 7:00 PM tonight.

You may leave worship Friday evening feeling a bit depressed, but the real Good News of Good Friday is that the story does not end with the death of Jesus. Easter gets the last word, and you can celebrate the joy of Easter on Sunday in the Celebration Center at 9:00 and 11:00 AM (both services are identical) or at Common Grace in Grace Gathering at 10:15 AM. All of our Easter services will fill your heart with joy and hope. I promise that you will be blessed in worship this weekend. Let’s proclaim the Good News of our faith together!

See you in worship!
Barry

Each Tuesday Pastor Mitch publishes a devotion on his website Weeklydevotion.com.  If you’d like to receive this in your inbox, drop him an email at  [email protected] and just say “Sign me up!”