The Shame of the Cross: A Good Friday Service

2013, 5 pp
We sometimes speak of “hiding our face in shame”. But today we, like Jesus, “set our faces toward Jerusalem”. We will see the shame he endured. We will reflect on the shame endured by people in our own communities. We will confess our own guilt and the feelings of shame within ourselves, and yet we will fix our eyes on Jesus, about whom the Scripture says “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”

Adaptation:

Peace Mennonite Church in Richmond, BC added a "response" after each reflection/prayer (during the singing of "Stay with Me") - all ages participated:
  • Whip - come forward and pick up the whip, and remember that human beings can be very cruel. Jesus has experienced our cruelty and our suffering.
  • Garment/Dice - Jesus was very poor. He had only one garment, and they shamed him by taking that from him before they nailed him to the cross. Then the soldiers played a game. They gambled for the one last thing that Jesus had. We invite you to come forward and act out this scene of the soldiers throwing dice for Jesus’ robe.
  • Bag of coins - Come forward and take hold of this bag of 30 coins to remember how Jesus was betrayed for a shamefully small amount of money.
  • Footwashing - If you would like to join Jesus in that very tender moment when he washed his disciple’s feet, you are invited to come forward for a symbolic footwashing/handwashing ceremony.
  • Tears - Write a prayer on the red heart you found in your bulletin, fold it into a teardrop and then bring it up and pin it to the cross.
  • Extinguished Candles - As a sign of the darkness of Christ’s suffering and our own—the darkness of abandonment and even despair—you are welcome to come forward and take a snuffer and extinguish one of the candles at the front.

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