Dear Followers of Jesus,
Please make sure that you have a cross with you for this service. I encourage you to hold it throughout, or be able to hold it at the end for the closing ritual.
On Good Friday we remember that God loved us so much that God gives God’s Life for all on a cross through an innocent and blameless One- Jesus Christ.
It is part of what I spoke of in the Maundy Thursday worship service about experiencing a “Beautiful Sorrow”. This is when a powerful emotion that God has created us to have, leads to something even more profound and meaningful than whatever has caused the sorrow. It is beautiful that God loves us that much and continues to hope for all the good that God intended as our Creator, but is sorrowful that God has to go through such suffering in order to help us live more abundantly and justly.
So I encourage you to experience the sorrow of the account of Jesus’ crucifixion, and to bring all of your sorrows so you can lay them at the foot of the cross as you are led to at the end of the service. Please find the bulletin and Celebrate attached.
Remember that Easter Sunday is at 10am, and that it will be an in-person, outdoor-livestreamed worship service in our parking lot. To participate via livestream, go to our website at: www.ststephenslutheran.org a few minutes ahead of time.
Please bring some flowers to place in our new Easter Cross! Bring your own chairs and masks. You may stay in your car as well. There will be an opportunity to give your offering in person and to receive Holy Communion using pre-sealed bread and fruit of the vine.
Please invite anyone you want to the service. Use this wonderful and joyous and occasion to ask people you might not normally, because after this pandemic many people’s perspectives have changed and may be looking to be invited to be a part of a faith community!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jim
You must be logged in to post a comment.