Good Friday ecumenical service

[docmattc]

My place is hosting the 'Churches Together' service on Good Friday evening this year. I've just been asked for ideas about the liturgy and music for it. I've not had chance yet to have a think (only asked this morning), but my first thought is to call for ideas from the forum...

[Ros Wood]

How about something based around Stations of the Cross?
Start and end with something well known like When I Survey, There is a Green Hill, O Sacred Head.
Reflection and prayer on each selected station (it may be best to stick to the biblical ones)
Silence and then Taize chant (e.g. Jesus Remember Me) between each station.
Depending on the layout of your church and expected numbers you can use your own stations (or other visual aids) and process.
Alternatively centre the whole thing on the cross will already be in a promenant place.

Ros.

[JW]

The trouble with the Stations is that non Catholics have real issues with those that are non-biblical, e.g. 'Veronica wipes the face of Jesus,' even with 'Jesus is placed into the arms of his mother.' This wouldn't preclude a service based on your own 'Stations.' Drama can be powerful if properly used.

[Tsume Tsuyu]

I've used the Stations of the Cross for an ecumenical service before and no-one has been negative about the non-biblical ones. I've used contemporary reflections and prayers at each station, and well known hymns. I have quite a few resources if you decide to opt for the Stations and need some ideas.

Alternatively, you could use something like Voices Around The Cross which is a sequence of reflections based on characters present at the crucifixion. The sequence includes prayers with the option of a sung response. In the past, I've used Behold the Lamb of God (Iona) and the verses of Were You There? You could use Jesus, Remember Me. I've used these reflections on their own for a short service, and as the central part of a longer service, topping and tailing with scripture readings and intercessions, and suitable hymns.

Another good resource is the WGRG publication Stages On The Way which has dramatisations and meditations and services. We used one particular service from that book for one of our ecumenical services in Holy Week. it focuses on laying down burdens and everyone is invited to lay their burden (symbolised by a stone or pebble) at the foot of a large wooden cross. It's a very prayerful and thought provoking service.

[Gwyn]

Although I wasn't present at this, our P.P. led an evening meditation last Good Friday evening meditating on Our Blessed Mother's recollections as she walks back home along the "Way of the Cross" and ponders on her thoughts as she does so. Boiled down it's the Way of the Cross in reverse. I'm told by those who were able to attend that is was very moving.

[Peter]

The Pope John Sunday Missal (Redemptorist Publications 1984, 85 ISBN 0 85231 068 4) has a version of the Stations in which all the meditations take the form of extracts from Scripture even if some of the links are a bit tenuous (eg 4th Station: Lk. 2:45-59, Sg. 3:1-4; 6th: Is. 53:2-3, Is. 52:14-15, Ps 42:2-3,5). As Ros says, you could make a selection and use the Cross (or perhaps an ikon) rather than the Stations as a focus.

I agree with the sort of hymns Ros is suggesting: they need to be tunes everyone knows even if you play "one hymn to the tune of another" - and there are good words around for old tunes. At last Sunday's ecumenical service in my local Methodist church we sang some good and appropriate new words to "Down Ampney" and "Cwm Rhondda" plus two hymns I didn't know, though they were still well supported. Tsume Tsuyu's suggestion also looks good.

Sorry not to be of more help. For many years the ecumenical event on Good Friday down here that I support whenever I can has been a scratch Stainer "Crucifixion" so I haven't much experience of the sort of event you're planning. One year they replaced it with a mixture of readings and shorter choral items, but that didn't work so well.

[docmattc]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I decided, after much deliberation, on a series of meditations on the 7 last words from the cross. These were sung by a cantor using the Taize piece "All you who pass this way" as the basis. We used some meditations by Karl Rahner between each one.

Other music was
How deep the Father's love (some slightly dubious theology but ecumenically well known)
Forgive our sins as we forgive
Jesus remember me
At the cross her station keeping
As the deer pants (The expensive underwear song)
Servant king
Adoramus te Christe (Palestrina)
When I survey

Obviously only selected verses to illustrate the point otherwise we'd still be there now. (it lasted about 50 minutes)

Judging by the level of positive feedback I had in the hall afterwards, it was well received.