via rss reader
via emailQuestion: What Did You Think Of Good Friday At DEC?
April 14th, 2009Did you attend any of the Good Friday events at DEC this year?
If yes: Which ones? Do you have any thoughts about them? Good? Bad? Indifferent?
If not, why not?
Your input will help us evaluate this year’s services.
Amy Woodworth said:
Hey Chris,
I was at all 3 services Friday night. I have to say that I loved it. I think you made a good point when you said that during easter we always focus on Sunday and Jesus rising from the dead. Friday always seems to go by the wayside. But we would never have Sunday if not for his death on Friday. I like the different approach to the service. I like hearing sermons but having the visual of the movie really made it a real event. Then the after movie service was amaizing! I am a very hands on person and loved the actual physical prosses that we went through. It was well thought out. Good job to all involved!
David T said:
Hi Chris,
we only attended the first part of the Good Friday service - loved the silence, time to contemplate what actually happened, and all the Scripture reading. Liz and I both agreed, though, that your comment about not being able to see clearly because of the Cross was really powerful. I am amazed at how often I can look right past Him and then complain that He is not aware of my situation. Thanks for coordinating this and leading us!
Chris said:
@Amy Woodworth - Thanks for the input. I’m glad to hear it was a blessing!
@David T - Thanks for bringing that up because I think that’s something I needed to be reminded of for my relationships this week, not just Friday night. How quickly I forget!
GirlyGirl said:
The part that really stood out to me was at the end of the movie… you stopped it just after Jesus died and his mother Mary was holding him. The scene faded to black and the movie stopped… and that’s when you reminded us that it was only Good Friday… the resurrection hadn’t happened yet. That was very powerful!
I feel it really kicked the last part of the evening into high gear… to come to the cross - confess sin and the part that kept kicking my butt was the forgiveness… God just kept bringing to mind this… “But God demonstrates his own love fro us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
It was tough… but it was an amazing God filled and God glorifying night!
Amy D. said:
I attended all 3. It was great! Thank you so much. What a blessing in my life.
G said:
I attended the services Good Friday. Thank you to everyone who put so much effort into planning, organizing, and setting up the spaces. The worship center was completely transformed! I agree that it was a powerful reminder to have the cross right at the center of everything. The first service prompted me to stop and think about what Friday was like for the disciples and those who knew Jesus. Later in the evening the physical acts of removing our shoes, touching wood, hearing nails being hammered into the cross, feeling sharp thorns and listening to water as hands were washed reminded me of the reality of God’s love & Christ’s sacrifice for me. As I participated I was so blessed to find myself engaging with God, speaking to Him and hearing His voice as He spoke to me. Praise God for being a God who speaks to His children!
Chris said:
[For those reading this who didn't attend the last part of the night: there were 5 "spaces" to spend time in: searching & seeking, confession & repentance, forgiveness & assurance, commitment & consecration, and supplication & intercession. Each space had a handout with pertinent Scriptures & focus suggestions, but the time spent in each space was definitely spent between the worshiper & God.]
@GirlyGirl: Yeah, there was an emptiness about ending that movie early that left us really focusing on Jesus’ death & the effect of our sin on Him. And I feel that grappling with sin allows us to see better what His grace is - we move too quickly past sin sometimes when what we need is to realize how terrible it is (and therefore, how wonderful His grace is).
@Amy D.: That’s great to hear! Thanks for saying so.
@ G: God speaks! I’m so glad to hear that He spoke to you! Numbers 11:26-29!
momofbdjb said:
Hey Chris, I attended the middle part of the Good Friday servie and it was such a blessing. You did such a great job of setting up an environment that allowed you to be alone with God even with so many others right around us. Thanks so much for the time and energy that went into the service that allow so many of us to reflect and meet with God.
A said:
I was able to attend the movie and the following service. It happened to be my first time watching The Passion. I figured if I were to watch such a film, that on Good Friday and with other believers was the right place and situation. I was right. It added the appropriate weight to such a movie.
A catholic friend remarked that our progressive prayer service was really a sort of ’stations of the cross’. I don’t know about that, but for my part, it was profound. Personal. Moving. And I continue to be impacted by my experience. Thank you for guiding us to step outside the box.
(The transition of the chairs was chaotic and broke the reverence that I felt from watching the movie. Troubleshoot that?)
J said:
Very powerful! This is coming from someone who really still has a hard time with the whole bloody sacrifice thing… After viewing the movie I went on to Stations Station number 1. I sat there trying to comprehend how I was supposed to be grateful and praise God for something I just couldn’t really grasp or comprehend. In Bible Study just two weeks earlier we discussed how the disciples couldn’t comprehend what Jesus was telling them the night of his last supper, that he would return “in them”. So I thought, if I can understand and comprehend the Holy Spirit based on living in 2009, that maybe it was comprehendible that they could understand something in their day and yet not be able to go forward in time and understand the Holy Spirit concept (counselor) as Jesus Christ promised them.
Station Number 2. I read my directions and sat there confessing my sin. Feeling no emotion, I felt very much like a farce.
Station Number 3 - Ask for forgiveness and then dip your hands in the water and God would cleanse you of your sins. Again, feeling very little emotion other than alright, I’ll go dip my hands in the water and complete the station – I got up. To my surprise, just at the very moment I dipped my hands in the water, an overwhelming emotion came over me and I sobbed as my hands were submerged in the water. I remember feeling totally blown away as I was standing there. And then I understood, although I can’t comprehend and get my arms around the whole bloody Jesus Christ sacrifice thing, I can comprehend that God can and does cleanse me of my sins and that by confessing, asking for forgiveness of my sins and reading his word - I can do things I normally couldn’t do, know things I normally wouldn’t know, and feel things I normally wouldn’t feel (words from a Beth Moore Bible Study- “Living Beyond Yourself“).
Station 4 & 5. I did them, but I was still back on Station number 3 mentally!
So I guess the feedback I wanted to give you was that the stations had way more impact than I had ever expected. I hope you consider having them again next year.
Thanks, J!