3.21.2008

Good Friday Five

RevHRod gives us this thoughtful Friday Five:

As a child the designation "good" for today confused me. How could we call such a somber day, good? Holy, yes. Blessed, yes. But, good?As an adult I understand the meaning of good for this day. It is a solemn day of remembrance but it is also a time for us to stop and recall the great gift of love that we received this day. And that is most certainly good.Our worship today will differ from place to place. Some services will focus on the great litany of prayers. Others will use the seven last words of Jesus. Some of us will walk the stations of the cross. Others will participate in a Tennebrae service of shadows and light.I hope that this Friday Five will be a meaningful part of your Good Friday. God's blessings to you on your journey.

1. Our prayer concerns are as varied as we are this day. For whom would you like us to pray?
For all of us, that we move lovingly and peacefully in our worlds.

2. Are there things you have done or will do today to help the young ones understand this important day in our lives?

I suspect I am one of the young ones... but I don't have much interaction with children right now. It's certainly something to think about for the future, though.

3. Music plays an important part in sharing the story of this day. Is there a hymn or piece of music that you have found particularly meaningful to your celebrations of Good Friday?

Starting last night, when I was working on my sermon for this evening, I couldn't get an old baptist hymn out of my head. "Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me." The link below is just about how I heard it sung when I was tiny. (You get a different kind of hymn in Memphis than you get in PA.)

4. As you hear the passion narrative, is there a character that you particularly resonate with?

Peter. Always Peter. Enthusiasm, no sense.

5. Where have you seen the gracious God of love at work lately?

All over the place. God is slipping in through all the cracks and crevices lately.

17 comments:

  1. Thank you for your post. I hadn't thought of that song in a while. Such a good one! Thanks!

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  2. Good play. Thanks for the taste of your musical upbringing, too.

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  3. mmmm. "God slipping in through the cracks and crevices..."
    Love that.

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  4. I love that too, God slipping through cracks and crevises, appearing where you don't expect!!!

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  5. Anonymous9:07 AM

    Thanks for the video!

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  6. nice video. I mistakenly started it twice and was ever so confused...how could they make those sounds w/o moving their mouths!? HS!?

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  7. Everyone likes Peter, wacky.
    The video is interesting.

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  8. Anonymous10:06 AM

    I LOVED the video! I grew up in a congregation that sang this way. I do sooooo miss it. Lutheran theology is great... but dang I miss the music.

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  9. To your prayer request I say AMEN SISTAH!
    good play...

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  10. Yes, thanks for the video. There is such a wonderful variety of music with which to praise God!

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  11. God does indeed get through the cracks. As Leonard Cohen says, that is how the light gets in.

    Great play!

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  12. The harmony at the end there was really beautiful!

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the song.

    Jeanine

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  13. Hi Mrs. M.! Katie and I liked the video.

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  14. being a nashville native... anythang with a twang is good stuff.

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  15. Great play. Made me miss Memphis for a couple of minutes!

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  16. Good play. Nice video. Thanks.

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  17. What karlajean said! Loved it. And the video made me grin, but I admit it took me right back to my childhood church.

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"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."
-Saint Molly Ivins