Notes on the Notes – April 3, 2026
Good Friday
Service music:
“We Remember”
“As we gather here, we remember how you turned the water into wine;
How you fed the hungry crowd with five loaves of bread,
How you healed the sick and the blind.
As we gather here, we remember how you gave your life on the tree.
We remember, Lord, you sacrifice, we remember Calvary.
As we gather here, we remember how you freely gave to those in need,
How you shared your Father’s love, his undying care,
With each word, each thought, every deed.
As we gather here, we remember how you gave your life on the tree.
We remember, Lord, your sacrifice, we remember Calvary.
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain, I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
We remember, Lord, your sacrifice,
We remember Calvary.”
The opening anthem by Joel Raney (2011) draws us into the Good Friday story by retelling some of the events of Jesus’ ministry and leading us to the phrase “we remember Calvary.” It incorporates the traditional hymn “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts, which was written over 300 years ago, in 1707.
“I Come to the Cross”
“I come to the cross seeking mercy and grace.
I come to the cross where You died in my place.
Out of my weakness and into Your strength,
Humbly, I come to the cross.
Your arms are open, You call me by name.
You welcome this child that was lost.
You paid the price for my guilt and my shame.
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come,
Jesus, I come to the cross.”
We sing this song by Bob Somma and Bill Batstone (1996) as we move into a retelling of the Good Friday narrative.
“Gentle Jesus, Mighty Spirit”
“Gentle Jesus, mighty Spirit,
Come inflame our hearts anew,
We may all your joys inherit
If we bear the cross with you.
If we bear the cross with you.”
We will be using this verse from the hymn, “Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery,” written by Marty Haugen (1984) as our sung response to the Good Friday scriptures and reflections.
“Beneath the Cross of Jesus” (VU #135)
“Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand:
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land,
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noon-tide heat and the burden of the day.
Upon the cross of Jesus my eyes at times can see
The very dying form of one who suffered there for me;
And from my smitten heart, with tears, two wonders I confess,
The wonder of his glorious love, and my unworthiness.
I take, O cross, your shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of his face,
Content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all, the cross.”
As we close our Good Friday worship, we join our hearts together with this familiar hymn by Elizabeth Clephane (1868). In the hymn, Elizabeth alludes to a passage in Isaiah that speaks of “the shade of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:1-2). Perhaps one reason that this hymn has become so well-loved is that we know what it means to live in a weary land. We feel the need of a mighty rock to shelter us from the storms of life. Jesus’ cross is that resting place. Jesus’ cross is our home within the wilderness, our rest upon the way.
