RUSHFORD LUTHERAN CHURCH
GOOD FRIDAY
APRIL 18, 2025
“Words That Last Forever – Hands!”
Led by: Pastor Steve Chellew
Scripture Reader: Carol Jeffers
Organist: Shary Evavold
Projectionist: Becky Stocker
Videographer: Barb Johnson
Altar Guild: Barb Johnson, Karen Nelson
Vicki Nelson, Roxanne Woxland
PRESERVICE MUSIC
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
OPENING HYMN (Remain standing) With Words That Last Forever
Tune of Reclaim 149, Herzlich Tut Mich Verlangen
With words that last forever
You speak in richest grace,
Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior,
Upon your cross disgraced.
With open ears I listen,
With open mind believe,
With open heart embrace you:
I, Lord, your words receive.
“Forgiveness” granted sinners,
And “Paradise, today!”
“Behold your son, your mother!”
To family you say.
The air is split with anguish
In your “Forsaken” cry,
As “Thirsty,” work “Accomplished,”
In “Father‘s hands” you die.
Pray, sanctify the silence
With which I contemplate
Your boundless love for sinners,
Your sacrifice so great,
Till at the tomb I waken
To your new word for me:
These words, not last, but lasting,
Shall ring eternally!
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING LITANY
Pastor: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
People: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Pastor: The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
People: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Pastor: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
People: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Pastor: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
People: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Pastor: “The word that goes forth from my mouth shall not return to me empty,” says the Lord. “It shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
People: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
SONG OF RESPONSE Our Savior Speaks
Tune of Southwell, Reclaim 178
Our Savior speaks in love
To sinners in their need.
Oh, hear the message from above;
His gracious promise heed.
“Father, into your hands
My spirit I commend.”
And he who hears and understands
Receives him at the end.
RESPONSIVE PSALM Psalm 31:1-16 (ESV)
Pastor: In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame;
People: In your righteousness deliver me!
Pastor: Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily!
People: Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!
Pastor: For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
People: You take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
Pastor: Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
People: I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.
Pastor: I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
People: Because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,
Pastor: And you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
People: You have set my feet in a broad place.
Pastor: Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
People: my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also.
Pastor: For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing;
People: My strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.
Pastor: Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors,
People: And an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
Pastor: I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
People: I have become like a broken vessel.
Pastor: For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!
People: As they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
Pastor: But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
People: My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
Pastor: Make your face shine on your servant;
People: Save me in your steadfast love!
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON (be seated) Isaiah 53:1–6 (ESV)
(The Suffering Servant)
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
EPISTLE LESSON Romans 14:7-9 (ESV)
(Lord of the dead and living)
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
GOSPEL LESSON (Please stand) Luke 23:44-46 (ESV)
(The Father’s Hands)
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
HYMN OF THE DAY(Please be seated) Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Reclaim 142
Be-neath the cross of Je-sus
I fain would take my stand,
The shad-ow of a might-y rock
With-in a wea-ry land;
A home with-in the wil-der-ness,
A rest up-on the way,
From the burning of the noon-tide heat
And the bur-dens of the day.
Up-on the cross of Je-sus,
Mine eye at times can see
The ver-y dy-ing form of One
Who suffered there for me.
And from my smitten heart, with tears,
These won-ders I con-fess:
The wonder of his glo-rious love
And my un-wor-thi-ness.
I take, O cross, thy shad-ow
For my a-bid-ing place;
I ask no oth-er sun-shine than
The sun-shine of his face;
Con-tent to let the world go by,
To know no gain nor loss,
My sin-ful self my on-ly shame,
My glory all, the cross.
TODAY’S MESSAGE
“Word’s That Last Forever – Into Your Hands”
Luke 23:46
Jesus Last Words On The Cross | Lord’s Guidance
SPECIAL MUSIC Adult Choir
How Deep The Father’s Love For Us
By Stuart Townend
CCLI Song # 1558110
SERVICE OF DARKNESS – “Words That Last Forever”
THE FIRST WORD – FORGIVE Luke 23:32-34 (ESV)
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Father, Forgive Them – Logos Sermons
SONG OF RESPONSE Jesus, I Will Ponder Now
Lutheran Book of Worship, 115, vs. 1
Je-sus, I will pon-der now
On your ho-ly Pas-sion;
Let your Spir-it now en-dow
Me for medi-ta-tion.
Grant that I in love and faith
May the im-age cher-ish
Of your suf-f’ring, pain, and death,
That I may not per-ish.
THE SECOND WORD – PARADISE Luke 23:35–43 (ESV)
35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Today You Will Be With Me | Resurrection Orthodox Presbyterian Church
SONG OF RESPONSE Go to Dark Gethsemane
Reclaim 145, vs. 1
Go to dark Gethsemane,
All who feel the tempter’s pow’r;
Your Redeemer’s conflict see.
Watch with him one bitter hour;
Turn not from his griefs away;
Learn from Jesus Christ to pray.
THE THIRD WORD – BEHOLD John 19:25–27 (ESV)
25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
SONG OF RESPONSE Go to Dark Gethsemane
Reclaim 145, vs. 2
Follow to the judgment hall,
View the Lord of life arraigned;
Oh, the wormwood and the gall!
Oh, the pangs his soul sustained!
Shun not suff’ring, shame, or loss;
Learn from him to bear the cross.
THE FOURTH WORD – FORSAKEN Matthew 27:45–46 (ESV)
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
SONG OF RESPONSE Go to Dark Gethsemane
Reclaim 145, vs. 3
Calv’ry’s mournful mountain climb;
There, adoring at his feet,
Mark that miracle of time,
God’s own sacrifice complete.
“It is finished!” hear him cry;
Learn from Jesus Christ to die.
THE FIFTH WORD – THIRST John 19:28–29 (ESV)
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
I Thirst’ – The Scriptures UK
SONG OF RESPONSE O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Reclaim 149, vs. 1
O sacred head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred head, what glory,
What bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though de-spised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine!
THE SIXTH WORD – FINISHED John 19:30 (ESV)
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
SONG OF RESPONSE O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Reclaim 149, vs. 3
What language shall I borrow
To thank thee, dear-est friend,
For this thy dying sor-row,
Thy pity with-out end?
Oh, make me thine for-ev-er,
And, should I fainting be,
Lord, let me nev-er, nev-er
Out-live my love to thee.
THE SEVENTH WORD – INTO YOUR HANDS Luke 23:44–49 (ESV)
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
SONG OF RESPONSE (Please stand) O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Reclaim 149, vs. 4
Be near me when I’m dying,
O show thy cross to me,
On thee I am relying,
Come thou and set me free.
These eyes, new faith re-ceiving,
From thee shall nev-er move;
For those who dies be-liv-ing
Die safe-ly in thy love.
THE LORD’S PRAYER (spoken quietly)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
THE BENEDICTION
Pastor: Lord, now let your servants depart in peace. For we have seen the glory of your redeeming grace. A light unto the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.
People: Amen.
THE DISMISSAL
Pastor: Go in peace. Serve the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God!
(We depart in silence and peace.)
OFFERING THANK YOU FOR WORSHIPPING WITH US TODAY
All songs and hymns CCLI 11170614. Parts of the liturgy © Creative Worship, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO, 1994 to today; or © Lutheran Book of Worship, Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Minneapolis, MN, 1978, or © Reclaim Resources, St. Paul, MN, 2013 Scripture references, unless otherwise noted, from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Words That Last Forever” series written by Arden Mead. © 2010 by Creative Communications for the Parish, 1564 Fencorp Dr., Fenton, MO 63026. 1-800-325-9414. www.creativecommunications.com. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.