Click here to read an article on the irregularities that take place from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday. All of these services lead up to the celebration of our Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.
While various simplifications have been made in the mass throughout the season of Lent, and additional rubrics observed, nothing compares to the asymmetrical celebration of Good Friday. The standard form of the mass is heavily subdued, and many elements are added on Good Friday, namely the Reading of the Passion and the Veneration of the Cross.
The first irregularity is the fact that there are two main services for Good Friday. The first is the Chief Divine Service, where the Sacrament may be administered (more on this later). The second is Tenebrae Vespers, the service of darkness. Modern convention has, to some degree, conflated these two services, so that many churches will read the Passion during Tenebrae Vespers and forgo the Sacrament. While it is hard to trace the historicity of this liturgical conflation, it is helpful to note that Tenebrae Vespers was never considered the chief celebration of our Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.
Tenebrae Vespers originally began as the opening office for each of the three days of the Sacred Paschal Triduum. It was known as the “midnight office,” and would ordinarily be sung the night before each day begins. Thus, the Tenebrae office for Maundy Thursday would be sung late Wednesday night, and likewise the Tenebrae office for Good Friday would be sung late Thursday night. More recently, the Tenebrae office for Good Friday has been sung on Good Friday, either at noon (an inversion of its original status as a “midnight office”), or later on Friday evening.
While it is admirable that churches have used the midnight office in observation of Good Friday, even if it sung at a different time, it is regrettable that it has replaced the Chief celebration of the Divine Service on Good Friday.
That being said, there is a bit of historical disagreement with regard to the celebration of the Sacrament on Good Friday. A church’s Maundy Thursday practice may dictate whether or not the Sacrament is celebrated on Good Friday. There are three main options regarding the Sacrament on Good Friday:
Consecrate extra host on Maundy Thursday and reserve them for use on Good Friday (this is rather common in Roman Catholic practice).
Consecrate the host on Good Friday with minimal liturgical rite, with only the Preface, Sanctus, and Verba Domini (omitting the Pax Domini and Agnus Dei).
Skip the celebration of the Sacrament altogether.
If the third option is observed, the service may then proceed from the Veneration of the Cross straight to a subjoined Vespers. Local custom will dictate whether or not the first or second option is observed if the Sacrament is to be celebrated.
Whether or not the Sacrament is celebrated, perhaps it is best if we refrain from using the term “Divine Service” altogether. Because the Tenebrae offices stand in their own right, perhaps the chief celebration for Good Friday should be named thus: Good Friday. While the Divine Service is a “little Easter,” it is proper that we distinguish each “little Easter” from the Passion of our Lord, the day on which our Savior died; this is especially true on Good Friday, as the regular course of the mass is heavily subdued.
Lutheran sources are a bit more scattered with regard to how Good Friday is observed, beyond whether or not the Sacrament is celebrated. The readings, collects, and hymns are largely the same, though the outline may differ. At last, here is a brief outline of the Good Friday service as it has generally been observed throughout the history of the Western Church:
Opening Collect and Readings:
The service may begin with the following collect, which may also ordinarily begin the midnight offices during the Sacred Triduum:
Almighty God, we beseech Thee graciously to behold this Thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed and given up into the hands of wicked men and to suffer death upon the cross; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
All readings are read without title or response. The first is Hosea 5:15b-6:6. In modernity, Isaiah 52-53 has been the appointed Good Friday text, and while it certainly fits, the reading from Hosea speaks to the hope of the resurrection in light of our Lord’s Passion and the certainty of our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross as the “once for all” sacrifice for the world. The second reading is Exodus 12:1–11, where God commands that His people adorn their doorposts and lintels with the blood of lambs during the week of the Passover. The connection to our Lord’s Passion here should be quite apparent.
After the first reading, Habakkuk 3:2–3 is chanted as the responsory, and after the second reading, Psalm 140:1–9, 13 is chanted as the responsory. A hymn may be sung between the first responsory and the second reading.
The Passion of our Lord:
It is at this point where a bit of disagreement arises regarding the format of the reading of the Passion. At some point before the reading of the Passion, either before the opening collect or just before the first section of the Passion, “Jesus, I Will Ponder Now” is sung, an appropriate hymn to sing before the Passion is read.
The reading of the Passion is split into seven sections:
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane
Jesus Before the High Priest and the Denial of Peter
Jesus Before Pilate
Jesus Prepared for Crucifixion
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The Death of Jesus
The Piercing of Jesus’ Side and His Burial
Some churches opt to sing a verse of “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” in between each section of the Passion, while others may read the entirety of the Passion and sing the hymn in its entirety after the final section. Local custom may dictate how the church proceeds, but whatever the case may be, the entire Passion should be read. Ordinarily, the Passion according to St. John is appointed for Good Friday. At the words “And He gave up His spirit,” the congregation may kneel and silently pray the Our Father.
A brief homily may follow the reading of the Passion.
Bidding Prayer:
Following the homily, the bidding prayer is prescribed. It is composed of nine bids followed by nine petitions. Each bid begins with “Let us pray,” and is ordinarily said/sung by the deacon. The celebrant would then invite the congregation to kneel for each petition, which he would say/sing. This would be repeated for each of the nine bids, which are as follows:
for the Holy Church of God
for the Pope
for all estates of the Church
for the king/emperor
for catechumens
for all the people of God
for heretics
for the Jews
for pagans
While kneeling is prescribed for each petition of the bidding prayer, it is not prescribed for the eighth petition, for the Jews. The rationale for this is the fact that the Jews knelt in mockery against our Lord, and we would not do the same.
Reproaches and the Veneration of the Cross:
Besides the reading of the Passion, and the Sacrament if it is celebrated, the Veneration of the Cross is, in a still somber sense, the “high point” of the Good Friday service. It has been done since the medieval ages, though its usage can likely be traced further.
Following the bidding prayer, the Reproaches are sung in three stages while the veiled cross is brought forward. The cross is then unveiled in three stages, with the antiphon “Behold the wood of the cross,” to which the congregation responds, “On which hung the Salvation of the world,” being sung during each stage at a higher pitch each time.
The celebrant then genuflects and adores the cross, at which point a series of appointed antiphons may be sung. The deacons and other assistants follow, then the congregation. It is important to note that while the priests and congregation venerate the physical cross, they are not adoring the cross itself, but rather the Crucified Christ. One may venerate the cross as personal piety moves him, either by kissing it, genuflecting to it, or touching it.
While the Veneration of the Cross takes place, the hymn “Sing, my Tongue, the Glorious Battle” may be sung. Note that this hymn is included in the LSB with only 5 verses, and the tune is rather verbose. It is suggested that another tune be used, perhaps the tune of “Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence,” a more reflective tone that better encapsulates the Veneration of the Cross.
Service of the Sacrament…or not?:
Some churches have opted to celebrate the Sacrament, which is good and right. Some have opted to forgo the Holy Eucharist and keep it for the more joyous Vigil of Easter, which is also good and right.
If the Sacrament is celebrated:
As “Sing, my Tongue” concludes, the celebrant may return to the sacristy and prepare the altar for the Supper, either by grabbing the reserved host that was previously consecrated on Maundy Thursday, or unconsecrated elements to be consecrated with a short Preface and the Verba. Regardless, the Pax Domini and Agnus Dei are not said. The Our Father would follow the Verba. Hymns may be sung during the Distribution.
Vespers:
Historic custom dictates that an abbreviated form of Vespers be observed immediately following the Sacrament (or Veneration of the Cross if the Sacrament is not observed). If the pastor is vested for the Sacrament, it is suggested that a hymn be sung while he prepares for Vespers.
Vespers begins immediately with the Psalm antiphon “My enemy hath filled, And made me drunk with bitterness,” followed by Psalm 142. Then the Magnificat is sung with the antiphon, “When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished, and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” Then the Our Father is prayed, followed by the collect that began the service (listed above).
Deposition of the Holy Cross:
Following the concluding collect, (or, in some early sources, immediately before the abbreviated form of Vespers), the Deposition of the Cross takes place, at which point the cross is processed out of the chancel and placed into a “sepulcher” or resting place of some kind, which symbolizes the lifeless body of Jesus being placed into the tomb.
A few responsories—Sicut ovis and Ecce quomodo moritur justus—may be sung while the cross is carried out of the chancel. Once it is deposited into its place, it is wrapped in linen and censed, much like the body of Jesus was wrapped in linen and adorned with spices for burial. Another responsory, Sepulto Domino, is sung, and the service may conclude with a closing hymn, such as “O Darkest Woe” or “We Sing the Praise of Him Who Died.”