Finished preparing for Good Friday and realized that it is one of those worship gatherings that I strip down to the essentials and it feels "right." In the smaller church, we're not going to talk much about "production values" or "striving for excellence" as some others might do. There are things that size affects, and producing a "wow-filled" worship experience with all the latest technology is one of them. The tools just aren't there.
But I don't want them to be. I want the gift of simplicity. Oh we'll use powerpoint, and video - but those are as common in churches now as casseroles. The biggest impact that will come in worship tonight though will probably be through one of two things - The Scripture, or the encroaching darkness as the "Service of Shadows" plays out.
To sit in silence and listen to what our Lord and Savior endured on our behalf, and to feel the stillness and increasing gloom of Good Friday seems to transport us back into a group of fearful, grieving disciples, who have seen all their hopes die. They don't know what we know. They think the story has ended in the worst possible way.
We know it's Friday - but Sunday's coming.
Can't wait.
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