Good Friday to Easter

A reflection…

We were trying something new. How would it go? How would it be received? Collaboration, after all, is messy business. When four congregations come together to plan and lead a collaborative worship experience, vulnerability and risk are right there in the mix along with talents, resources, ideas, time, energy and passion. Furthermore, one of the congregations involved, Las Naciones, is made up mostly of people for whom English is their second language. How do we craft a worship experience that is welcoming to all who may walk through our doors? Rehearsals went long. Each musician and worship leader brought his/her own way of doing things. Letting go of the familiar and the comfortable is never easy. Letting go of these things when something as important as a Good Friday worship service is on the line is even more difficult. Collaboration is messy business. It is also good, Spirit-breathed business.

I could go on and on about the quality of music, the skill of the readers and the candle-lit atmosphere of the space that all contributed to a wonderful Good Friday experience. Instead my mind is drawn to the memory of a space filled with people who might not normally gather together for any other reason, hearing a story of betrayal, denial, suffering and death – a story that portrays a God who does not stand aloof or apart from such human behaviors and feelings but who dwells in the midst of all of it, forgiving and loving us all. As Chris Moore shared with me this week, “Listening to the story of Good Friday in both Spanish and English reminded me that this is a story for all people. The passion touches the hearts of everyone, everywhere.” I couldn’t agree more.

The first words of the opening hymn sung on Easter morning…

Now all the vault of heaven resounds,

In praise of love that still abounds:

“Christ has triumphed! He is living!”

… had so much more power and significance for me because I was hearing them in a broader context thanks to our messy, collaborative, amazing Good Friday experience.

Thank you to all the musicians and worship leaders from ChristChurch, Calvary Lutheran, Las Naciones and Hillsboro United Methodist who took a risk and tried something new. Thank you to everyone who also took a risk by deciding to spend their Friday evening outside of their comfort zones, in community, in the word of God… in Christ.

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

- Pastor David Eppelsheimer