The Easter season should be the high point on our church calendars- what an absolute privilege to focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus, the very heart of the gospel message.
Most of our practice during the easter season, would be a lead up to Easter for perhaps 1-2 weeks, then Good Friday, on to Easter (Resurrection) Sunday.
Regarding our preaching specifically on Good Friday, Ive been thinking of a few things, I’d like to share.
1.Be personal.
What does Good Friday, the death of Jesus, mean for you, personally? I think a great weakness, in preaching generally, is there is a lack of a personal touch- what this passage means to me, how has it affected me, what questions I have, what sticks in my mind, what has challenged/ impacted/ convicted me, as a fellow Bible reader/ Christian.
Your personal touch will give a relatability/ warmness to your message. Perhaps the death of Jesus has lost its impact on you. Could you share that- ‘’sometimes, unfortunately, I can minimize what Jesus has done on the cross, or not think about it…’’ How looking at this won’t just point them in the right direction, but you as well.
Share how it’s the core of how you make your decisions, how that’s what you turn to, when you might think God’s forgotten about you…….how everything changed, once you understood what was happening, that Jesus did this FOR ME……….There are lots of theological words associated with the death of Jesus, that we can (and should) use, but don’t forget to be personal, and not go ‘all theological’ on everyone.
2.Be resourceful.
This would be a great time to have a testimony, have someone share what the death of Jesus means to them, how it has changed them. If you know someone who was converted during the Easter season, this would be a great opportunity for them to share that. Perhaps an ‘item’ of some sort- poem, song to reflect on…….
3. Be emotive.
Easter is an emotive time- tap into the emotion of the occasion. Its heavy- it involves a death, its God’s anger at sin, its forgiveness, its reconciliation- there is so much going on. Express the emotion of the occasion, in your message, and in the service. There are some really good clips to use, dramas, resources that are done well. Make use of them.
4. Be careful.
This ties in with the above. Although its helpful to communicate the emotive aspects of Good Friday, we must be careful, and discerning. We don’t want to go all “Passion of the Christ’’ on everyone. We don’t want to make people unnecessarily horrified, concentrate on the gory details of crucifixion, to get a response- shock, horror, wanting everyone to “feel sorry for Jesus…’’ The Passion of the Christ was over the top, and really, lost its impact by being so gory and focusing on violence. Our aim on Good Friday shouldn’t be to “make people feel sorry for Jesus,’’ or focus on the goriness for shock value. Also, we need to be discerning about using clips, etc that portray Jesus. There is an argument that portraying Jesus is idolatry, and we should not be showing pictures, movie scenes etc of His likeness. Your people will most likely have strong views on this.
5. Be respectful.
One church I was a part of years ago, one of the retired ministers who would preach on occasions had a habit of using Christmas and Easter, as an opportunity to berate people who only came to church at Christmas and Easter.
Don’t do that.
Make people feel welcome- the visitor, the newcomer, the regulars. Have an eye for those who do only come to church twice a year- make it count. Give them the gospel clearly, think of those who may be steeped in legalism, rituals, who don’t know how awesome Jesus is. Explain the big words. Be as simple and as clear as you can.
6. Be ready.
Be ready and willing to chat after your talk, after the service. Hopefully, people will want to chat with you about your Good Friday message- clarifications, push backs, further information, differing opinions, theological implications, points of agreement. Most often, after I preach, I want to go and hide, and I have to work hard at this, and maybe you do too. Its good for the preacher to be available, and present, and approachable, (and vulnerable) for any further conversations about your Good Friday message. Don’t rush off, be overly defensive, and even pray that your message will stimulate good conversations afterwards.
May God use you to glorify Him this Easter time.
Jim Mobbs.