Creative church service – Good Friday and Easter

Easter is the most important celebration of Christianity. And besides Christmas, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are the most visited services. With creative elements, the message of salvation through the cross can become clearer and more understandable, making the worship service a special experience.

Good Friday is a very difficult day for many people. They cannot understand why Jesus should be the Son of God and then died so badly. The following creative elements help the visitors (and the church members as well) to grasp the big picture in an appealing way and to bring their own person into play.

 

pantomime

1. From Creation to Redemption

This pantomime is a skit on the song “Everything”. It represents our life, from the creation of man and the love of Jesus to temptation and death to salvation. It takes a few employees and one or two hours of rehearsal, otherwise it is not difficult or expensive, but very impressive!

2. Man with sorrows and guilt experiences salvation

Or here, a modern skit with the things that bind us so that we end up in a cage. Finally, liberation through Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The song of Hillsongs “Oceans”.
Chara Clip from minute 12:00

3. Life of Jesus until death and resurrection

Here the life of Jesus is shown completely in pantomime. Also a little rehearsal is necessary, but no great props.

object lesson

1. From the crown of thorns to the royal crown
Crown of thorns on stand with red velvet cloth (royal): On Good Friday Jesus was crowned with the crown of thorns. The crown of thorns is a symbol for all the bad things in this world, our mistakes and sins, our worries and injuries. Jesus died for all this. At Easter Jesus exchanged the crown of thorns with the royal crown.
Crown of thorns is taken away, royal crown is laid down: The royal crown of Easter symbolizes the new life that Jesus won for us on the cross. A victorious life, a shining, radiant life. Full of dignity. Jesus voluntarily took upon Himself the crown of thorns out of love, He brought the sacrifice and exchanged all the guilt for eternal life.
(Option: burn crown of thorns in fire)

2. Wood logs as symbol of the cross
The cross of Jesus was not made of smooth wood like a piece of furniture. It was made of coarse, splintering wood. Like a piece of firewood for a campfire or a fireplace. On the wounds of Jesus this hurt unspeakably, because his body was already completely shattered by the flagellation. Jesus took this upon Himself so that we would know that He has already experienced every bad situation, every depth of our life Himself. Every participant of the service should get a log and hold it in his hand. We can symbolically lay our sins on the piece of wood.
Then we place the wood in the form of a cross in front of the altar. For Jesus bore all these sins. (Symbol: We bring our sins to the cross.)
(Option: At Easter exactly this wood can be used to make an Easter fire. This reinforces the symbolic character even further. For at Easter Jesus showed the whole world once and for all that evil is conquered by his resurrection.)

3. From barbed wire to the rose of love
On Good Friday, barbed wire can serve as a symbol of our guilt, our fears, our bonds, our injuries. We wrap the barbed wire on a cross to show how these things tied us up ourselves and to show that carrying the guilt etc. was very bad for Jesus.
At Easter the barbed wire is cut with pliers, and instead roses are attached to the cross. As a symbol that Jesus did everything out of love and love finally won the victory.

To go

1. Rose with message
According to the objectlesson, a rose can be prepared for everyone. A piece of stronger paper and a Bible verse (preferably from the sermon) are attached to it with a small ribbon.
For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Joh. 3, 16)

2. Feather with message
Through the death of Jesus and his resurrection we have got wings like eagles. We can now ascend and fly.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run, and not grow weary; they will walk, and not be faint. (Isa. 40, 31)

3. Golden Way to the Cross
Cross in front with white cloth as scarf, golden cloth is laid away from the cross (possibly stick to the floor), around the cross there are also golden cloth, on the cloth around the cross small crosses for each visitor (either mini crosses for the wallet, for remembrance every day, or small crosses for hanging (glue), e.g. on bathroom mirror or front door)
Jesus has cleared the way to eternal life, he has built us a golden road to God the Father through his cross. We can give him our life (again) by going forward – on the golden street – and kneeling briefly or bowing before the cross. There we get a small cross as a souvenir.