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SALT LAKE CITY — Millions of Christians throughout the world attended Good Friday services Friday, and members of Utah's Episcopal Diocese were among them.
Dozens left their homes and places of business to gather in worship at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark at noon for the most unique service on the Christian calendar.
From the music to the choice of scriptures, they honored the passion and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the day he died on the cross.
“To me, it’s the saddest of the entire Christian year,” said the Very Rev. Ray Waldon, dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Mark. “It’s called Good Friday, not in the sense that necessarily anything good happened on this day, but in the sense of a holy day.”
The Right Rev. Scott Hayashi, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese, delivered the sermon, reminding the congregation that we live in a world where Christians are dying for their faith and to think of them and remember Peter, James, John and Mary is most important on this Good Friday.
Robert Rees, a professor and Latter-day Saint, said he and his family make a point of attending a Good Friday worship service.
- Good Friday recognizes the day Jesus Christ was crucified.
- The Roman Church gave "Good Friday" its name in the sixth or seventh century, though it was celebrated before that.
- Good Friday ceremonies are somber. Priests and deacons dress in black vestments and specific prayers are recited.
- Good Friday can be a day of both joy and sorrow as Christians "grieve over the sin of man" and "rejoice upon God's love in giving His only Son for the redemption of sin"
“With Christ taking upon himself the sins of the world and also bringing healing to all of those who need healing, I can’t imagine not having this day, one in which I think about him,” Rees said. “I think about all that he means to the world.”
Each worshipper finds special, personal meaning in this service.
“In this place, I enjoy the music, the elegant word … it’s the artful expression of religion that has meaning to me,” Mark Thomas said.
Members of the congregation participated in reading “The Passion of Jesus Christ according to Saint John” before watching a solemn procession of the cross, each having the opportunity to touch or kiss it.
Everyone left the service in silence, but gradually, their thoughts turned from Good Friday to the good news of the Resurrection.
“So, for our congregation and for myself, it’s a time of reflective prayer, of great sadness and of great solemnity,” the Rev. Waldon said. “But also in the back of our minds, we know the Resurrection happened.”
Good Friday, Holy Friday, God Friday — the day is known as all three. Worshipping on this day, many say, reminds them that before the joy that Jesus Christ overcame death comes remembering the sorrow.
