The Practice of Keeping Vigil

Ruth Haley Barton

“Who can stay awake in this night of God? Who will not be as if paralyzed by it? Christ’s struggle was with God. This was his real agony. He overcame it through his self-surrender. That was his victory, and our hope.”  –Jurgen Moltmann

It is a custom of the Christian church to keep vigil with Christ at different times and in different ways throughout the three holiest days of the Church year–Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.  During these days, we surrender ourselves completely to being with Christ in the depths of his passion on our behalf.

One of the places from which we draw this custom is Jesus’ request to the disciples to be near him and keep watch while he prayed and agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane. We also know that there were those few–including Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ mother Mary, and John–who stayed near the cross and kept watch as Jesus suffered and died.  Despite the horror of what was taking place, they kept company with him until the very end.

Join us as we keep vigil with Christ on Good Friday (April 10, 2020). As much as possible, plan to pray between 12:00 -3:00 in your time zone. 

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Amen.

Book of Common Prayer

Stations of the Cross Prayer Service

SOME IDEAS TO HELP YOU PREPARE: 

• Plan for the service to take about an hour and fifteen minutes, including a 15 minute meditation on the practice of praying the stations of the cross, along with a few simple instructions. 
• Review the comments below to gain a sense of who you are praying with;  add your own name if you wish, letting us know where you will be praying. It is a strength and an encouragement to know we are praying with so many from around the world.
• Consider creating a simple “altar” with a cross, a candle you can light before beginning the service,  and any other symbol you that might be meaningful to you and your family.
• If you would like to participate in the prayers and responses, receive a downloadable Order of Service (text only) when you purchase a copy from our online store.
• In order to avoid awkwardness, make a decision ahead of time with your group about whether or not you will join in the singing of the hymns. Lyrics are included and we have intentionally chosen versions that are simple and easy to follow.
• The service will conclude in an open-ended way with the extinguishing of the candle. Decide ahead of time who will do this and how your group will conclude. For example, you could agree that all will leave silently in order to spend time alone in quiet and even journaling about Jesus has said to them at each station. Or it could be that there was one station individuals want to return to and linger with for a while.

Enhance your experience and pray along with us… 

Here’s how to participate:

1. Leave a comment below indicating the state or country from which you will be praying with us. It is a strength for all of us to know we are praying with others around the world.
2. Use the share buttons on this page to encourage others to join us in keeping vigil on Good Friday (April 10, 2020).
3. To receive a downloadable order of service (text only) so you can participate in the prayers and responses, purchase a copy from our online store.
4. NO LONGER AVAILABLE: For a donation of $25 or more, we will mail two high quality booklets with the text plus compelling art for each station.

Sorry, donations made after March 3, 2020  will only receive the PDF of the prayers. We will ship printed booklets on April 1. Shipping is only available in United States (48 contiguous states).

Email resources@transformingcenter.org for more information on bundles of 50. We have a limited quantity, but would love to equip you for a meaningful Good Friday.