Wow, what an amazing night! Our very first
Good Friday FWD was both an "impactful" and "meaningful" evening according to those who attended.
The live acoustic-style set featured violin, guitar, and piano with songs like
Nothing But The Blood,
Love Is Here, and
Mighty To Save.
The focus of the evening was the power of forgiveness and cleansing in the blood of Christ. More specifically, we described how the blood of Jesus Christ flowed from seven places.
Jesus bled from His head.
There are thoughts thoughts that we might not want to face up to, because of what we've seen or heard. We asked people to touch the crown of thorns and imagine how His head was beaten. His blood cleanses you of those thoughts.
The blood poured from His back.
There are times when we’ve turned our back and walked away from Jesus. At this station, we asked people to turn their back to the cross on the wall and imagine how Jesus was whipped with shards of bone and metal until His back was raw. His blood covers the times when you've turn your back on Him.
Spikes were driven through the bloody hands of Jesus.
There is stuff that you ought not to have handled and things you ought not to have done. We asked people to place your hands in the red paint and leave their mark on the wall. Imagine the spikes driven through Jesus’ hands and know that His blood cleanses you.
Blood and water poured from Jesus' side.
There are times when you harbor sins such as bitterness and anger in your gut. At this station, We asked that people write a sin, challenge, or struggle on a slip of paper and slide it into the bowl of thick red liquid. Imagine how the spear was thrust into Jesus’ side and give thanks that even our deepest sins are cleansed and forgiven through the blood of Christ.
Jesus bled as the spikes were driven through His feet.
There are paths you ought not have walked and places you ought not have been. At this station, people followed the lighted path outlined on the floor. Knowing that the spikes were driven through Jesus’ feet and into the cross, we can give thanks that He continues to draw us back to His path through forgiveness and grace.
His Body, His Blood, & The Resurrection
The evening included communion – an examination of how Jesus' body was broken and His blood was poured out. And because Encounter will be focusing on "being the church" on Easter instead of gathering for a service, the evening concluded with a look at the resurrection – that Jesus is the Light of the world. We each lit candles and from the Christ candle to represent how Jesus’ light spreads from Him, then to us, and then to all the world.
We invite you to join us for our next regular
Friday Night FWD on April 16 – great friends, edgy worship band, and an interactive group discussion.
View the Picasa slideshow hereView all the photos on Facebook here
We invite you to come to Friday Night FWD next Friday night. Journey with us together as we explore what it means to follow Jesus in a real, tangible way. With live music, coffee, and spiritual discussion.
Invite some friends and get the word out about our new FWD gatherings downtown. Click on the image for a JPG or download a PDF flyer here. Oh yeah, because we want to keep FWD fresh, we're always on the lookout for rockin' musicians who might want to get involved one or more weeks. So let contact us if you know someone.
