FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PATRIARCH AND PRESIDING PRELATE
His All Holiness Sir Dr. Darrindel Hoyte-Johnson
What is Good Friday?
Today I come to you with no words of my own except to greet you my beloved brethren of this Mystical Order. With the Love of God and true fellowship in the Holy Spirit. This is a special day in the calendar of the Christian Church.
Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion it is the most solemn day in the Christian calendar. The dates of Good Friday, which vary each year, occur between March 20th and April 23rd. It falls on the last Friday before Easter. It is the pinnacle of the Holy Week. All Christians observe this day with great humility and reverence. It is this spirit of humility and reverence that is reflected in each of us on Good Friday.
Good Friday Traditions
Good Friday rituals and traditions are distinct from every other Church observances. They add to Good Friday’s significance. The ceremony is somber, with Ministers dressing in black vestments. The pulpit and the altar are bare; no candles are lit and the ringing of the bell is absent. The purpose behind the solemn presentation is to create an awareness of grief over the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son. Today, many churches hold special services on Good Friday evening to commemorate this important day including procession through the streets marking the fourteen Stations of the Cross. There are many different forms of worship on this special day. Yet, all pointing to the Cross and Jesus. At the morning ceremony, the Ministers and Elders recite lessons from the scriptures. Afterward, there is a succession of prayers asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness on all mankind.
In many Protestant churches, Good Friday observances begin at noon and last until 3 p.m. This coincides with the hours that Jesus hung on the cross. These services often include sermons on the last seven phrases that Jesus spoke while being crucified. Other services include reenactments of the Passion according to the Gospel of John, processions of the Stations of the Cross, and the singing of appropriate hymns.
To many Christians, Good Friday is a day of sorrow mingled with joy. It is a time to grieve over the sin of man and to meditate and rejoice upon God’s love in giving His only Son for the redemption of sin. This Good Friday many Christians in the Baptist community will be mourning the passing of the Patriarch of the Province of Barbados. His Excellency Dr. Granville Williams was called from works and this life to his reward in Heaven. I feel the pain and the lost to a well-established church, a man of God and great Leader. Father to thousand, and grandfather too many more. In death we sorrow but today I want to encourage you that in Christ Jesus we are all made alive.
This is my word of encouragement to you my beloved brethren. Live a godly and sober life. For to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. I am your Leader and Patriarch.
His All Holiness Sir Dr. Darrindel Hoyte-Johnson
