Silence is not a normal experience in our modern age. We it comes upon us - often unexpectedly - we find it uncomfortable and awkward. For this reason, many people ask why all the silence on Good Friday?

We practice silence in a Good Friday service to create space for reverence, reflection, and grief.

1. We are remembering death.

Good Friday is the day we remember that Jesus died. Silence helps us sit with that reality. It forces us to slow down and feel the weight of what Christ endured on the cross—for us. It's not a time to rush past the pain, but to acknowledge it.

2. Silence expresses what words cannot.

Sometimes, words fall short. The sorrow and love seen at the cross are deeper than language. Silence becomes the most honest response to the mystery and magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice.

3. It reflects Jesus' own silence.

Isaiah 53 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.” On Good Friday, we echo His silence—His quiet submission, His surrender, His suffering.

4. Silence makes space for God to speak.

In the stillness, we become more attentive. We can hear God’s voice more clearly when we stop filling the space with our own. The silence allows the Spirit to impress on our hearts the depth of Jesus' love.

5. It prepares us for resurrection.

Silence holds us in the tension between death and resurrection. It reminds us that Good Friday is not the end of the story—but we can’t get to Easter Sunday without going through the cross.

In Christ,

Pr. Matt.