The 'Good Friday' Movie Is Available for Download

Visit the "Good Friday" page to sign up to download the 30-minute film.

And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. —Luke 23:33–34

As we’ve told you already, we’re going big for Easter this year. But before we celebrate the risen Lord, we will come together as a church to remember the bloody, sacrificial death of our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross on Good Friday. Last year, we sent our media team to Universal Studios in Hollywood, where, with the help of professional actors and an award-winning crew, they produced a 30-minute video of Jesus’ crucifixion, titled (appropriately) Good Friday. The result was a riveting depiction and nearly word-for-word compilation of the four gospel accounts of the final hours of Jesus’ life. This month, we’re releasing Good Friday for the first time online. Specifically, we’re offering it as a free download for churches that wish to use it in their Good Friday services. In our day and age, we have a tendency to become desensitized to the story of Jesus’ crucifixion after reading (and re-reading) the text each year. In fact, crucifixion was one of the most common methods of capital punishment in Roman times, and it was horrific. (The word "excruciating" is derived from "crucifixion.") We chose to use the medium of film to tell the story of Christ’s death so that we could witness a depiction of the depths to which our Jesus suffered to atone for our sins. This is a deeply moving film. It is our prayer that it would be beneficial for pastors and congregations all over the world as we Christians prepare our hearts, in the same way we would for a funeral, to remember the death of our Lord Jesus. Note: The film is very graphic and not recommended for children under ten years of age. Please prayerfully consider checking in young children to a children’s ministry during the time you intend to show the video. Watch the trailer after the jump: Additionally, a five-track album of the music from the 2010 Good Friday service, led by Deacon Chad Gardner and his band, King’s Kaleidoscope, has been and will continue to be available online as a free download.