Friday, April 2, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: SJRUC -Sanctuary
The word ‘tenebrae’ is Latin for shadows. The purpose of the Tenebrae service is to recreate the emotional aspects of the passion story. This is not intended to be a particularly “happy” service, because the occasion itself is not a happy one. It is more an extended meditation on the passion of Christ.
The core of the Tenebrae service works something like this: it starts out with the church in candlelight. There are as many candles as there are readings. As readings are completed, candles are extinguished until only one candle remains. When the single remaining light leaves the sanctuary, the congregation is in near total darkness. At this point, the service ends. There is no benediction and the people leave in silence. (Lighting is sufficient to ensure a safe exit from the sanctuary.)
The purpose of the service is to recreate the betrayal, abandonment, and agony of the events, and it is left unfinished, because the story isn’t over until Easter Day.
Think of it this way: If you were to see only the happy ending of a movie, everyone who saw it from the beginning is elated, but you go away saying, “Okay, so they’re all hugging each other. So what?” But if you see the beginning and the middle, with all of the suspense and grief, you have some understanding of what the characters have overcome. The happy ending is all the happier.
Attending Easter morning worship service without attending the Holy Week services that lead up to it is like watching the happy ending of the movie without seeing the middle—-you only rob yourself of the complete joy of Easter morning.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
