Before the season of Lent...
Illustration
Object:
Before the season of Lent began, the worship committee decided they would hold a
Tenebrae Service on Good Friday. It would be the first time the church would hold such a
service. Several times the pastor explained the meaning of the service to the
congregation. The Service of Tenebrae, means "Darkness" and is based on a twelfth-
century service. The pastor told of recovering meaningful services that have been
overlooked in recent times as a way to grow spiritually. She told them other churches in
their community held such services with people responding in positive ways. Different
people in the congregation were given parts to read during the service. The readings tell
of the passion of Jesus, how he suffered and died.
On Good Friday, people gathered in the darkness and sat in silence waiting for the service to begin. The first person stood, read the assigned passage and extinguished a candle. The congregation then sang one stanza of a hymn as the second person stood up. This pattern would be repeated as the service continued. After about the fifth reading, one of the leading members whispered in a voice loud enough for most of the congregation to hear, "I do not like this!"
That is precisely the point of Good Friday. We are not supposed to like what happened to Jesus. We should feel uncomfortable as we hear that Jesus was whipped and hung on a cross. Before we can celebrate the joy of Easter we have to first experience Jesus' death.
On Good Friday, people gathered in the darkness and sat in silence waiting for the service to begin. The first person stood, read the assigned passage and extinguished a candle. The congregation then sang one stanza of a hymn as the second person stood up. This pattern would be repeated as the service continued. After about the fifth reading, one of the leading members whispered in a voice loud enough for most of the congregation to hear, "I do not like this!"
That is precisely the point of Good Friday. We are not supposed to like what happened to Jesus. We should feel uncomfortable as we hear that Jesus was whipped and hung on a cross. Before we can celebrate the joy of Easter we have to first experience Jesus' death.
