Tenebrae

I have finshed planning our Tenebrae. We will be showing "The Passion of the Christ" and then holding our Tenebrae around 11:00 pm on Good Friday. I am going to time the service, we may cut the music to one congregational hymn and we will be singing them very plain. There will be no background music. We will make room in the front of the Sanctuary near the altar rail if persons wish to lay face down in front of the altar. The Sanctuary will be in purple paraments, there are six candles (purple votives) arranged around a crown of thorns, with a small pascal candle in the center. The altar candles and all 7 candles will be lit. The altar cross will be draped in purple. When the service is finished, almost everything will be draped in black and there will be nothing but a crown of thorns left on the table. On Saturday, we will cover a cross with flowers and drape it as well. The black drapes will be removed and everything will be brought back on Easter morning. Blessings.

Tenebrae, A Service of Shadows

O come and mourn with me awhile;
O come ye to the Savior's side;
O come, together let us mourn;
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

Have we no tears to shed for him,
while soldiers scoff and foes deride?
Ah! look how patiently he hangs;
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

How fast his hands and feet are nailed;
his blessed tongue with thirst is tied,
his failing eyes are blind with blood:
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

His mother cannot reach his face;
she stands in helplessness beside;
her heart is martyred with her Son's:
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified.

Seven times seven he spoke, seven words of love;
and all three hours his silence cried
for mercy on the souls of men;
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

O break, O break, hard heart of mine!
Thy weak self-love and guilty pride
his Pilate and his Judas were:
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

A broken heart, a fount of tears,
ask, and they will not be denied;
a broken heart love's cradle is:
Jesus, our Love, is crucified.

O love of God! O sin of man!
In this dread act your strength is tried;
and victory remains with love;
for he, our Love, is crucified.
Words: Frederick William Faber, 1849


Prayer
Introduction

A Word of Pardon
Luke 22:27-34 Extinguish Candle #1 Remove Stoles and Paraments drape Pianos and Baptismal Font with black
As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Then “ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” 31For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
(drape pianos and Font on the word “cover”)
32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals–one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”[e] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (remove paraments and stoles at the end)

Choir – “Zion’s Daughter Weep No More” from Hymns Ancient Ancient & Modern, 1861

A Word of Assurance
Luke 23:39-43 Extinguish Candle #2 Remove Bible
35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38There was a written notice above him, which read THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don't you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”(remove Bible at end of reading)

“Ah, Holy Jesus” UMH 289

A Word of Compassion
John 19:25-27 Extinguish Candle #3 Remove Offering Plates and Banners
25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” 27and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.(remove offering plates and banner at end)

Handbell Choir

A Word of Anguish
Mark 15:33-34 Extinguish Candle #4 Remove Altar Candles
33At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (remove Altar Candles now)
35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.”
36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

"O Sacred Head" (Verses 1-4)

A Word of Suffering
John 19:28 Extinguish Candle #5 Remove Chalice and Paten,
28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

A Word of Victory
John 19:29-30 Extinguish Candle #6 Remove Cross and cover Stained Glass
29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (remove cross)

A Word of Release
Luke 23:46 Extinguish Candle #7 Remove Pascal Candle, remove all extinguished candles
44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (remove candles now)
47The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Choir – “A Wind Blew Over Calvary”

Leave in darkness and silence