Welcome. Introduce guests.
Instructions: Tonight is going to be a little different from most services that you are used to. A solemn experience. It commemorates the crucifixion, the death, and burial of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we begin our service, I emphasize that as the service progresses, it will become darker and darker in the sanctuary, to the point of being almost a complete blackout.
As you can see from the bulletin, this will be a very solemn service. After all, the death and burial of Jesus was not a festive event. It was on this day of the week that Jesus was crucified, died, and was laid in the tomb. So we must leave here tonight with that thought in our minds. Believe me, it will make the Sonrise service on Sunday morning so much more meaningful.
At the end of the service, we will be participating in a silent Lord’s Supper. I will give you instructions at that time so you will understand how it will be done. The Lord’s Supper this evening will be done in a way that you may have never experienced.
I will also explain when the time comes about centering prayer and how that portion of the service will be conducted. Do you have any questions?
With that said, let’s begin our Tenebrae experience with a word of prayer.
PRAYER
RESPONSIVE READING #640
Explanation of Tenebrae service
The service of worship tonight is taken from an early Christian service called Tenebrae. The name Tenebrae is the Latin word for “darkness” or “shadows.” Tonight we will experience only a small portion of Christ’s pain and suffering on the day of His crucifixion.
One of the most conspicuous features of the service is the gradual extinguishing of candles until only a single candle, considered a symbol of our Lord, remains. As it gets darker and darker we can reflect on the great emotional and physical pain that was very real for Jesus that evening.
The lone white candle that will be relit is understood to represent God’s change toward us with direct access to Him, no longer requiring the ceremonial acts of the priests for our forgiveness of sin. By this single light we all depart this service in silence. At one point in the service, the cross will be covered, signifying Jesus Christ being laid in the tomb.
(Candles are lit. Sanctuary lights are turned off)
SHOW VIDEO #2.
The Cross. It rests on the time line of history. It’s absurdity attracts all critics. It’s hope lures all searchers. My! What a piece of wood! History has idolized it, despised it, gold plated it, burned it, worn it and trashed it. History has done everything to it but ignore it.
That’s the one option that the cross does not offer. No one can ignore it! You can’t ignore a piece of lumber that suspends the greatest claim in history—a crucified carpenter claiming that He is God on earth! The cross—it’s bottom line is sobering: if the account is true, history hinges upon it. Period. If not, it’s history’s hoax.
On that 1st Easter morning the Kingdom of death was repossessed and hope took up the payments. But even Easter has to start with the cross.
Pictures - tonight Matthew is taking some pictures of people at the cross. And all of you are in one of these three pictures. No one escapes His snapshots as we look through this photo album of the cross.
Look for your face in one of the crowds at the cross. The first picture we see is located in Matthew 27:32 and is a picture of those who are…
1.) Forced to the Cross. ( 32-37 )
32 As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. 35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
I WANT to focus on verse 32 “ and they forced him to carry the cross.” Simon was a common believer—a religious guy. He was a church goer that knew that God would send a messiah, a savior, a cross. This picture only has one man in it. Simon, a man forced to the cross. But is he the only one in that picture? I doubt it.
Some in this room tonight feel just like Simon—Forced to the Cross. Before you turn the page in this photo album look for your face. Are you here in this picture?
Some of you are forced to the cross because of family—a husband that feels obligated, a mother who only comes for her children, a preacher who has to come to get paid, even some of us who want to be near the cross. Some of you come out of tradition. Others feel it makes their role in the community a little more polished!
But everyone has one common thread in this photo and that is that they are forced.
Here is one lesson we need to learn: Out of everyone in these three photos. Simon is the closest to the cross but he isn’t changed by it. That horizontal beam of God’s love was on his very back, but never in the rest of the NT do we hear of his conversion. Never do we see him run home and tell his wife that he carried a cross for God.
I guess this is what we learn from this picture. You can be Close to the Cross, but Far from Christ. (put out candle)
The 2nd picture is also a picture of the church goers –the religious hypocrites—
the surface believers, that touch the cross but never let the cross touch them. So the 2nd picture is of those who were Foolish At the Cross. This picture is found in the following verses:
38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
There are at least 3 different people in this picture: SOLDIERS, THE CROWD, AND THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS. And possibly you could be painted in this scene. These are the people that make a mockery of the cross.
Some people are silent and some people are loud at their opposition to the cross.
The soldiers make me think of us. The religious—those who claim heritage to the cross. I’m thinking of all of us. Every believer in this room. The stuffy. The loose. The strict. The simple. The upper church. Lower church. Robes, Collars. Ties. 3 piece suits. I’m thinking of us.
We, too, like the soldiers, play games at the cross. We compete for members. We scramble for status. So close to the timber of the cross but so far from the blood. We huddle around the world events. And we gripe, gossip, and bicker over opinions. So close to the cross but so far from Christ.
What is interesting is that both of the thieves on the cross next to him insulted him.
We usually paint one thief green with innocence and the other black with guilt. But Matthew’s paint brush paints both of them as Foolish at the cross. They, too, were very close to the cross but only one of them was changed by the cross! (put out candle)
From the other Gospel writers, we see that people spit on Jesus. To the Jews the spit of a non- Jew was considered unclean and would send the Jewish prisoner to his execution without a chance to have a ceremonial cleaning.
Even the religious leaders hurled insults and quoted Jesus’ own words at him. Their education and pride wouldn’t allow God to die on the cross for them. They think deep inside the cross is foolishness. But Paul wrote, “The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.”
And if you are in this photograph tonight let me remind you that Paul also said the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom. The psalmist wrote “The fool has said in his heart that there is no God!” The scary thing about this photo album is that all of us have probably been in the first two photos at some time in our lives!
Out of the three photos there really are only two categories of people—two types of people that were touched by the cross: those touched by choice and those touched by chance. The first two photos were by chance but the last photo you can only get in by choice. (put candle out)
The third Photo Matthew took is of those that were FORGIVEN THROUGH THE CROSS.
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (put out candle)
47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”48 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Honestly this is the only picture you want to be found in when the Risen Jesus Christ returns to the earth. No one in the first two photos really was changed through the cross. But in this third photo all understand the meaning of the cross.
The faces in this picture are the least likely candidates. These faces won’t be found on America’s most successful people. They won’t be promoted in Cosmopolitan or Time magazines famous faces. No, one person in this photo was a criminal that repented. The criminal was the least likely candidate. He deserves Hell but he gets Heaven! Only Luke’s photo album has the snapshot of the criminal asking Jesus to remember him in His Father’s Kingdom. And Jesus granted his request.
Maybe this criminal had heard the Messiah speak. Maybe he had seen Him love the lowly. Maybe he had watched him hang-out with punks, pickpockets and prostitutes. Or maybe he just saw what he sees now. And what the centurion saw when he said, “Surely this was the Son of God?” (put out candle)
What did they see? They saw a beaten, slashed, nail-suspended preacher. His face crimson with blood. His bones peeking through the torn flesh, his body heaving for air. God on a cross. The creator being sacrificed for the creation. God convincing man once and for all that forgiveness still follows failure.
What were the myriad of faces that went through Jesus’ mind on the cross? All I know is that He died to make room for you in the final family portrait.
What photograph are you in tonight? Those who were forced to the cross? Or are you in the snapshot of the foolish at the cross? If you are then you need to know God has a camera in hand and He wants a picture of you finding forgiveness through the cross.
55 Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. 56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave. (put out candle)
62 Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. (put out white center candle)
Kenny and Ron Cover the Cross
Bro. Jerry relights white candle
Bro. Jerry READS Isaiah 53: 6-12
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
Lead-in to centered prayer
And now we prepare ourselves for centering prayer. This is a time of complete silence. It will give you the opportunity to sit quietly and listen to God’s still small voice. Focus on the cross. Centering prayer is not a time to go to the Lord with YOUR requests. It’s a time to totally focus on Jesus Christ. Call out His name to yourself. Anytime you are distracted, or your thoughts began to wander, call out His name in your mind again and regain your focus. Let the Lord communicate with you during this special time. At the end of the centering prayer, (7 minutes) we will have one more reflection video that will lead us to the Silent Lord’s Supper.
As we reflect on this week’s walk with Jesus, we remember what He has done for us through the meal which He instituted just shortly before He was arrested. We do that by observing a silent Lord’s Supper.
After the video, pause for a moment and gaze at the one lit candle representing Jesus Christ as the Light of the World. As we begin, I will come to the table and receive the elements. Then I will invite you to do the same and sit down. At any time, following my lead, whenever you are ready, you may come to the table and take the bread and the cup, return to your seat, and then it’s up to you. There will be no words spoken and the bread and cup will not be served to you.
What I would like for you to do to receive the full experience, is to sit down with the bread and the cup, focus on the light of the candle, (representing Jesus Christ), sit in complete silence and remember what Jesus has done for you. Then when you’re ready, at any time, you can take the bread and the cup.
Your worship service is then completed. Please exit the sanctuary in silence out of respect for those who are still in their worship moment. The least amount of distractions, the more worshipful the experience. The faintest voice heard will cause someone to lose focus. As we come to His table, let’s never forget how much Christ loves us.
Since these are the last words that will be spoken this evening, I take this time now to say, “Thank you all for coming tonight.” Again, at the end of a reasonable amount of time for centering prayer, I will bring us back to focus with a video depicting what must have been going through Mary’s mind as she saw her son being crucified.
Please make plans to join us here in the sanctuary on Sunday morning at 7am for our SONRISE service where we will see the third video that will set the scene for our service. With that said, we enter our time of centering prayer.
Centering Prayer
SHOW VIDEO #1.
Silent Lord’s Supper
