Tenebrae Service

Welcome. Introduce guests.

Instructions: Tonight is going to be a little different from most services that you are used to. A solemn occasion. 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. The Lord’s Supper is the last event.

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 now 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.

• Just before the Lord’s Supper, we will be involved in centering prayer. That 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. Since the number 7 in the Bible is the number of completeness or the number of perfection, we will spend 7 minutes in centering prayer.

• At the end of the centering prayer, I will lead in a verse of Amazing Grace. Then we enter a time of Silent Lord’s Supper. After the verse of song, there will not be another spoken word.

• When we get to the Lord’s Supper, there will only be one candle that will be lit. This candle represents 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 some point, I take the elements.

• Then I will dismiss myself.

• There will be no words spoken and the bread and cup will not be served to you.

• After I have come to the table and receive the bread and the cup, 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.

• 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). I want you to 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. Drop your empty cups from the Lord’s Supper into the foyer trash can as you exit.

• Please exit the sanctuary in silence out of respect for those who are still in their worship moment. I can’t stress this enough. Do not say anything until you have cleared the building. Please do not even stand near the glass doors just outside and talk. If you must talk, go to the center of the parking lot and do it. The less the amount of distractions, the more worshipful the experience. The faintest voice heard will cause someone to lose focus.

Do you have any questions?

With that said, let’s begin our Tenebrae experience with a word of prayer.

PRAYER

Hymn #385 “Near the Cross”

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 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. The last white candle is symbolic of Jesus as the Light of the World. The extinguishing of this candle is symbolic of the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At that point, the cross will be covered, symbolic of Jesus Christ being laid in the tomb.