Holy - A Service of Shadows March 31, 2021

1 The word ‘tenebrae’ is for shadows.

The service was originally designed for , but it can be used at anytime during . We use it the night before as a way to begin the transition from light to dark as we approach Good Friday.

The service will begin in a dimly lit Nave, accented by candlelight. There are as many candles as there are readings, plus a white Christ candle, called the . After each reading, a candle will be extinguished, until only the Paschal candle remains. Then the first part of Psalm 22, which quoted on the cross, will be read. At this time the Christ candle is put out, leaving the congregation in near total darkness. This is the end of the service.

There is no benediction and the people leave in silence. (The lights are turned up but remain dim so that people can see their way out.)

The purpose of the service is meant to heighten our awareness of the betrayal, abandonment, and agony of coming events, and the service, like Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, is left unfinished, because the story isn’t over until Day.

In fact, from Maundy Thursday until the end of the on Saturday night is technically one long service.

2 Gather in the Name of the Lord

Introduction ‘Tenebrae’ means darkness or shadows. As we come to the end of , we begin a journey into darkness to a place of deep shadows. Today we accompany Jesus in his last hours. We witness the cruelties and the suffering he endures. We listen to the words of condemnation and ridicule. In all this he is innocent. He is the faithful servant of God, doing his Father’s work; bringing the of love, peace and hope. And so, in this liturgy, we are invited to walk solemnly and attentively with Jesus. Better to know. Better to understand. Better to be his friend, his disciple, his witness. Be still and know that God is here.

Celebrant The Lord be with you. People And also with you. Celebrant Let us pray.

The Celebrant says the following Collect God of mercy and peace, be present among us in this sacred time of worship. Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties the light we need as we journey with Christ towards the Cross. By your Holy Spirit may we journey with confidence knowing that through your light we shall see the true light, and on a clear path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The First Reading John 8:12-18 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my 3 judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.”

A Service of Shadows

The Shadow of Betrayal Matthew 26:20-25 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

The first candle is extinguished. At the sound of the gong a period of silent meditation begins, the end of which is indicated by the second sound of the gong.

Response (spoken): O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

The Shadow of the Agony of Spirit and Arrest Luke 22:39-48, 54 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

4 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?” Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance.

The second candle is extinguished. A time of silence is observed.

Response (spoken): O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

The Shadow of Denial Matthew 26:69-75 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

The third candle is extinguished. A time of silence is observed.

Response (spoken): O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

5 The Shadow of Accusation Mark 15:1-15 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

The fourth candle is extinguished. A time of silence is observed.

Response (spoken): O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

The Shadow of Crucifixion and Humiliation Matthew 27:27-31 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they

6 stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The fifth candle is extinguished. A time of silence is observed.

Response (spoken): O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

The Shadow of Death Mark 15:33-39 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

The sixth candle is extinguished. A time of silence is observed.

Response (spoken): O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

The Christ Candle is removed.

7 The Shadow of Burial John 19:38-42 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

A time of silence is observed.

Response (spoken): O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

A time of silence is observed. The Christ Candle is restored.

Celebrant Let us pray. Lord it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done. Let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen.

The May Jesus Christ who for our sakes became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, keep you and strengthen you. Amen.

The People leave in silence.

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