Last night we had our Tenebrae/Good Friday Service. Tenebrae meaning shadows. We start with a bright sanctuary. We join in a call to worship, opening Hymn, "We Sang Our Glad Hosannas" only singing four verses, then a prayer. At which point the church lights are turned off, with the only light coming from the candles (14) & the Christ Candle. I use powerpoint to bring the images forth from each of the scriptures being read. As I proceed through I felt the emotion. This is no happy service as we hear the story of betrayal, abandonment, and agony of the events.
It was striking this year for me, as the candles where extinguished, I noticed the continued loss of light after each reading until only the Christ candle was left. Once the sanctuary was in darkness, I had a black slide up to plunge us into darkness. We just had the ambient light from outside coming in. I waited what felt like an eternity before flipping to another slide telling us that by his stripes we are healed and that all are encouraged to leave in silence pondering all these things in our hearts. I kept the sanctuary dim so people could leave. Once they left I began to "tear down" as it were like we did in stripping the altar.
I began to feel an emptiness. I began to recall my trip to the Holy Land oh so long ago when we were in the cell that Jesus was lowered in, the Holy Sepulchre, Golgotha and the Garden tomb. This wave of sadness and all the whys came to my head. Too often we see Jesus on the cross sanitized without a lot of blood or goriness. I sort of get that but without the blood we lose sight of what Jesus really did for us. The Romans were so savage to him.
I recently watched on the History Channel the program, "The Real Face of Jesus." It was a new study on the Shroud of Turin. Using updated technology, one of the conclusions one of the scientists came to was how the technology showed the immense blood loss and pain and torture this person must have gone through. Twice as he described it, he became very reflective. The 3D animation of the figure from the Shroud showed it as well. I sort of felt like Thomas, saying,"My Lord and my God" as I looked at this animation and realized a little more visually what he did for me, for us. While I understand there is no "proof" the Shroud of Turin belonged to Jesus, it clearly made me think more about what happened to him.
I was not paying attention as I was cleaning up, I seemed to be in autopilot mode. As I was reflecting, I had the Christ candle in my hand, unlit or rather blown out. I placed it on the bare empty altar against the empty cross behind the altar. There was a moment of silence and power as I stared at it. I took in a deep breath and slowly breathed out. I felt like saying it is finished.
The final realization came as I began to turn off the lights of the sanctuary. Slowly the darkness started in the back and moved forward to the front chancel area with each click of a switch. I looked back one last time and saw the candle and the cross and turned the light out. Total darkness. As I left, locking the door behind me I felt as though I too was walking away from the tomb(the church, ouch, that is for another blog). I walked home thinking, is this what it felt like on some level after they placed him in the tomb? Lots of questions? Not the least of which was "why?" Was there conversation between Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus? Who else was with them? The women who had been at the cross? The disciple whom Jesus loved and said, "here is your mother"? Or was there no speaking? Lives changed brought together Jesus now silent, now lost. A common bond of his teaching and healing touching them, hope given, now hope dashed against the cross. What now? If he wasn't here to change the world than why did he die?
They would soon know. They would know and feel more than what we experience each Easter. I can't even begin to fathom the feelings/emotions/thoughts on that first Easter. But I know what our sanctuary is like for tomorrow. I know the songs we sing, the prayers we say, the meal we join in and it is then that it hits me...reminding me of my one moment inside the Holy Sepulchre when I touched the slab and saw the candles, the emotion built up and I knew: IT IS TRUE!!! The tomb is empty! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia & Amen!
My words to you my friends are the same every year and no less true today then they were that first Easter but need to be heard again and again: IT IS TRUE!!! The tomb is empty! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia & Amen!
May you all experience the life altering truth of Easter and the abundant life that begins by believing in and living to make disciples of the Risen Christ so as to transform the world!
Shalom
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