Naomi's Notes - 03/16/08
You've been hearing about our upcoming Tenebrae Service scheduled for Good Friday, March 21st, at 6:00 p.m. I want to encourage you to make it a priority for your family during Holy Week. To my knowledge, this is the first time IBC has ever tried a service quite like this, and it promises to be a very unique, meaningful experience.
The idea is to emphasize the cross experience through music and narration, with a few dramatic enhancements. A growing number of churches are scheduling Tenebrae services in our area, but many Baptist churches tend to "skip" the cross, moving from the joys of Palm Sunday to the delights of Easter Sunday without giving much attention to the other events of Holy Week. We need to be reminded that without the dark, agonizing events leading to the cross, resurrection is meaningless.
Tenebrae is a Latin word meaning "darkness" or "shadows." Tenebrae services date back to the eighth century and commemorate the suffering of Jesus throughout His final journey. As the story unfolds, fourteen candles are extinguished and the lights gradually dimmed until the congregation sits in total darkness, exiting in silence.
The dimming lights symbolize the fading loyalty of the disciples and friends of Jesus as He faced suffering and death; we are reminded of our participation in these events as well. The service concludes with the extinguishing and removal of the Christ candle, symbolizing the hours Christ lay dead in the tomb. (The lighted Christ candle will reappear during our celebration service on Resurrection Sunday morning.)
As modern-day Christians, we already know "the rest of the story." We know the grave could not contain our Lord and Savior. But it's important that we do our best to experience the darkness of Good Friday, reflecting on Jesus' death. The deeper our sorrow at the foot of the cross, the greater our joy at the resurrection.
Be sure to join us as our Sanctuary Choir, Megan Bitzer Iranpour (guest oboist), soloists, narrators and others lead our congregation through this unique experience.
See you in worship this Sunday -
Naomi