Friday, April 07, 2023
The Worship Place Choir and Orchestra present
"It Is Finished" by Mary McDonald
4:00 and 6:00 pm
Directed by John Bell, Minister of Music Sun City Campus
What Is a Tenebrae Service?
A Tenebrae is a special service for Holy Week that can be conducted on Maundy Thursday or on Good Friday. "Tenebrae" comes from the Latin meaning "shadows" or "darkness," so it is a service of shadows. The service makes use of gradually diminishing light through the extinguishing of candles to symbolize the events of Holy Week from the triumphant Palm Sunday entry through Jesus's burial.
This increasing darkness symbolizes the approaching darkness of Jesus's death and of hopelessness in the world without God. The service concludes in darkness, with a final candle, the Christ candle extinguished symbolizing the death of Jesus. A loud noise may also sound closing of Jesus' tomb. The worshipers then leave in silence to ponder the death and await the coming Resurrection.
The candles of Tenebrae are a perfect follow-up to the roses placed on the communion table by Pastor John Beukema during “The Winter Rose.” In the same way each white rose was a promise of the coming Savior; each extinguished candle represents the last hours of Christ on earth and His death. “It Is Finished” will take the place of our traditional Easter musical. There will be an orchestra accompanying us and it will be powerfully moving. Christ. Dead. Buried. But Sunday’s coming...
Please exit in silence.