The days that end the season of lent are dark ones. Dark indeed.
There is a service that is designed to express our reaction to that darkness. It is called Tenebrae, the Latin word for darkness or shadow. The experience is moving. The church hall is lighted only by candles.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?As scripture is read, one by one, the candles are extinguished until only one white candle is lighted, the Christ candle. Then, that one also is damped.
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent. --Psalm 22
At the end of this service, all file out quietly, with our thoughts and hearts crying for mercy.
Pie Jesus Domine
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem,
Blessed Lord Jesus, grant them rest,
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem,
Blessed Lord Jesus, grant them rest,
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem, sempiternam.
Blessed Lord Jesus, grant them eternal rest.
Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecatta mundi:
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem.
grant them rest.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem.
grant them rest.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem sempiternam.
grant them eternal rest.
BRD
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3 comments:
Of the days of the passion week, Maundy Thursday is sort of pivotal. We are actually transitioning from anticipation, with all the highs and lows that come with anticipation, to fullfillment. Will He be King? Healer? Judge? Savior? Failure? Lunatic? Deliverer? That is what, I think, the disciples contemplated at that last supper and throughout the night as the light of hope started to dim a little at a time in each of them. As long they had been with Jesus they still did not realize that he was not going to do things the "expected" way. With all they had seen they still could not imagine 3 days in the grave and then the glorious resurrection. Do you think only Lazarus had faith that day? Or maybe even he doubted. Today, Maundy Thursday, is indeed a dark day.
We went to a Tenebrae service last night. Are all Maundy Thursday services called this? Well, the one we went to consisted of communion--the last supper remembered. And it struck me that the "Last Supper" is not just a title given to artwork, it is literally called this because it was the last time Jesus would eat with his disciples...maybe his last meal on this earth, really. It was his last meal. It is no wonder he wanted to be close to John, his beloved friend, or that he took his chance to say a few words here-to-fore left unsaid. I know this is so obvious, but it had never sunk in this way.
Then the man and woman leading the service began alternating reading passages documenting the turning away of disciples and the failures of those who loved Jesus most. As each segment was read, a candle was put out until all the lights were out and Jesus had been betrayed with a kiss, arrested, denied, beaten, and taken away to wait for death. And we filed out silently, feeling the darkness that had descended. It was powerful and humbling.
The Tenebrae service at our church takes place on Wed. Some churches do it on Thursday. On Maundy Thursday at our church we do the "Stripping of the Altar." After the celebration of the Eucharist the celebrant goes out and changes into a black robe. He or she then returns and begins taking everything from the front of the church and hands it to members of the congregation who take them out of the church, the candles, the altar cloths, flowers, the Gospel. Then they clean the altar table and annoint it with oil and drape it with a black cloth. Then they leave and we leave. There is nothing left to stay for. Christ is, symbollically, no longer with us. The service does not close. We just leave.
But. . . it's not over!
As Tony Campolo would say---Sunday's coming!
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