Good Friday Tenebrae
/Tonight, we mark the crucifixion of Jesus through a service of Tenebrae. Tenebrae means shadows, and so our worship will include an experience of some of the shadows that Christ endured. We will walk through John’s telling of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. With each step, the light will be diminished. As the lights are extinguished, we ponder the depths of Christ’s suffering and death on our behalf. We encourage you to set up your space differently for this service.
As you gather, we invite you to set up your space differently. Sit at your dining room table or arrange chairs in your living room. For this service you will need eight lit candles, one of which will be extinguished after each of the readings. If you don’t have eight, use four and extinguish one after every other reading. You will also need a Bible for the readings. Each reading is followed by a couple stanzas of a song. Feel free to sing or speak these words and use them as opportunities to ponder the story more deeply. Do whatever else you need to do to make the space feel intimate: dim the lights, gather close, etc.
GREETING
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Amen.
INVITATION
God is light, and in God’s light, even our shadows cannot hide.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world,
and we loved darkness rather than light.
Blessed be the name of the Lord our God,
who redeems us from sin and death.
PRAYER
We gather tonight as a people who prefer to live in darkness, to hide from you and your presence, to seek ourselves and our own good. Tonight, at the foot of your cross, we see the true end of that darkness. As we come to the cross, to watch as you are arrested, tried, and crucified, O Lord, have mercy on us! Be with us on this night, and reveal to us also the unfathomable depths of your love for us. Wipe away our shame, wash away our guilt, cleanse us, O Lord, and make us new that we might follow in your ways and take up our own cross. In the gracious name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.
THE SHADOW OF THE GARDEN
John 18:1-12
Reader extinguishes Candle 1
“Go to Dark Gethsemane”
Go to dark Gethsemane, all who feel the tempter’s power;
your Redeemer’s conflict see, watch with him one bitter hour:
turn not from his griefs away— teach us, Lord, how we should pray
Follow to the judgment hall, view the Lord of life arraigned.
Oh, the wormwood and the gall! Oh, the pangs his soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss— help us, Lord, to bear our cross.
THE SHADOW OF BETRAYAL
John 18:12-27
Reader extinguishes Candle 2
“Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended”
Ah, holy Jesus, how have you offended,
that mortal judgment has on you descended?
By foes derided, by your own rejected,
O most afflicted!
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon you?
It is my treason, Lord, that has undone you.
’Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied you;
I crucified you.
THE SHADOW OF TRIAL
John 18:28-38
Reader extinguishes Candle 3
“Man of Sorrows—What a Name”
Man of sorrows— what a name for the Son of God, who came
ruined sinners to reclaim: Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned he stood,
sealed my pardon with his blood: Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Guilty, helpless, lost were we; blameless Lamb of God was he,
sacrificed to set us free: Hallelujah, what a Savior!
THE SHADOW OF CONDEMNATION
John 18:39-19:15
Reader extinguishes Candle 4
“O Sacred Head Now Wounded”
O sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded with thorns, your only crown.
O sacred head, what glory and blessing you have known!
Yet, though despised and gory, I claim you as my own.
My Lord, what you did suffer was all for sinners’ gain;
mine, mine was the transgression, but yours the deadly pain.
So here I kneel, my Savior, for I deserve your place;
look on me with your favor and save me by your grace.
THE SHADOW OF CRUCIFIXION
John 19:16-22
Reader extinguishes Candle 5
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
THE SHADOW OF HUMILIATION
John 19:23-30
Reader extinguishes candle 6
“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”
How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure,
that He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss; the Father turns His face away
as wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders.
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought me life. I know that it is finished.
THE SHADOW OF DEATH
John 19:31-37
Reader extinguishes candle 7
“Jesus Paid It All”
I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”
Lord, now indeed I find, Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots, And melt the heart of stone.
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died my soul to save," my lips shall still repeat.
Refrain
Oh praise the One, who paid my debt, And raised this life up from the dead! (x4)
Refrain
THE SHADOW OF THE GRAVE
John 19:38-42
Reader extinguishes candle 8
“Were You There?”
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
SENDING
The light of Christ has been put out. God, in Jesus, has died. Having laid him in the tomb, we return to our homes. We go into the darkness of this night remembering that this day is in fact “Good”, knowing the light that will burst forth with the Easter sunrise. Don’t jump to the light too quickly, though. The cross is a symbol of triumph, but it is also a symbol of suffering and defeat. Remember that resurrection requires death, that our forgiveness requires another’s suffering, that our own transformation and renewal requires dying to ourselves.
In this season of deep darkness, we remember the God doesn’t just offer us platitudes but joins us in all of our sorrow, suffering, and isolation. Spend some time reflecting on that this weekend as we wait not just for Easter but for the renewal of all things. Christ is with you.
“Go to Dark Gethsemane”, Words: James Montomery, 1825; Music (REDHEAD 7.7.7.7.7.7): Richard Redhead, 1853, Public Domain.
“Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended?”, Words: Johann Heermann, 1630; tr. Robert Bridges, 1899; Music (HERZLIEBSTER JESU 11.11.11.5): Johann Crüger, 1640, Public Domain.
“Man of Sorrows, What a Name”, Words and Music: Philip P. Bliss, 1875, Public Domain.
“O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”, Words: Latin, medieval; English tr. James W. Alexander, 1830; Music (HERZLICH TUT MICH VERLANGEN 7.6.7.6 D): Hans Leo. Hassler, 1601; adapt. Johann S. Bach in St. Matthew Passion, 1729, Public Domain.
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”, Words: Isaac Watts, 1707; Music (HAMBURG 8.8.8.8): Lowell Mason, 1824, Public Domain.
“How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”, Words and Music: Stuart Townend, © 1995 Thankyou Music, Used by Permission, CCLI# 2588005
“Jesus Paid It All”, Words: Elvina Hall, 1865; Music: John T. Grape, 1868; Arr. Alex Nifong, © 2006 Pay Me Please Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Used by Permission, CCLI# 2588005.
“Were You There?”, Words and Music: African American spiritual, Public Domain.