tenebrae on good friday

I think it all began for me on Palm Sunday.
That was last weekend.
I had accepted a palm frond when I entered Asbury Memorial that morning.
When the time came for the fronds to be taken up front and placed on the railings, I had joyfully joined in.
I realized then that something was different...
different for me...
different in me.

For the last seventeen years, Easter has not been a favorite time of year for me.
Easter is about someone rising from the dead... and the only person I was interested in living again was Mama.
Then came 2009 and the deaths of Daddy and Sam Johnson in quick succession.
Last year, it was my 31-year-old niece, Jean Marie, who died.

This year, as Easter approached, my perspective has shifted.
We are all mortals.
Mortals die.
Jesus was a mortal.
Unlike Wolverine, when his flesh was pierced by a spear, it did not heal itself.
Unlike Black Panther, Jesus did not have a vibranium suit to protect him from the crown of thorns or from the spikes driven into his hands and feet.
(That last came to mind because of the sermon, "Wakanda", on Palm Sunday.)

I decided to look at Easter with fresh eyes.
That meant I would need to cancel some of the SMF shows I had volunteered to usher this week, evening shows that would have precluded my attendance at special services.

Maundy Thursday was yesterday evening.
Depending on which resource is used, "maundy" either refers to Jesus washing the feet of the disciples or to his new mandate "to love one another".
Both had a place in this 7:00 PM service.
The central topic was the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples, as he already knew this would be his last night as a free man.
A quiet comradery was felt by all as we silently left.

Today was Good (as in Holy) Friday.
The service tonight began at 8:00 PM, insuring
darkness outside and dim lighting within.
Up front were seven candles in each of the two rows
to both sides of the central Christ candle.
This was a quite somber evening, with the congregation
remaining silent whilst the story was told of the
betrayal, judgement, and crucifixion of Jesus.
Tenebrae, or the service of shadows,
had an extinguishing of candles as time passed.

Spoken word portions were intermingled with song.
I have copied below the Service of Tenebrae, as I found it quite moving.
To help share it here, I have included links to the songs.
I was moved to tears by "I Think I Heard Him Say (Take My Mother Home).

The Forecast of Betrayal
"O Jesus, I Have Promised"

The Forecast of Desertion
"Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley"
(two candles extinguished)

The Agony of the Soul
"(Gethsemane) I Only Want To Say"
(two candles extinguished)

The Unshared Vigil
"Stay With Me"
(two candles extinguished)

The Arrest in the Garden
"On The Willows"
(two candles extinguished)

Caiaphas and he Sanhedrin
"Lord, Have Mercy"
(two candles extinguished)

Trial and Humiliation
"I Think I Heard Him Say (Take My Mother Home)"
(two candles extinguished)

The Crucifixion
"He Never Said a Mumbalin' Word"
(two candles extinguished)

The Committal
"Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?"

Extinguishing of the Christ Candle

Tolling of the Bell 33 times

Carrying Out of the Christ Candle

Silent Procession of the Congregation

i thank You, God, for granting me this experience tonight.