Good Friday Worship

Good Friday and Easter commemorate the central events of the Christian Church. Good Friday is the solemn celebration of the Lord’s suffering and death on the cross. Our remembrance of Jesus’ death, while solemn, is not a message of gloom, but a service of adoration of the Son of God as he gives up his life. We gather here today to celebrate the sacrifice on the cross. So we remember his passion, but do so with a triumphant note—for we know in his resurrection, Christ has conquered sin, death, and the devil.

Tenebræ (ten’ eh bray) is an ancient rite of the Church. The Latin word “te-nebræ” means “darkness.” During this service the candles will be extinguished. The lighting is dim. The loss of light at the end of the service symbolizes the ebbing of Jesus’ life and the darkness which surrounded the cross at Calvary from noon until 3:00pm. In this we remember that God the Father cloaked the land with darkness during the death of his Son (Mt 27:45).

This service is a time for prayerful meditation. There is no preservice music. There are moments of extended silence for meditation on the magnitude of Christ’s sacrificial love.

We will hear Christ’s Seven Words spoken from the cross. After each reading a candle is extinguished. The seventh candle represents Christ and is not extinguished but removed from view. Then is heard the strepitus (strep’ ee toos), a loud noise that represents the closing of Christ’s tomb. The seventh candle is returned to its place, foreshadowing the joy that awaits us on Easter morning.