We’ve been talking about change for awhile. One change you’ll see this year is in our Maundy Thursday service. We will be conducting a musical experiment on April 1 as we present a Tenebrae Service. The word tenebrae is Latin for “shadows.” This special worship event recreates the emotional aspects of the passion story. It’s not a “happy” service. It takes us right up to the cross…and leaves us there. The story doesn’t yet have an ending in the middle of Holy Week. The purpose of the service is to recreate the betrayal, abandonment, and agony of Christ. It is left unfinished, because the story isn’t over until Easter Day.

If your expectation of Christian worship is that it should always be happy and exhilarating, you may not appreciate this service. It’s very solemn – even devastating when it suddenly ends with no benediction. We simply leave in silence. However, I hope that this experiment is well-received as it will make our Easter service that much happier!