Holy Thursday
Worship
A service that brings to life the night in which Jesus began the practice we call the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. On that first Holy Thursday, there was tension in the air as religious authorities had been conspiring against Jesus. There will be a little tension in our service too as you’ll be invited to become a part of the events of that night. But relax, you can simply watch if you wish. In the United Methodist tradition, all are welcome to receive sacrament of Holy Communion. Both the traditional and Common Ground musical teams will be participating.
Jesus met with the disciples in an “Upper Room” to reveal to the mysteries of the Lord’s Supper. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked them to stay awake as he agonized over the direction to which he had been called. He spoke the truth before the religious elite and Roman rulers alike. Join us for Holy Communion, great music and singing, and a service that ends with a twist.
A recommitment to obeying that command is a part of why we gather. We remember Jesus, and we remember his words, and we once again pledge to learn to live by the command. In other words, on this night, we gather and offer ourselves to be gathered up in Jesus by choosing to live by the call to love.
"Tenebrae" is the Latin word meaning "darkness." The service of Tenebrae as practiced in most Protestant Churches is an adaptation of medieval Roman Catholic practices for each of the days of Holy Week dating back to the ninth century. For Protestants, this single service is typically held at night on Holy Thursday or Good Friday. Pender will hold it's Tenebrae service on Maundy/Holy Thursday this year.
For United Methodists and some other Protestants, the story of the suffering and death of Jesus from John’s gospel is divided into 16 readings. After each segment of the story is read, a candle is extinguished. After the fifteenth reading, which confirms that Jesus had died on the cross, the last of the 15 lit candles is extinguished or taken away, and a loud sound (called strepitus in Latin) is made to convey the sense of total loss of God’s presence and the effect of the death of Jesus on the universe. The final story of the burial is read in near darkness.
Worshipers leave in silence to ponder the impact of Christ's death and await the celebration of the coming Resurrection.