Marsden
Road Uniting
Church
Carlingford
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“The Shadow of Love”
Tenebrae
6.00 pm
Tenebrae or “Service of Darkness” or “Service
of Shadows” is the name given to a medieval tradition of reading Scripture and
extinguishing candles, either at the end of a Holy Thursday service or on Good
Friday.
You
can use candles to assist in this worship at home or use semidarkness.
Gathering
God’s People
Prelude Music to prepare for
worship
Call to Worship - (Abingdon
2015)
God is light. In God,
there is no darkness at all.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
On this night, centuries ago, the world attempted
to put out the light of Jesus’ earthly life.
Yet our darkness is never darkness in God’s sight.
HYMN TIS 536: An Upper room did our Lord prepare
(Tune – O Waly Waly)
An
Upper Room did our Lord prepare
for those he loved until the end:
and his disciples still gather there
to celebrate their Risen Friend.
for those he loved until the end:
and his disciples still gather there
to celebrate their Risen Friend.
A
lasting gift Jesus gave his own:
to share his bread, his loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
he by his Cross shall lift us up.
to share his bread, his loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
he by his Cross shall lift us up.
And
after Supper he washed their feet
for service, too, is sacrament.
In him our joy shall be made complete –
sent out to serve, as he was sent.
for service, too, is sacrament.
In him our joy shall be made complete –
sent out to serve, as he was sent.
No
end there is! We depart in peace,
he loves beyond the uttermost:
in every room in our Father’s house
he will be there as Lord and Host.
he loves beyond the uttermost:
in every room in our Father’s house
he will be there as Lord and Host.
Opening prayer
God
who came in flesh in Jesus Christ,
you know the shadows of sin and evil.
Strengthen us to follow your light, Lord
Christ,
that it may shine in us as a beacon to
your truth.
Through the power of your Holy Spirit we
pray,
One God, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
In light of your commandment to love one
another
as you have loved us, we see our failures
to love, Holy Jesus:
We have not
remembered or even grasped how much you love us. We have not given that love
away, that you might fill us anew.
We have neglected one another and argued
so much
that the world does not see that we are
your disciples.
Holy God, forgive
us, we pray. Free us to know that we are loved, and to love one another.
Grant us your Spirit of forgiveness.
Assurance of
Forgiveness.
By the power and work of the Holy
Trinity,
we are loved and forgiven.
Thanks, be to God!
The Approach to God
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Blessed be the name of the Lord our God,
who redeems us from sin and death.
For us and for our salvation, Christ became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Amen
Blessed be the name of the Lord our God,
who redeems us from sin and death.
For us and for our salvation, Christ became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
TIS 341: My Song is Love Unknown (Verses 1-4)
My song is love unknown,
my Saviour’s love to me,
love to the loveless shown,
that they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
my Lord should take frail flesh and die?
my Saviour’s love to me,
love to the loveless shown,
that they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
my Lord should take frail flesh and die?
He came from his blest throne,
salvation to bestow;
but men cared not, and none
the longed-for Christ would know.
But oh, my Friend, my Friend indeed,
who at my need his life did spend!
salvation to bestow;
but men cared not, and none
the longed-for Christ would know.
But oh, my Friend, my Friend indeed,
who at my need his life did spend!
Sometimes they strew his way,
and his sweet praises sing;
resounding all the day
hosannas to their King.
Then “Crucify!” is all their breath,
and for his death they thirst and cry.
and his sweet praises sing;
resounding all the day
hosannas to their King.
Then “Crucify!” is all their breath,
and for his death they thirst and cry.
Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
he gave the blind their sight.
Sweet injuries! Yet all his deeds
their hatred feeds; they 'gainst him rise.
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
he gave the blind their sight.
Sweet injuries! Yet all his deeds
their hatred feeds; they 'gainst him rise.
The Service of Shadows
This service comprises
readings interspersed with Handel’s Messiah and the Hymn When I Survey the
Wondrous Cross.
The Shadow of Betrayal
Matthew 26:20-25
Matthew 26:20-25
20 When it was evening,
he took his place with the twelve;[c] 21 and while they were eating, he said,
“Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And
they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another,
“Surely not I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “The one who
has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The
Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of
Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been
born.” 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely
not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”
Thy
Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart –
The Shadow of the
Agony of Spirit and Arrest
Matthew 26:36-50
Matthew 26:36-50
36 Then Jesus went with
them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here
while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with
him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and
agitated. 38 Then he said to them, “I am deeply
grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” 39 And
going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father,
if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you
want.” 40 Then he came to the disciples and found
them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one
hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you may not come
into the time of trial;[e] the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again
he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass
unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 Again he
came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So
leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same
words. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to
them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get
up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”
47 While he was still
speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with
swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now
the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man;
arrest him.” 49 At once he came up to Jesus and
said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Jesus
said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and laid hands
on Jesus and arrested him.
Behold
and See If There Be Any Sorrow
The Shadow of Denial
Matthew 26:69-75
Matthew 26:69-75
69 Now Peter was
sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You
also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it
before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When
he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the
bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”[h] 72 Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not
know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came
up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent
betrays you.” 74 Then he began to curse, and he swore an
oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. 75 Then
Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me
three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
The Shadow of
Accusation
Matthew 27:11-14, 20-29
Matthew 27:11-14, 20-29
11 Now Jesus stood
before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the
Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12 But when he was
accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13 Then
Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against
you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single
charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
20 Now the chief
priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have
Jesus killed. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which
of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate
said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”[r] All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 Then
he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him
be crucified!”
24 So when Pilate saw
that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some
water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this
man’s blood;[s] see to it yourselves.” 25 Then the
people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 So
he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to
be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of
the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,[t] and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28 They
stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and after
twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in
his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the
Jews!”
The Shadow of
Crucifixion and Humiliation
Matthew 27:31-43
Matthew 27:31-43
31 After mocking him,
they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him
away to crucify him.
32 As they went out,
they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry
his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called
Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they
offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not
drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they
divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;[u] 36 then they sat down there and kept
watch over him. 37 Over his head they put the
charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
38 Then two bandits
were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those
who passed by derided[v] him, shaking their heads 40 and
saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save
yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In
the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were
mocking him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot
save himself.[w] He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross
now, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in
God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s
Son.’”
The Shadow of Death
Matthew 27:45-54
Matthew 27:45-54
45 From noon on,
darkness came over the whole land[x] until three in the afternoon. 46 And
about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 When
some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for
Elijah.” 48 At once one of them ran and got a
sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to
drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see
whether Elijah will come to save him.”[y] 50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud
voice and breathed his last.[z] 51 At that moment the curtain of the
temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were
split. 52 The tombs also were opened, and many
bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After
his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and
appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and
those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what
took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”[aa]
The Shadow of Burial
Matthew 27:57-60
Matthew 27:57-60
57 When it was evening,
there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of
Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of
Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 So
Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and
laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a
great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
Silent Meditation
TIS 342: 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.
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord,
that I should boast
save in the death of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through his blood.
save in the death of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through his blood.
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?
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm
of nature mine,
that were a present far too small,
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
that were a present far too small,
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Dismissal
May Jesus Christ
who for our sakes became obedient unto death,
even death on a cross,
keep you and strengthen you.
Amen.
who for our sakes became obedient unto death,
even death on a cross,
keep you and strengthen you.
Amen.
Meeting will
be closed at end of service.
People may like to have
a time of silent meditation after if they wish.
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