Shady Grove United Methodist: Tenebrae Service #14

At 7pm on Good Friday, I attended the Shady Grove United Methodist Church off of Pouncey Tract in Glen Allen, VA for Tenebrae service. I had never attended an event such as this but I had a feeling it would be right up my alley.

Tenebrae is celebrated before Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or Holy Saturday during Holy Week and is recognized by many Catholic and Protestant churches. The Protestant version of the distinctive ceremony includes a series of songs, readings or chants from the gospels which describe the time between the Last Supper and the death of Jesus Christ, and many times include the last 7 words that Christ spoke before he gave up his life.

When I entered the Shady Grove sanctuary area, there seemed to be a spirit of mourning amoung those in attendance, including myself. A very simple wooden cross set the stage for what was nearing. From my limited research I knew I was to expect a dramatic representation of the days before Christ died, but I had no idea exactly how moved I would be when I left that night.

I took a seat in the middle of a pew as the congregation filled up the space. When we were finally all settled in, a somber looking man, wearing all black stood in the front of the room, holding a lit candle. The choir stood behind all of us and began to sing praises to God as they slowly walked down the aisle. One by one, with an unlit candle in their hands, they met the lone man who offered them light by sharing his flame and lighting their candles. When the entire choir, dressed from head to toe in black had joined the man and they were all facing us, they began to act out the gospel of the last days of Christ in song. They sang, and spoke the words that the apostoles had spoken some, 2000 years ago.

The show started at 7pm when the sun was still shining. Slowly, during the service, as the sun set, the room started to darken. First, the overhead lights were dimmed, then, as the sun fell down on the earth, the lights in the sanctuary did as well until the candles they held were the only lights we saw. They sang in glorious, beautiful praise and the service was delightful, but the truth was we were mourning. This wasn't just acting. We were a somber bunch. For almost 15 minutes straight, in a dimly lit room, we all sang sweetly to God and mourned the loss of our Savior.

Jesus like a Lamb to the slaughter.
Jesus like a Lamb to be slain.
Jesus to your death you are nearing
Jesus the Lamb of God.

One by one, the remaining candles were gradually snuffed out as they finished the passages that represented the flight of the disciples and the approach of dark hate of Jesus enemies and finally the Passion of the Christ. With only one candle left burning, the man who portrayed Jesus, stood with the cross behind him, looking up to heaven with real tears in his eyes, and screamed "Abba!" and "forgive them, for they know not what they do" and finally "it is finished."

In that moment, the final flame disappeared and the sanctuary was completely dark. All I could hear was sniffling all around me. Maybe because I myself was crying like a 2 year old. For what seemed like a lifetime, we all sat, silently in prayer. The final words spoken were a brief recollection of the time Jesus was in the tomb.

To conclude the ceremony, the man portraying Jesus asked us to please leave the place in silence. Not one word was spoken by anyone until we all got into our cars.

If you're looking for a church in the West End of Richmond and you'd like to learn more about Shady Grove United Methodist, visit their website here: http://www.shadygroveumc.net