UNION CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF HANCOCK
Open and Affirming of ALL God’s Children
The service of Tenebrae, meaning “darkness” or “shadows,” has been practiced by the church since medieval times. Once a service for the monastic community, Tenebrae later became an important part of the worship of the common folk during Holy Week. We join Christians of many generations throughout the world in using the liturgy of Tenebrae.
Maundy Thursday
Tenebrae – A Service of Shadows
March 28, 2024
This service will be in the sanctuary and on Zoom at 7 p.m.
(Find the link below and in your email in-box.)
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Tenebrae is a prolonged meditation on Christ’s suffering. Readings trace the story of Christ’s passion, music portrays his pathos, and the power of silence and darkness suggests the drama of this momentous day. As lights are extinguished, we ponder the depth of Christ’s suffering and death; we remember the cataclysmic nature of his sacrifice as we hear the overwhelming sound of the “strepitus”; and through the return of the small but persistent flame of the Christ candle at the conclusion of the service, we anticipate the joy of ultimate victory.
(The strepitus [Latin for "great noise"], made by slamming a book shut or banging a hymnal against the pew, symbolizes the earthquake that followed Christ's death.)
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* Indicates points in the service when we stand in body or spirit
Prelude A Lenten Prelude Giovanni Pergolesi/Troutman
*Call to Worship
One: This evening, we remember.
All: We remember the Passover Jesus shared with his disciples.
One: We remember his new covenant of broken bread and shared cup.
All: We remember his night alone in the garden of prayer.
One: We remember his arrest, his trial, his suffering, his death.
All: This evening, we remember.
*Hymn Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley R. #191
Jesus walked this lonesome valley, he had to walk it by himself;
O, nobody else could walk it for him, he had to walk it by himself.
We must walk this lonesome valley, we have to walk it by ourselves,
O, nobody else can walk it for us, we have to walk it by ourselves.
You must go and stand your trial, you have to stand it by yourself,
O, nobody else can stand it for you, you have to stand it by yourself.
*Invocation (spoken in unison)
Gracious God, be near to us in this time of solemn meditation. Let a portion of the Spirit which accompanied Jesus to the cross descend on us. This evening, may every selfish desire be quieted and may the peace which passes understanding keep our hearts and minds attentive to the passion of Jesus. May our hearts be open to every holy affection and ready to receive every sacred impression. We pray in the name of the one whose love bore the weight of rejection and suffering, Jesus our Lord. Amen
*Hymn Eat This Bread (sing 2x) R. #195
Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry.
Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.
Invitation to the Passover Meal
One: This is an open table at which all are welcome.
Words of Institution
All: On the night when Jesus was betrayed, Jesus gathered with his disciples in the upper room where an ordinary meal became an instrument of God. At this table, Jesus broke bread with those who would betray him. At this table, Jesus drank wine with the one who denied him. At this table, Jesus communed with those who would abandon him. At this table, Jesus gave a new commandment. At this table, we learn to love one another as God loves us.
One: Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” When the supper was over, Jesus took the cup, gave thanks to God, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is the cup of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness from our failings and hope for the new life to come. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
All: O God, pour out your Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine that they might be for us the presence of the living Christ. Pour your Spirit upon us also that we may be one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.
Breaking Bread and Pouring Wine
With this one loaf, we who are many, become one.
With this one cup, what was before has been renewed.
Sharing the Elements
The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.
The cup of our salvation, given for you. Amen
*Prayer of Thanksgiving (in unison)
Our Creator, our Savior, our Sustainer in this holy mystery, you have given yourself to us.
We are eternally grateful. Empower us, that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves to each other in the name of Jesus Christ who gave his life for us. Amen
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The Service of Shadows *Lighting of the Tenebrae Candles
Be still, my soul: for God is on your side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Trust in your God, your savior and your guide, Who through all changes faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend through thorny ways leads to a peaceful end.
Be still, my soul; for God will undertake to guide the future surely as the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know the voice that calmed them in this world below.
Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on when we shall dwell with God forevermore,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
The Shadow of the Agony of Spirit and Arrest Reading #2 Matthew 26:36-50 (NRSV)Response Hymn: Stay with Me (sing 5x) R. #196
Stay with me, remain with me, watch and pray, watch and pray.
The Shadow of Denial Reading #3 Matthew 26:69-75 (The Message)*Response Hymn: Before the Cross of Jesus R. #188
Before the cross of Jesus our lives are judged today;
the meaning of our eager strife is tested by his way.
Across our restless living the light streams from his cross,
and by its clear, revealing beams we measure gain and loss.
The hopes that lead us onward, the fears that hold us back,
Our will to dare great things for God, the courage that we lack,
The faith we keep in goodness, our love, as low or pure,
On all, the judgment of the cross falls steady, clear, and sure.
Yet humbly, in our striving, O God, we face its test.
We crave the power to do your will with him who did it best.
On us let now the healing of his great Spirit fall,
And make us brave and full of joy to answer to his call.
The Shadow of Accusation Reading #4 Matthew 27:11-14, 20-29 (NRSV)*Response Hymn: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded R. #187
O sacred Head now wounded with grief and shame way down,
now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thine only crown,
how art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn.
What thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ‘Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with thy favor, vouch safe to me thy grace.
What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend;
For this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever; and, should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never, outlive my love to thee!
The Shadow of Crucifixion and Humiliation Reading #5 Matthew 27:31-43 (The Message)*Response Hymn: Thirsting at the Cross words: Dr. Rev. Kate Winters, Belfast, ME
music: FINLANDIA
Here at the cross, our dear beloved brother, We’ve come to know your burden and your pain.
Here at the cross, we cling to one another, The love we bear has called us to remain.
Here at the cross, where dreams and hopes are dying, Our tears descend into the ground like rain. Your voice cries out, in pleading supplication, "I thirst, I thirst," you gasp into the air.
Your voice cries out, and still the whole creation, This broken world now reeling in despair.
Your voice cries out, a blessed revelation, In every way, our suffering you bear.
We thirst with you, O Jesus, in your dying, Our hearts are dry and longing for relief.
We thirst with you, as children now are crying, While crucifixions on this earth increase.
We thirst with you, your tender broken body, Is who we are, in flesh and blood and grief.
Transform our thirst into a driving passion, To end the violence of the human race.
Transform our thirst as we together fashion A world where crosses never have a place.
Transform our thirst, O Christ of all compassion, Your dying breath, our call to peace and grace.
The Shadow of Death Reading #6 Matthew 27:45-54 (NRSV)*Response: Go to Dark Gethsemane Tune: Petra Redhead/Mansfield
The Christ Candle is Removed
Response: Strepitus
The Shadow of Burial Reading #7 Matthew 27:57-60 (The Message)*Response Hymn: Were You There? R. #200
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Silent Meditation
The Christ Candle Is Restored
*Response Hymn: Breathe on Me, Breath of God R. #220
Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will to do and to endure.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, till I am wholly thine,
until this earthly part of me glows with thy fire divine.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life of thine eternity.
*Dismissal
One: May Jesus Christ who for our sakes became obedient unto death, even death on a cross,
keep you and strengthen you.
People: Amen.
The People leave in silence
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Please visit hancockucc.com or Hancock (Maine) UCC on Facebook
or mail offerings to:
Union Congregational Church
PO Box 443
Hancock, ME 04640
Attention: Treasurer
207.422.3100 207.323.6743
Many thanks to those who helped make this service possible –
in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
Music Minister – Debbie Riley
Deacons – Mary Angela Davis & Nick Davis
Readers - Mary Angela & Nick Davis, Jeanne Edwards, Nancy Johnston,
Jane Lennon, Cynthia Priem
Audio-Video Support - Patrice Alexander
Vicky Espling – Office Administrator
TJ Mack – Settled Minister
You – The Body of Christ
Resources:
Tenebrae: A Service of Shadows –‘This service is adapted from resources of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Content on this website is licensed as Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0.’
"Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #A-738532. All rights reserved.”
Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley
Words and Music - ©PD Public Domain
Eat this Bread
Be Still, My Soul
Words and Music - ©2010 Hal Leonard Corporation (select catalogs)
Contributors: Katharina von Schlegel, Jane L. Borthwick, Jean Sibelius
Stay with Me
Type: Words and Music
Contributors: Jacques Berthier, Taizé Community
Tune: © 1984, Les Presses de Taizé, GIA Publications, Inc., agent Text: © 1984, Les Presses de Taizé, GIA Publications, Inc., agent
Jesus, Remember Me
Words and Music - ©1981 Taizé, Les Presses de (North America)
Contributors: Jacques Berthier, Taizé
Before The Cross Of Jesus
Words and Music - ©1997 Lorenz Publishing Corporation, The
Contributors: Ferdinand Blanchard, Frederick C Maker, Gilbert M Martin
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Words and Music - ©PD Public Domain
Thirsting at the Cross
Music FINLANDIA: Public Domain
Words: Dr. Rev. Kate Winters, Belfast, ME. Used with permission.
Were You There?
Words and Music - ©2020 Stephen DeCesare / Exultet Music
Contributors: Traditional Spiritual, Traditional Spiritual, Stephen DeCesare
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
Words and Music - ©PD Public Domain
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