Good day,

As I mentioned last week, there are no other calendar observances this week as we focus solely on the final events of Jesus’ life that are so incredibly crucial to who we are as Christians. 

Jay and I will have a Zoom Bible Study this evening (Monday, Mar.25) at 7pm to explore with you the resurrection story found in Mark 16:1-8. We will likely also mention elements found in John’s Gospel (20:1-8). The link is the same as the one we’ve been using throughout Lent. If you don’t have it, please email me: susan.montague2@gmail.com

For worship service information for this week, please see the earlier post on the Algoma Deanery website. 

A Liturgical Note For You:

What is Tenebrae: The Office of Shadows? Tenebrae comes from the Latin word meaning “darkness” or “shadows”. The name of Tenebrae, for centuries, has been given to the traditional monastic services of night (Mattins; 3am – dawn) and early morning (Lauds; dawn, varies seasonally) of the final three days of Holy Week. In medieval times these Tenebrae offices began to be celebrated during the evening preceding (perhaps for the benefit of those of us who don’t get up in the middle of the night and again at dawn to pray) 🙂  

Anglicans typically only hold an office of Tenebrae on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week since we desire to have the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worship services as our principal worship services on the other two traditional days of the Tenebrae office. 

The main liturgical feature of Tenebrae is the gradual extinguishing of candles and other lights in the church building until only one candle – a symbol of our Lord – remains. This candle is hidden, indicating the apparent victory of the forces of darkness, but then there is a loud noise – the earthquake at the Resurrection – and the hidden candle is restored to its place. Our one service of Tenebrae draws material from the original three services of Tenebrae. You can find more information here, on page 66: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/01/lm_book_of_occasional_services_2018.pdf

Good Friday: Why do we call the Friday on which we celebrate the Lord’s Passion, (the final events leading to, and including Jesus’ death), “Good” Friday? The word “good” comes from the Old English word “god” (with a long ‘o’ as in the “gold”). This word comes to us from a variety of old languages that all seemed to have similar looking/sounding words to express that something or someone was “excellent, valuable, favourable, complete” and “pious” or “righteous”.  And, yes, this is where we get our English word “God”.  The word “god” used to be put in front of most of our holy days in order to say that these days were sacred and holy. The other meanings we now associate with the word “good” – like “nice”, “kind”, “well-behaved”, or “skilled” – came along later. 

This week is serious but not solemn or sad. As you will have heard during worship on The Sunday of the Passion, we pray to God for help “that we may enter with joy into the celebration of those mighty acts whereby you give us life and immortality”.  We are humbled and grateful beyond expression for God’s love that took the worst of humanity and used it to bring wholeness of life to the world. 

There is much more to be said about the worship services of this most holy time but that would be overwhelming. I encourage you to experience all of the events of this week since this is not simply a remembrance or commemoration of Christ’s journey, it is our journey. We walk with Christ into death that we may walk with him in newness of life. 

In the hope of Christ,

Susan