Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith? Jesus lives!

Mark 4:35-41: And on that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, "Let us go over to the other side." And leaving the multitude, they took him along with them, just as he was, in the boat; and other boats were with him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. And Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

And being aroused, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And he said to them, "Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?" And they became very afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

There are two key sentences in the story about Jesus calming the wind and the storm.

The first is the question of the anxious disciples: "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

And the second is the question of our almighty Lord:  "Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?

Jesus and the disciples went by boat to cross the lake. Unexpectedly the boat began to be rocked by the waves driven by a gale force wind.  The waves began to break across the boat. And the disciples were terrified. They thought that they were going to die.

Through all of this, Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat. He was not concerned about the wind and the storm.  The boat was not going to sink, because Jesus still had much to do, and because he put his trust in his Father.

1. The disciples, trembling with fear, put a harsh question to Jesus:  "Teacher, do you not care?  (v. 38b) Their cry to Jesus was, "Do something! Don’t you care that we are in danger – and afraid."

Jesus got up from his peaceful rest and spoke to the wind and the waves. "Hush, be still!" Jesus said, and the wind died down, and it became perfectly calm.

2. Then Jesus turned to his followers to ask them a question too - “Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?" (v. 40)  It seems as if Jesus never intended to calm the wind and the storm.  It seems that he expected his followers to have faith, to trust him and to know that he is in control of the wind and the waves, even though he did not intervene!   Jesus expected faith and not fear.

3. The disciples thought that Jesus didn’t care about their situation. That he was not concerned about their fear and the danger they encountered.  So he stilled the storm.  Yet, he rather wanted them to be secure in the storm and in spite of the storm, because they had faith. 

4. Sometimes Jesus will still the storm that makes us afraid!  He has the authority to do so. That is the first lesson of this passage. Jesus has the authority over everything and the power to calm every storm. Sometimes he intervenes, because he can - and because we are afraid and do not have the faith to be calm amidst the stroom.   He has the power to do it. He is able to do it. And sometimes, he will do it.

5. But the second lesson of the passage is that he sometimes will let the storms rage. Because of his plan for us, and for what we still have to learn and because of the strength we need to grow, Jesus will allow us to go through storms. Then it is a test of our faith.   It is good for us to able to sit through the storm, because we have faith!

6. If the disciples had faith, they could have been as peaceful and resting as Jesus was, who felt no need for the storm to be stilled.  We, like the disciples ask, “Jesus, don’t you care?” And sometimes Jesus answers, “Do you have no faith?”

The Lord cares for us.  We need no more than the cross and the open grave as a sign of his love and that he cares!  Because we believe in his resurrection, he does not need to calm the storm to convince us that he cares.  What we need to have is faith.  Even in the storm.  And even when he does not calm the storm, although he can!

7. Dear Lord, let me grow to be able to say with Psalm 23 - "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me."  This is a word of faith and this is where the Lord wants us to be.

Let the storms bellow! Let the winds blow and the waves toss us around. 

In Jesus we have peace and we are protected. The storms will refine our faith. The storms will help us to become more like Jesus! Filled with peace, and resting, like Jesus.

How to Please God

Hebrews 13: 1 - 6

How to Please God

Keep on loving one another as Christians. Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering, as though you were suffering as they are.

Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

I will never leave you; I will never abandon you. Let us be bold, then, and say,

The Lord is my helper,

I will not be afraid

What can anyone do to me?

The Parable of the Growing Seed

The Parable of the Growing Seed: Mark 4: 26 – 29:

Jesus also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The seed is the word of God. God’s Word is the agent of growth in the Kingdom of God in our lives, our communities and the Church. The Kingdom will grow as the seed, God’s Word, is planted and as the seed matures. God’s Word has life in itself, and we must sow that seed in order to see the Kingdom grow.

The parable teaches that

1) There must be a deliberate sowing of God’s Word – “A man scatters seed on the ground.”

2) To let the seed of God’s Word grow in our lives and in those lives where we are sowing , is not within our ability or responsibility. God lets the seed grow - “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”

3.) We have to be patient – it takes time for the seed to mature to a grown plant. We need to expect and accept God’s time frames for the effect of the sowing of God’s Word. “All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”

4.) We need to be ready to harvest, to act, when in God’s time the fruit appears in our lives and in our church. We need a proper harvesting of the fruit of the seed of God’s Word that was sown. “As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

As we sow the Word of God, the seed will grow. The message of God to us is to keep sowing - wherever you go, whatever you do. Keep on scattering seeds. When you are with friends, plant a seed. When you are in the office, or playing, or talking with your neighbor across the fence, plant the seed.

As you do, God will begin to cause those seeds to germinate. He will give a great increase. We have to keep on sowing! God employs our efforts as we are faithful to plant those seeds and give ourselves to the work.

So cultivate the soil, plant the seed, water it and stand back and watch God at work. Harvest time is near.

The message of a stone rolled away

Had we been there on the resurrection day, we would have experienced an awfully sad day. Hopes were shattered. Jesus Christ was killed. And as his followers, we would have been full of despair, bewilderment, and confusion. We would not have been able to understand what was going on.

But look! A couple of faithful ladies who had ministered to Jesus during his time on earth and who received ministry from him, came to do a last service for him! And as they arrived, they saw what they did not expect. The stone was rolled away. What did it say to them and what did it mean?

There is a powerful message in the stone rolled away. This stone pronounced the great message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the simplest possible way spoke about its implications. The resurrection of Christ was more than an extraordinary event in history. The stone gave to them, and us, a great challenge. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is both the most significant event in history, and the most powerful challenge to everyone, whether we are his followers, or not.

The message of the stone challenges you too. You, too, have to answer to what the stone rolled away, is saying. It says that…

The stone rolled to the mouth of the tomb says that Jesus died a real death. On the cross on Golgotha Jesus was executed. He gave his life for us that day. He died in our place in payment for our sins. Because of his great love, he went to the cross in order to reach out to people who did not care, or even hated him.

The stone rolled to the mouth of the tomb says, in the words of the angel, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." The stone says that Jesus Christ lived, died, was buried, and rose again from the dead.

And the stone rolled to the mouth of the tomb says to us today, Christian, and non-Christian and antichristian alike, not from the cross, for he is not there. Not from the grave, for he is not there.
It says he is at the right hand of the throne of the one and only Almighty God, from where, one day, he will come to finally complete his dominion, also on earth!
And he is coming back to ask us how we answered to the message of the stone rolled away!

Resurrection is always Good News!

Good News! Easter is the Good News. It is the Gospel of our Lord. It is the best news ever: Christ has risen. He has risen indeed.

Death and the grave could not hold Jesus! Good Friday was not the end. Darkness, suffering and death did not have the last word.

Resurrections are great news, because they happen rarely. Because it is something rare, something that we don't really expect, the resurrection of Jesus is the greatest event in history.

Over 2000 years of the story of God dealing with his people, the Bible only records 10 resurrection miracles. Resurrection is rare, unusual and simply amazing. What makes the resurrection of Jesus ultimately unique, is that he never died again. In the other 9 stories of resurrection the people grew older, and eventually died again. But Jesus never dies! Jesus is alive!

The resurrection of Jesus was totally unexpected by his followers. We are told that the women who came to the tomb "bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body" (Mk 16:1). They expected to find Jesus the same way as he was when they buried him - dead! Resurrections are amazing news, because death and loss are no longer what we fear it to be! It no longer is darkness and decay. The women watched Jesus die from a distance. (Mk 15:40). We all hesitate to come too close to death.

We are all horrified when we see death - especially a violent, painful death such as the crucifixion was. We also try to keep as much distance as possible from our own deaths. We try to be healthy, be fit, eat responsibly, take our medicine, go for checkups. We try our very best to keep death at a distance.

But at Easter's resurrection the sting of death was removed. Death was finally and completely overcome! This is the reason why the angel at the grave told the women to pass on the good news:
(Mk 16:7) “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” This is why we meet Sunday after Sunday – to tell the good news, that death has been conquered.
Jesus has risen! Once fearful and despondent disciples, became powerful witnesses and excited believers - because Jesus has risen!

May the living Lord bless you with abundant life.

Sunday’s children, people of hope and worship!

We are not Saturday’s children anymore! We are Sunday’s children. We are people of hope and worship!

Friday’s agony gave way to Saturday’s despair. But thank God, Saturday’s despair gives way to Sunday’s hope. It is summed up in the opening sentence of Mark 16, "And when the Sabbath was over...." Friday’s agony had come, but it had passed. Saturday’s despair had come as well, but it was now over as well. A new day had come. Sunday had come. And with Sunday, hope had come too.

Early on that Resurrection Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices to the tomb where they thought they would anoint Jesus’ body. They were concerned as to who would roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb. But it had already been rolled away. They entered the tomb, and saw an angel of God. In verse 6 it says, "And he said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid him.’" This was the most incredible experience of their lives. They could hardly believe their eyes, yet, there was no doubt this was the tomb. And Jesus was not there. He had risen.

When this amazing truth got through to them, Mark 16 says in verse 8, "And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them..." After experiencing Friday’s agony and Saturday’s despair, what a revitalizing experience this must have been. It has sharpened every sense they had. So they were both thrilled and afraid, both terrified and elated.

This is what the resurrection of Jesus Christ is all about. It reveals that the Lord is in charge, because the Lord is alive! The dark night of our soul has passed and, even in the circumstances which we cannot control, there is hope for a day of resurrection-power for us. There is hope because God is in charge.

Do you have hope? Things may look depressing today. You may be experiencing a dark night. You may feel overwhelmed by circumstances. It may even feel out of control. But God is in control. There is hope for tomorrow.

The resurrection of Jesus teaches us that life can come out of death. Friday’s agony brought Jesus’ death. Saturday’s despair was symbolized by Jesus in the tomb.
But we are not Friday’s children and do not have to live as Saturdays children!
We belong to Sunday: to hope and celebration and praise and worship of the living Lord.
Sunday brought hope, because Jesus came alive. And he who came alive on that first Easter Sunday is still alive, and he lives today to bring life to us too.

The life he gives is both eternal life and life we need for today. It is both hope for eternity and hope for tomorrow. Because of the life of Jesus, we can experience a new day. We can be brought from Saturday’s despair into Sunday’s victory, because God is in control.
Because Christ is risen, indeed!

Easter: On Resurrection Sunday, look for Jesus among the living...

Read: Luke 23:55-24:12

Is there a household somewhere that is not looking for things? As a dad and adult son living in the same house, my shirts forever seems to be “lost”, but I know where to look for them – in my son’s cupboard! Now it would be very foolish to look for it in the pantry, or the kitchen cupboard, wouldn’t it? The chance of it being misplaced in my son’s cupboard is just too big for me not to look there first!!

When it comes to Jesus, I’m afraid, we far too often look in the wrong place for the risen Christ, for his conquering power and his saving grace! Here we see Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James searching for Jesus, but they are looking in the wrong place, and in hindsight, a very foolish place.

The wrong place to look for Jesus
On Good Friday, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women "stood at a distance" on Golgotha Hill, watching the crucifixion and death of Christ (Lk 23:49; cf 24:10). Later they followed Joseph, from the Judean town of Arimathea, an influential man, and saw how Christ's body was laid in Joseph’s tomb, by him. (Lk 23:55). "They went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment" (Lk 23:56).

These women loved Jesus so much. Jesus had taught them everything they thought they knew about God and his Kingdom. He had shown them the love of the Father. He had opened to them the meaning of the Scriptures. He had healed them and their loved ones. Many times he displayed his divine power. Because of love, they wanted to honour and respect him, by providing a proper burial for him.

Then it is daybreak on Sunday. On the way they were talking to each other. According to St Mark's Gospel, they asked, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?" (Mk 16:3).And just as they were starting to become concerned about this, they arrived at the tomb and found "the stone rolled away" (Lk 24:2). They entered and to their immense surprise, the tomb was empty! The body of Jesus was not there!

Then there was a bright light and two angels in gleaming white robes standing before them. (Lk 24:4). The women trembled in fear and bowed to the ground (Lk 24:5). Then the angels, the messengers of God, asked them: "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

You can hear the reproach in the question: Why are you doing something so pointless? "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Do you not remember how he taught you that on the third day he would rise again form the dead?

If Jesus was dead, it made sense to look for him in the tomb where Joseph laid his body to rest. But the grave could not keep him. He is alive. He has risen. "He is not here," said the angels. "He has risen! Remember how he told you ..." (Lk 24:6).
But when the Easter gospel was preached to them by the angels, they remembered. They really should have known! Jesus had told them what was going to happen, didn't he? How could they have forgotten? How could they be so foolish? Why did they look for the living among the dead?

The women were mortified by the angels! They should have known better! They were ashamed because they were looking for Jesus in a place where they should have known he could not be. They were looking for Jesus in the wrong place, in a tomb – and he is alive! He is risen!!

Even today too many Christians look for Jesus in the wrong place. Not a place where his resurrection power is known, experienced and his true Kingdom is expected. Lets not be foolish! We have to look for Jesus in the right place!

The right place to look for Jesus
Jesus is not dead. He is alive. This means the women must have looked for Jesus in the place of the living: in Jerusalem, or in Galilee, or where his disciples were, but certainly not in a tomb.

Where must we look for the living Jesus Christ? We can start with his church. It is within the church, with the people of God, that we can find the Lord Jesus. His power, his life, his Spirit, his love, his care and concern, his grace, his holiness, his forgiveness - is to be found in us, his followers. People should be able to look at the Church and be able to find the living Jesus here.

We are to see the living Jesus in the church at worship: a church singing, praying, praising, and testifying brings the living Jesus into view. We find the living Jesus when, like the women, we spread the glad tidings that he has risen (Lk 24:9,10).

We also see the living Jesus when Christians live as brothers and sisters in God's family. When believers are "like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose," (Phil 2:2). When believers "do nothing out of selfish conceit, but in humility consider others better than themselves," you see and can meet the living Christ (Phil 2:3). When Christians wash each other's feet, serving each other, you see the living Jesus. When God's children use their material and spiritual gifts for the service and enrichment of others, there too you see the living Jesus.

Jesus is in places where people — in his name — give cups of cold water to the thirsty, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, look after the sick, visit the prisoner, and look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others (Mt 25:34ff; Phil 2:4).

If the living Christ is present in the church, then she looks for ways and means to love people. Much broader than our own community! When we believe Jesus is alive, we should show everyone that nothing is impossible with God! People are in need of compassion, companionship, and human contact. In showing this love we, and they, again see the living Jesus, present amongst us. We can find him, and so can others through our witness and service!

But we should also look for Jesus — the living Jesus — in our heart. If we only believe, then Jesus lives in us, making and shaping and moulding us to be like him. It is in a personal relationship with Jesus, that we finally and conclusively find the living Christ. We find him through the gracious work of his Spirit in our heart! We find him in our hearts when we are willing to glorify God, the Father.

Through our personal relationship with Jesus, we certainly also find him in heaven, seated at the right hand of God. And we, since we have been raised with Christ, set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. We set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:1,2).

Conclusion
Our doubt and unbelief disappear only when we take God at his Word. Our questions may remain, but they will remain within the context of faith, hope and love.
Do not look for the living among the dead! Jesus has risen!

On Maundy Thursday we follow the Tenebrae order of worship...

During the Tenebrae liturgy on Maundy Thursday,  we are asked to meditate on the fact that it was on the Thursday evening before Good Friday that Jesus and his disciples were together for the last time, when he and they stood in the shadow of the cross, when he washed their feet and instituted the Holy Supper.

Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness. The gradual extinguishing of the lights will be symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus during the night of his arrest, the anguish of Gethsemane, the flight of the disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the looming shadow of the cross, the God forsakenness. The moments of total darkness will recall the time when he was in the tomb.

Devotion:
TENEBRAE - why dwell on the anguish of Christ?

We know many fears, troubles and distress: Financial, social scandal, terminal illness, violence and crime, war and terrorism, abuse, to be the object of aggression. These fears are real for many people – even children - and are all terrible.

The Bible knows a feeling of horror, anguish and fear that is more distressing than any of these that we hear about or encounter: It is the anguish of being a lost sinner, standing before the throne of judgment. True horror is to come before a holy God and his resentment for sin and those consciously choosing impurity, hatred and disobedience, rather than love, faith, hope, and obedience.

The greatest fear is of those who are before the throne of God, realising the consequences of not accepting the Lords invitation to receive his grace, mercy and redemption. The greatest fear, distress and horror is the distress of the lost on the judgment day.

This is the sorrow, the fear and the distress that Jesus experienced, from the garden of Gethsemane, to the utter darkness on the cross when he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus knew that the judgment of God for all the sins of the world would be upon him! Not because he ever sinned, or disobeyed or transgressed, but because of the sins of the whole world.

We read about this fear in the gospels. In (KJ) Mk 14:34 Jesus says: My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death. And the NIV puts it like this: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

“Overwhelmed with sorrow” means a lot more than these few words can capture. We do not have enough words to recall the experience Jesus had when he carried our judgment. But these words may help us: Fear, terror, horror, sorrow, grief, distress, anguish, troubled, disturbed, pain, suffering, death.

But what is the cause of this overwhelming sorrow? Jesus was not overwhelmed, because he feared death; it was not Judas, or the chief priests or Pontius Pilate that brought about his anguish. It was not even the horrors of the cruel death on the cross that caused him this distress.
It was the fear of God’s judgment that brought the Saviour to the point of the raw terror of hell itself.

But why dwell on this darkness? Why observe Tenebrae? What are we supposed to learn from it? What is the reason that this dark night is so clearly recorded?

In the darkness of Christ’s anguish we discover who we really are, without the grace of God and the redeeming work of Jesus, without the cross and the salvation and the forgiveness of God.

And we see the depth of the love and the mercy of Christ for sinners, for me and for you. We see, how much he really loves us.

It is not without reason that the Bible records that in Gethsemane Jesus asked his closest friends, Peter, James and John, to keep watch with him while he prayed. It was not because any human could help him in this hour of overwhelming distress. Yet he asked them, and asks us - to keep watch with him! To do this in remembrance of him. To never forget his suffering. What difference can it make? Because, like the first disciples, we have a responsibility towards the Lord who loves us so much!

Moved by the overwhelming sorrow of Christ and by the reality of what we are saved from, and the cost of it all, we are called to keep watch and pray to not fall into temptation again.
And to keep watch with Christ, for the sake of the salvation of the world. Shall we not keep watch and pray with Jesus when we understand the predicament of those who die without forgiveness?

After we saw what Jesus did for us, how can we not remember his commission?
Keep watch with me, and pray.
Go, he said, even to the ends of the earth, and proclaim the good news of salvation, make disciples of al. After we saw his love and felt some of his sorrow and his distress at Tenbrae, how can we not go!

Something new for Good Friday!

You sometimes find something new, by doing something old again.
The old tradition is to preach on the seven words on the cross on Good Friday.
What is new, is to create a response by the congregation singing one verse after each short devotion on the message of that specific word on the cross.
I wrote these lyrics for that purpose and you are welcome to use it, or some of it, if you want to.
It is based on the well known and much loved hymn – When I survey....
I know it came out as a sort of ballad, but don’t hold that against me...

Sermon – readings, devotions and response in song: Seven words on the Cross:
First Reading and devotion on Luke 23: 34: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Congregation sings:
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.

Second Reading and devotion: Luke 23:43: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Congregation sings:
I’ll cherish the cross, where I am saved,
his love displayed as thorny crown,
his life for me he freely gave -
my sin I at his cross laid down.

Third Reading and devotion: John 19:26-27; "Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son". Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
Congregation sings:
God’s church commenced there at the cross,
his life he gave to set us free;
all else I count as fruitless loss -
now live for Christ and Christ’s family.

Fourth Reading and devotion: Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34; "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Congregation sings:
Yes, Jesus called, in agony:
“Oh, why my God, did you forsake me?”
There where he suffered hell’s torment,
God turned on him at Calvary.

Fifth Reading and devotion; John 19:28; "I thirst"
Congregation sings:
My Jesus thirsted on the cross,
He quenched my need that darkened day,
He who gives water, suffered loss;
as on the alter all he laid.

Sixth Reading and devotion: John 19:30; When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished";
Congregation sings:
All of his work, our Jesus did,
His work he finished, all he had done.
Completed our salvation that day,
redeemed me there, God’s gracious Son.

Seventh Reading and devotion: Luke 23:46; Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit":
Congregation sings:
My Saviour died on that old cross,
he breathed his last breath on that day.
In our dear Father’s hand he was then,
as on the altar, all he laid.

This is the Word of God.
Thanks be to God.

What is Holy Week

What is “Holy Week”?
The majority of Christians across the globe refer to the week that begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday, as “Holy Week”. We follow Jesus from his triumphal entry, to his cross, death and resurrection.
During Holy Week we observe the Tenebrae Service on Maundy Thursday and our Good Friday services.
The high light is the festive celebration of the resurrection of Jesus on Resurrection (Easter) Sunday.

Because “holy” means that something is set apart for God, Holy Week belongs to the celebration of God and his Christ by remembering the central truth of the gospel that only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, saves us from our sins by his atoning death and victorious resurrection.

What is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It remembers the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the last Sunday before his Passion.

What is Maundy Thursday and the Tenebrae service? “Maundy” describes the sad darkness of this day. It was on this Thursday night that Jesus instituted his holy Supper, washed the feet of his disciples, experienced the anguish and fear of Gethsemane and was arrested and tried by the Jewish religious leaders. It was the night that he was betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter.

Tenebrae (Latin for 'shadows' or 'darkness') is a unique ceremonial, commemorative liturgy contemplating the suffering of Christ by the gradual extinguishing of candles, a series of Scripture readings, teaching on the significance of the Passion of Christ.

FIRST READER: Luke 22: 39 – 48
First reader extinguishes 1st candle. -
SECOND READER: Luke 22: 54 - 62.
Reader extinguishes 2nd candle
THIRD READER: Matt 27: 22 – 31
Reader extinguishes 3rd candle.
FOURTH READER: Luke 23: 26 - 28.
Reader extinguishes 4th candle.
FIFTH READER: Matt 27: 33 – 40
Reader extinguishes 5th candle
SIXTH READER: Luke 23: 39 – 43 and John 19: 25 - 27.
Reader extinguishes 6th candle.
SEVENTH READER: Luke 23 : 44 – 54
Reader extinguishes last candle.

At the Tenebrae service we recreate the emotional aspects of the passion events. It is not a happy service, because the night remembered is a dark, solemn one in which we are in mourning, because our sins caused the Son of Man so much affliction and distress.
It is an incomplete service, without benediction at the end, only to be completed on Easter Sunday.

Good Friday
Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of mourning, both for the sins of the world and our personal sin, punished by the death and suffering of Jesus Christ.
Yet, although Friday is a solemn commemoration, it is not without its own joy, for while we want to contrast the joy of Resurrection to the solemn sadness of Good Friday, likewise the sombreness of Good Friday is a prophecy of the hope of Resurrection Sunday. We always observe Good Friday, well knowing that Sunday is coming! Traditionally we remember the words of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday...

Seven Words on the Cross:
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Luke 23:34

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Luke 23:43

"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son".
Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
John 19:26-27

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

"I thirst"
John 19:28

When Jesus had received the wine, he said,
"It is finished"; John 19:30

Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit":
Luke 23:46

Resurrection (Easter) Sunday is the glorious crown of all Christian worship that inspires every Sunday worship service of the year, where we are equipped to live for the glory of God every day of our lives, until the end! You could call it “the most important Sunday of the year”. We should all call it the most inspiring Sunday Worship one can celebrate! Resurrection Sunday, and therefore every Sunday, is a feast of worship and praise, because Jesus triumphed over death and all our enemies.

Pray every day of Holy Week that:
God will bless every service in your own church and amongst every Christian community in the world.
That Christ will call many to receive the Gospel.
That our love for Jesus will be enthused and that God, and worshipping him will be the priority of every Christian in the world – far beyond anything else we could plan or do this week.
That after we commemorated these blessed days, our lives will show the love and mercy of God in the work of Jesus Christ celebrated and remembered during these holy days!
That Jesus Christ, and only Jesus, will be celebrated.