It’s Holy Week, and this Thursday is Maundy Thursday. We will hold a Communion and Tenebrae Service at 6:00 PM that evening to remember Jesus’ final hours before his death.
Maundy Thursday is the night that we remember and celebrate the final supper Jesus shared with his disciples before he went to the cross. As Disciples, we share communion each Sunday. Yet, it takes on a special significance on Maundy Thursday as we journey with Jesus from the Upper Room, to the cross, and then to the tomb.
The term Maundy Thursday is derived from the Old French mande and from the Latin mandatum novum, meaning "a new commandment" that is referenced in John 13:34. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” Jesus’ great love of us is reflected powerfully in the way that he laid down his life for us.
Tenebrae, the Latin word for darkness, is an adaptation of the ancient service in which candles are lit at the opening of the service and extinguished one by one after each scripture lesson, commemorating the darkness at the time of the Crucifixion.
Come and share in the Lord’s Supper and walk through the shadows of Jesus’ final hours this Thursday at 6:00 PM. This service will be a rich time of worship that makes Easter even more meaningful.