Sermon for Tenebrae
“Turn unto the Lord your God”
Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness and shadows. The term is applied to the ancient monastic services of Matins and Lauds of Triduum Sacrum which in medieval times were celebrated in an anticipatory fashion on the preceding evenings. One dramatic feature of the service is the gradual extinguishing of the candles until only one candle remains lit, itself a symbol of Christ. Then, it, too, would be hidden, symbolic of Christ’s death and the apparent victory of the forces of evil. Finally, a very loud noise is made symbolizing the earthquake at the time of the resurrection. The hidden candle would be restored to its place and all would depart in silence.
Darkness and shadows. Holy Week is the pageant of the darkness of our humanity. Our hearts of darkness are fully on display. We turn to God in Christ to learn about the darkness and the shadows of our hearts. The Lamentations of Jeremiah are read as the lamentations of Christ, Christ sorrowing for our sins which are about our turning away from God and his will and his truth. That turning away is our life in the shadows, our life in the darkness as opposed to the light.
But Tenebrae is, above all else, about God turning to us in Jesus Christ, his turning to us to convict our hearts. Nowhere is that more graphically seen than at the end of The Beginning of the Passion According to St. Luke read on this day. It is the scene of Peter’s betrayal of Christ. Luke’s master touch, his painterly and dramatic touch, if you will, is to have Peter’s third betrayal and, then to say, “The Lord turned and looked upon Peter.” Light in the shadows, light in the darkness. That look convicts Peter. It is the look of divine compassion, not angry judgement. Peter confronts himself through Jesus turning to him at the moment of Peter’s third betrayal. He remembers in that moment what Christ had predicted. His own conscience is convicted. “He went out and wept bitterly.”
The Lamentations of Christ read tonight and also on Good Friday are seen through the lens of Christ turning and speaking to us just as he turns and looks upon Peter. The effect should be the same – the tears of repentance. The light of Christ illumines the darkness, the shadows of the human heart, our heart of darkness.
“Turn unto the Lord your God”
Fr. David Curry
Tenebrae
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
