The New Testament makes a big deal about the birth, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus, all of which he did for our salvation. These really are the three anchors holding our salvation firm (we could certainly include His ascension and Pentecost, but we’ll save that discussion for another time). Without the incarnation, we wouldn’t have a substitute to satisfy the demands of the Law in our place. Without the crucifixion, there would be no blood shed to atone for sin, no punishment that every sin deserves. Without the resurrection, we would remain hopeless (see 1 Corinthians 15). And these are the three events of the life of Christ to which the New Testament writers seem to return over and over again.

Therefore, we at Grace Covenant will return to them over and over again, also. Certainly, we do that in our singing and praying and preaching, but this is something we will also do in our “church calendaring”. And we will begin with the crucifixion.

On the evening of Good Friday, April 2, we will hold our first Tenebrae service, a special worship service focusing on the death of Jesus and the darkness (“Tenebrae” is Latin for darkness or shadows) of that day on which Christ died. The service itself resembles a typical Lessons and Carols service which we normally find around Christmas – a series of songs sung between Scripture passages read, all of which will focus (very much unlike Lessons and Carols) on the somber events of the sacrifice of Christ.

We’d love to have you join us.