We invite you to join us as we remember Christ’s sacrifice at our community Good Friday Tenebrae service on April 18 at Yellowstone Theological Institute.

The word Tenebrae comes from the Latin, meaning “shadows.” This traditional form of commemorating Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross dates back at least to the ninth century.

The purpose of the service is to lead worshippers through a meditation on Christ’s atoning sacrifice, lament and confession of our sin which necessitated this sacrifice, and prayer and praise for this mighty act of God in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.

This service includes Scripture readings, hymns, and symbolic elements including candles and the strepitus (Latin), a loud noise that occurs after the final candle is extinguished, symbolizing the tearing of the veil to the Holy of Holies, the earthquake, and the physical finitude to Christ’s, “it is finished.”