Guerrilla Christianity

Tenebrae is a Latin word that means "Darkness."  The Tenebrae service is a reading of the Passion account from John's Gospel, broken down into 16 readings, and after each of the first fourteen readings a candle is extinguished until the entire sanctuary is clothed in darkness.  This represents the light of Christ being extinguised on the cross, and it also represents the three hours of darkness that the people experienced as He hung on the cross.  After the 15th reading, a loud noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake that occurred at the death of Jesus.  It is a somber and solemn service of contemplation.  We have attempted to recreate the service in its entirety here, and hope that you will be blessed in its re-enactment.  

Entrance - Gathering

The Call to Worship:

Hymn:

Opening prayer:

The Passion of Jesus Christ

Sending Forth

Hymn:

Dismissal with Blessing

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 4, 2020

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S.D.G.

April 14, 2022

Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14

Psalter: Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Gospel: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

S.D.G.

Sermon #160

We are still in the midst of our Lenten series, based on Adam Hamilton's book 24 Hours that Changed the World.  On this Palm Sunday, we find Jesus on the cross, which was literally the darkest moment in Christian history.  The disciples were scattered, their Master was dead and laid in a tomb.  Certainly this would be the end of all that Messiah nonsense, or so the religious leaders thought.  Today we know that the crucifixion was not the end, but the beginning.  But the first followers of Christ thought that it signalled the end of their movement and worse, potentially the end of their own lives. 

Mark 15:25-39

Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 20, 2016 (Originally published March 28, 2016)

S.D.G.

Sermon #331

Palm Sunday holds a certain tension for those of us who know the full story.  On the one hand, we come celebrating Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  On the other, we know deep down that the same voices crying "Hosanna!" on Sunday will be crying "Crucify him!" come Friday.  We can be like that, too.  We can come praising God on Sunday and the next day (or even that afternoon) go back to living the way of the world.  This Palm Sunday, we find ourselves preparing our hearts and minds for Holy Week - for the Passion, the Cross... and ultimately, the empty tomb.

Luke 19:28-40

Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 14, 2019 (Originally published April 17, 2019)

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S.D.G.

Sermon #492

We conclude our series titled "Gathered Up in Jesus" on the day we observe called Palm/Passion Sunday.  It is very easy to get caught up in the pagentry and the victory of Palm Sunday, to see Jesus' triumphal entry through the eyes of his disciples, and to immediately want to get to the empty tomb, but that is a mistake.  Without the bad news, the good news doesn't seem very good.  We must take time to gaze upon our Lord on the cross as he bore our sins.  We cannot fully appreciate our salvation without the full realization of the cup of God's wrath that Jesus drained to the dregs for our sakes.  Jesus understood fully well the moment that he was heading toward and the horrible things that would be done to him by week's end, and yet he went willingly, driven by God's agape love to restore our world and rescue us from our sin.  

Luke 19:28-40

Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 10, 2022

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S.D.G.

April 10, 2022

Palms Readings:

Passion Readings:

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Sermon #159

We come now to the final hours of Jesus' life and it's not a particularly pleasant picture.  We have already seen how brutal the Roman scourging can be in last week's message.  This week, we look at Jesus' arduous journey over a third of a mile carrying a hundred pound crossbeam.  After the scourging and the humiliation of the soldiers, it proves to be too much physically for the man Jesus.  And so a man from another city altogether is pressed into service.  The actions of Simon of Cyrene are so pertinent to the story of Christ and these 24 hours that they have been recorded in three of the four gospels.  And as we look at this journey we have to ask ourselves, what part would I have played in the crowd, had I been there?  And what part do I play today?  So grab your Bible, turn it to Mark chapter 15, and prepare your heart and mind as we make ourselves watch the torture and humiliation of the King.

Mark 15:15b-23

Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 13, 2016 (Originally published March 25, 2016)

S.D.G.

Sermon #330

Many times throughout recorded history, God has intervened in the lives of people to do something new, different, and unexpected.  Consider manna, the bread that God provided for the nation of Israel as they wandered forty years in the wilderness.  The people had never seen anything like it.  In fact, the Hebrew word means "What is it?"  In the same way, Good continues to do the unexpected, making something new for his faithful people.  Today as we look at the words of Isaiah, we consider what new thing God is doing in our midst, and in today's busy and distracted society, will will we even notice?

Isaiah 43:16-21

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 7, 2019 (Originally published April 9, 2019)

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S.D.G.

Sermon #491

In the week leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, a number of events occur which point to his forthcoming death on the cross, and this event recorded in all four gospels is one of them.  In Mary, the sister of Lazarus (not to be confused with Mary the mother of Jesus or Mary Magdalene), whom Jesus raised from the dead, we see an extravagant act of worship in anointing Jesus' feet with very expensive perfume.  Some of those in attendance, particularly Judas, protested at the waste.  In fact, we hear similar voices today when we see worship spaces decorated with costly adornments.  Why weren't these rich objects sold to feed the poor?  But as Christ himself reminds us, we will always have opportunities to minister to the poor - and lest we miss this point, we ought to be ministering to the poor regularly.  But opportunities to worship God face to face, God in the flesh, are few and far between, and we ought to make the most of them, as Mary has done.

John 12:1-8

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 3, 2022

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S.D.G.

April 3, 2022

Old Testament: Isaiah 43:16-21

Psalter: Psalm 126

Epistle Lesson: Philippians 3:4b-14

Gospel Lesson: John 12:1-8

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

S.D.G.