Worship Services

The Agape meal, or love-feast, is a symbolic recreation of how the first Christians gathered in worship. These “People of the Way,” as they were first known, would meet in each other’s homes, often in secret, to tell the stories of Jesus and remember him in the broken bread and the shared cup. Our communion services remind us of Jesus’ last supper, as well as these early communal meals.

Each year we hold an Agape Meal in the church sanctuary, complete with table and chairs, and a simple meal. We usually serve food associated with Jesus’ culture—pita bread, olives, hummus, hard cheese, nuts, vegetables and fruit.

The bulk of the Maundy Thursday service is the Tenebrae. Tenebrae, from the Latin for darkness or shadows, involves the gradual extinguishing of candles until we leave the sanctuary in darkness. Our sanctuary chairs are arranged around a long table at which 12 readers are seated. After each reading of the final actions of Jesus’ life, the reader snuffs out a candle. The service concludes with the lighting of a candle to symbolize the resurrected Christ, and all exit the church in silence.

The drama of the Tenebrae is not only significant in itself but also because of the stage it sets for Easter. By experiencing the loneliness and loss of Jesus' arrest, the desertion of the disciples, and the death, one is able to more fully appreciate the joy of the resurrection. Easter is not just an abstract expression of hope but a testimony to the possibility of new life in the face of death.