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Tonight the church remembers the crucifixion of our Lord. Our remembrance, while solemn, is not a message of gloom, but the awe-filled adoration of the Son of God as he offers up his life as the Lamb of God. Worship on Good Friday is not a funeral service for Jesus, but an austere time of reflection and adoration of the Lamb of God. We gather to celebrate the sacrifice of the cross.We worship tonight using the custom of tenebrae, which is Latin for “darkness.” Throughout the course of worship the sun sets, lights are dimmed, and candles snuffed out. These all represent Christ’s life ebbing away. As worship nears an end this evening, a remaining candle, a symbol of the Lord himself, is carried out of the chancel. The final candle is not snuffed out, for even on Good Friday, our worship honors a living Christ. The service is closed by a loud noise called the strepitus, that foreshadows Christ rending his tomb in triumph at his resurrection. The final candle, which is still burning, is returned to its place at the end of the service before the congregation departs the church.The mood of the service is most solemn, encouraging the worshipers to reflect deeply upon their own life in the light of the Passion of our Lord. No closing blessing is pronounced, and the congregation disperses into the night, leaving the darkened church in silence, yet remembering the Light which lingers and casts hope through the darkness of Good Friday.