West Baptist Church

Tonight we extinguished seven candles, one by one, as we read through Matthew’s account of what happened 2000 years ago.  You could do the same at home, perhaps on Friday or Saturday evenings, so here are the readings, the shadows, and the artwork we reflected on tonight.

Matthew 26:36-46: The Shadow of Agony. The first candle is extinguished.

Praying at Gethsemane, He Qi

Matthew 26:47-56: The Shadow of Betrayal. The second candle is extinguished.

Judas kisses Jesus, Giotto di Bondone, Arena Chapel, Padua

Matthew 26:57-68: The Shadow of Accusation. The third candle is extinguished.

Jesus and Caiaphas, Matthias Stom

Matthew 26:69-75: The Shadow of Desertion. The fourth candle is extinguished.

Peter denies Jesus, Josep Maria Subirachs, la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Matthew 27:1-2; 11-26: The Shadow of Injustice. The fifth candle is extinguished.

Ecce Homo, Antonio Ciseri

Matthew 27:27-44: The Shadow of Mockery. The sixth candle is extinguished.

Jesus is Mocked, Edouard Manet

Matthew 27:45-54: The Shadow of Death. The seventh candle is extinguished.

Christ of St John of the Cross: Nuclear Mysticism, Salvador Dali

The Christ candle is hidden.

33 hammer blows on the cross, once for every year of Jesus’ life.

The Christ candle is revealed.

Isaiah 53: Song of the Suffering Servant

Tags:   church calendar · Easter · Jesus · lament · Lent · Spirituality · Tenebrae · visual worship3 Comments