In Silence We Left

After the last candle,
the last of the story read
the darkness of the sanctuary
We left in silence

Listening once again
in the company of the faithful
to the ancient story
our savior’s sacrifice
at the end of a week
where he entered the city
in triumph
He gave himself
for us
we sat in silence

The betrayal by one of the twelve
submitting himself in the garden
to the will of the father
the denial by the rock
the mock trial
the sentence of death
the pain in the dying
the new hewn tomb
We were numb in silence

The light was extinguished
the darkness was cold
In silence we left

March 21, 2008
Service of Tenebrae,
Maundy Thursday
Sanbornville United Methodist Church,
3/21/08, Pastor Ruth L. Foss