Malling

TRINITY SOUTH MALLING: (Parish Church). The Easter Services last weekend were well attended, including the rather different service of Tenebrae on Thursday evening. The usual Communion Service, on the Thursday evening before Easter, celebrates the time when, after a meal with his twelve disciples, Jesus established the service of Holy Communion saying to them as He blessed the bread and wine, '˜Do this in Remembrance of me.' As this meal finished, the disciples moved on to Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested, taken before the High Priest and the Roman Governor, and condemned to crucifixion. The Tenebrae Service marks this dark end point by having the altar stripped of its cloth, cross, candles and other paraphernalia and underline the darkening mood that follows, by Readings from the Bible and a slow, solemn quenching of the light, one candle at a time. As the church grows darker, the story unfolds until, in complete darkness, it ends with his being led off to crucifixion and the congregation move slowly and silently out of the church. This final section is called Tenebrae, '˜the gathering darkness.' On Good Friday, last week, this was followed by an Iona style service of Meditation and then completed by the uplift and energy of Easter Sunday and its Communion Service. As part of their own Easter Service last Thursday, the children of South Malling School displayed their artwork a powerful, striking response to the Resurrection. They left their pictures to be put on display over Easter. They are wonderful and truly worth seeing. Parents at last Saturday's Craft Morning in church or on Easter Sunday's Service, will have will have seen these, but for others, the church will be open from 10am to 4pm tomorrow, Saturday, or in church during the Children and Family Service this Sunday at 9.30am. All are welcome.