Mixing Bowl Tenebrae Evening – The Holy Biscuit – Enhancing the Arts in Newcastle

Last month at Mixing Bowl, Andii Bowsher put together a reflective evening inspired by the tradition of ‘Tenebrae’ services. Tenebrae means darkness or shadows, and services are sometimes called ‘A Service of Shadows’. Tenebrae can be seen as prayerful theatre, with ways to recognise the sadness and tragedies of the world within a framework of bittersweet hope. Andii adapted the content of the evening to suit a Mixing Bowl gathering in March (mid-Lent season in 2019), as Tenebrae services are normally held in Holy Week. We are sharing the content of that evening in this post not only to give everyone who reads the HB blog a flavour of the evening, but also because after what felt like a significant time of discussion, reflection and creativity, those of us there wanted someway to remember what was shared.

The evening started with a shared meal (as is traditional for Mixing Bowl) before moving on to the second part of the evening which Andii had structured with some prepared text for us to hear and consider, as well as time for us to discuss and write our own Psalm-like laments together in small groups under various topic headings to guide each group’s thoughts. Then, in the tradition of Tenebrae there was a gradual extinguishing of candles that lit the room; After every group’s verse was read, candles were extinguished until near darkness was achieved at the end of our time together.

Below is Andii’s text from the evening, including instructions given on the evening and also including the texts which were collectively written by those in attendance. It is our prayer that as you read these words, that they might be helpful in considering the brokenness of our world, our complicity in this brokenness and the hope offered in Jesus and his plan to, one day, bring restoration.

Introduction to This Service of Shadows
In this event, we take a journey into darkness – to a place where we recognise the deep shadows of this present age. We ponder hope, not in spite of darkness but in darkness. This is a more participatory version of Tenebrae in which we ourselves prepare some of what we close with.

Method: small groups, each write a verse of a ‘shadow psalm’ (up to 4 lines) to be shared later under the following headers. There are 6 ‘shadows’; apportioned to small groups to carry out the task in around 25 minutes. The topics are interconnected so try to keep to different focal points. [Each small group was assigned one of the following topics to write about.]

Climate change: Expressing our fears and anxieties about anthropogenic climate change and responses to it.

Rise of authoritarianism: Expressing our fears and anxieties about the national and global political trends.

Hunger among riches: Expressing our fears and anxieties about living n a world and in communities where there is enough food for all but many go hungry and food is wasted.

Growing inequality -money talks: Expressing our fears and anxieties about wealth and how it is increasingly subverting democracy and safeguards for the poor.

Scapegoating and demonising of minorities: Expressing our fears and anxieties about the way those who are ‘different’ are treated in our society. Race, disability, gender, sexual minorities etc

Culture of war: Expressing our fears and anxieties about how easy it seems to be that our country gets involved in military action in the middle east and elsewhere and how little effort and resource is given over to peace-building and reconciliation.

The text written by those in attendance (one stanza for each group and topic) followed by a call and response:

Woe to us, we are overwhelmed!
We have abused, exploited, trashed our overheating home
We grieve for oceans, forests, the whale and the wombat, for our poor, for our sisters and brothers, for ourselves, for our children
What are we leaving? Will, will, will we be worthy ancestors?