Bulletin — Lent — Maundy Thursday — 04/05/12
Faith Lutheran Church – Markesan, WI Maundy Thursday Worship Service with Holy Communion – 7:30 p.m. April 5, 2012
Welcome, Worshipers!
AS WE GATHER – SPEND A MOMENT IN SILENT PRAYER
Maundy Thursday (from the Latin mandatum meaning “command”) begins the three day service often known as the Sacred Triduum lasting until Easter. From the invocation of this service to the benediction on Easter Sunday, it is but one solemn liturgy spanning three days that recounts the whole story – from betrayal and crucifixion to burial and empty tomb and the resurrection. Maundy Thursday is remembered as the day Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. More than that, there are several prominent themes. The name itself reminds us of the new mandate or command Jesus gave to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). The washing of feet, normally reserved for the lowest servant, is Jesus’ way of demonstrating that kind of love. They then ate the Passover, but Jesus gave new meaning to the old rituals. He called the bread His own body given for them for the forgiveness of sins; He called the wine His own blood, shed for them for the forgiveness of sins. This is no mere symbolism. Jesus says the bread and wine are no longer merely bread and wine but are, by His Word, His own body and blood. Lutherans resist attempts to explain how this can be, preferring instead to take Jesus at His Word and believe that it is so. This night also recalls the sadness of one of Jesus’ own, a person of the inner circle, betraying Him. After singing a hymn, they left the upper room for the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane where all things would be accomplished for us and our salvation.
OPENING PRAYER P: We remember, Lord, that on this night in which You were betrayed You provided the blessed meal of Your Holy Supper for us. On the eve of the most dreadful hours of Your life, we should think of what You were facing. But You did not think of what You were facing; You thought of US! You cared for US, and You remembered US so that we could remember often what You have done for our salvation. May the holy Supper which You instituted on this night always be a time for us to give You thanks, as we see the joy which You provided for us by Your sorrow. Accept now our thanks, Lord, and keep us alive in the hope that we shall break bread with You in eternity! Amen.
Hymn 163:1-5
Invocation
P: We begin in the name of our Triune God: C: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. P: Lord God, grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may hear and believe Your Word. C: Cleanse our minds and renew our hearts that we may live for You here and hereafter, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Maundy Thursday Passion History excerpted from The Christ of the Gospels by William F. Beck
Then came the first day of the Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb had to be killed, and the disciples came to Jesus. He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go, prepare the Passover for us so we may eat it.” “Where do You want us to go,” His disciples asked Him, “and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” “Go into the city,” He told His two disciples, “and you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house which he enters, and tell the owner of the house: ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near. I am coming to you to celebrate the Passover. Where is My room in which I can eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ Then he will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Prepare for us there.” The disciples did as Jesus directed them. They left, went into the city, and found everything as He had told them. And so they prepared the Passover. In the evening when the hour had come, He came with the twelve apostles and lay down for the meal. “I have very much longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,” He said to them. “I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup and gave thanks. “Take this,” He said, “and share it.” It was during the supper. The devil had already put the idea of betraying Jesus into the mind of Judas, the son of Simon from Kerioth. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into His hands and that He had come from God and was going back to God. So Jesus rose from supper, laid aside His outer garment, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. Then He poured water into a basin and started to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel that was tied around Him. And so He came to Simon Peter. “Lord,” Peter asked Him, “are You going to wash my feet?” “What I am doing you don’t understand now,” Jesus answered him. “But later you will know.” “No!” Peter told Him. “You will never wash my feet.” “If I don’t wash you,” Jesus answered him, “you have no share in Me.” “Lord,” Simon Peter told Him, “not only my feet but also my hands and my head.” “Anyone who has bathed needs only to have his feet washed,” Jesus told him. “He is clean all over. You are clean, but not all of you.” He knew who was betraying Him. That was why He said, “Not all of you are clean.” After Jesus had said this, and while they were still lying down and eating, He was deeply troubled. “I tell you the truth,” He declared, “one of you is going to betray Me, one who is eating with Me! Look, the hand of him who is betraying Me is with Me on the table.” The disciples looked at one another, puzzled and wondering whom He meant. They started to feel very sad and to discuss with one another which of them was going to do this, and they asked Him, one after another, “You don’t mean me, Lord?” “One of the twelve!” He answered them. “One who is dipping into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man is going away as it has been decreed and written about Him, but woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born.” One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the bosom of Jesus. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask whom He might mean. Leaning back, where he was, against the bosom of Jesus, he asked Him, “Lord, who is it?” “I will dip this piece of bread and give it to him,” Jesus answered. “He is the one.” Then He dipped it and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon from Kerioth. “You don’t mean me, Master?” asked Judas, who was going to betray Him. “Yes!” He told him. After Judas had taken the piece of bread, Satan went into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Why He said this to him, nobody at the table knew. Some thought that since Judas had the money box, Jesus told him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or that he should give something to the poor. Right after Judas had taken the piece of bread, he went outside. And it was night. When Judas had gone out, Jesus said: “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and in Him God is glorified. God will also glorify Him in Himself; yes, He will glorify Him immediately.” In the night in which He was betrayed, as they were eating, the Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks. Then He broke it and gave it to the disciples, saying: “Take and eat. This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me.” In the same way He took the cup when the supper was over, and He gave thanks. He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you.” And all drank of it. Then He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for all to forgive their sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, to remember Me. “Surely, I tell you, I will not drink again of this product of the vine until that day when I will drink it in a new way with you in the kingdom of God, My Father.” Then they sang a hymn. “Children,” Jesus said, “I am with you just a little longer. You will look for Me, but as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. “I’m giving you a new order: Love one another! Love one another as I have loved you. If you love one another, everybody will know you are My disciples.”
Hymn 164
Sermon Text – Leviticus 16:20-22 20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.” Sermon Theme – “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” 1. What it means for sins to be “forgiven” 2. Where this forgiveness is to be found
Hymn 314
The Offering is collected
P: Prayer ALL: Our Father, who art in heaven; Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Confession and Absolution of Sins P: Having now heard the Word of God, let us join in making confession of our sins: ALL: O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy, and in Your faithfulness, come to my relief. Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before You. Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Almighty God, merciful Father, I, a troubled and repentant sinner, confess that I have sinned against You in my thoughts, my words, and my actions. I have not loved You with my whole heart; I have not loved others as I should. I am distressed by the sins that trouble me and am deeply sorry for them. P: Jesus says to His people: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.” His death paid for the guilt of your sins and the sins of the whole world. Do you believe this? ALL: Yes, I believe. P: Because of the promise of our Savior Jesus, I forgive you all your sins. Be assured that you are a dear child of God and an heir of eternal life. ALL: O Lord, my God, I called to You for help, and You answered me. I thank You for the love You have shown me in Jesus Christ, my Savior. Through Him You have rescued me from the guilt of my sin and given me the peace of forgiveness. Help me fight against temptation, correct whatever wrongs I can, and serve You and those around me with love and good works. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
From Martin Luther’s Small Catechism on this Sacrament…
P: What is the Sacrament of the Altar? ALL: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us Christians under the bread and wine to eat and to drink, as it was instituted by Christ Himself. P: What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? ALL: The words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that God gives forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation through the Sacrament. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. P: How can eating and drinking do such wonderful things? ALL: Eating and drinking actually do nothing. It is the words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” which do this. These words, together with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main part of the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: forgiveness of sins. P: When is an individual properly prepared to receive this Sacrament? ALL: Customs in connection with eating and clothing are indeed a fine preparation. However, a person is truly worthy and well-prepared who has faith in these words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Whoever does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared. The words, “for you,” require nothing but believing hearts.
The Service of the Sacrament (Worship Supplement, Setting Two)
P: The Lord be with you! C: (spoken) And also with you! P: Lift up your hearts! C: (spoken) We lift them up to the Lord! P: It is right and beneficial that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who brought the gift of salvation to all people by His death on the tree of the cross, so that the devil, who overcame us by a tree would in turn by a tree be overcome. Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we magnify Your glorious Name, evermore praising You and saying: ALL SING: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Sabaoth, adored; Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name. Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord; truly blest is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
WORDS OF INSTITUTION P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread. And when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat. This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup, after supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you. This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” The peace of the Lord be with you always! Amen.
ALL SING: O Lamb of God, O Christ our Lord, whose blood, once shed, true life restored, Impart Your joy, our faith increase. Sustain with Your mercy and grant us Your peace.
DISTRIBUTION of the SACRAMENT – Hymn 755 Communicant members of Faith Lutheran Church or of a sister CLC congregation are invited to come forward. For more on our communion practice, please speak with the pastor. Thank you!
ALL SING: 1. O Lord, now let Your servant Depart in heav’nly peace, For I have seen the glory Of Your redeeming grace: A light to lead the Gentiles Unto Your holy hill, The glory of Your people, Your chosen Israel. 2. All glory to the Father, All glory to the Son, All glory to the Spirit, Forever three in one; For as in the beginning, Is now, shall ever be, God’s triune name resounding Through all eternity.
P: Go in peace! Serve the Lord with gladness!
ALL SING: My heart has now become Your dwelling, O blessed, holy, Trinity. With angels I, Your praises telling, Shall live in joy eternally. Lord, may Your body and Your blood Be for my soul the highest good!
The Benediction
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all! Amen!
Closing Hymn 306:8 You are welcome and encouraged to return as we continue our Holy Week worship schedule! Good Friday Communion service, 1:30 p.m. Easter Sunday Early (sunrise) service at 7 a.m. Easter Breakfast afterwards – then an Easter video Late service – 10:00 a.m. NO Sunday School or Bible Class