GATHERING
The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.
Welcome to Worship
** Please stand as you are able.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS (ELW p. 258)
Friends in Christ, in this Lenten season we have heard our Lord’s call to struggle against sin, death, and the devil—all that keeps us from loving God and each other. This is the struggle to which we were called at baptism.
Within the community of the church, God never wearies of forgiving sin and giving the peace of reconciliation. On this night let us confess our sin against God and our neighbor, and enter the celebration of the great Three Days reconciled with God and with one another.
All kneel or sit and keep silence for reflection and self-examination.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith.
Amen.
GREETING (ELW p. 259)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW p. 259)
Let us pray.
Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave us a new commandment, to love one another as he loves us. Write this commandment in our hearts, and give us the will to serve others as he was the servant of all, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Opening
Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love 708
Refrain
Jesu, Jesu,
fill us with your love,
show us how to serve
the neighbors we have from you.
- Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
master who acts as a slave to them. Refrain
2 Neighbors are wealthy and poor,
varied in color and race,
neighbors are near us and far away. Refrain
3 These are the ones we will serve,
these are the ones we will love;
all these are neighbors to us and you. Refrain
4 Kneel at the feet of our friends,
silently washing their feet:
this is the way we will live with you. Refrain
- Text: Tom Colvin, 1925-2000, alt.Text © 1969 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.
WORD
God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song.
FIRST READING: Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14
1The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. [5Yourlamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. ] 11This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM: Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
1I love the Lord, who has heard my voice,
and listened to my supplication,
2for the Lord has given ear to me
whenever I called.
12How shall I repay the Lord
for all the good things God has done for me?
13I will lift the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord. R
14I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all God’s people.
15Precious in your sight, O Lord,
is the death of your servants.
16O Lord, truly | am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds.
17I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call upon the name of the Lord.
18I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all God’s people,
19in the courts of the Lord‘s house,
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. R
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
A reading from 1 Corinthians.
23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION [mass of love and mercy]
Save us Savior of the World
for by your cross and resurrection
You have set us free
GOSPEL: John 13:1-17, 31b-35
The holy gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord,not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY
ELW #659
Will You Let Me Be Your Servant
1 Will you let me be your servant,
let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant, too.
2 We are pilgrims on a journey,
we are trav’lers on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.
3 I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the nighttime of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.
4 I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.
5 Will you let me be your servant,
let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant, too.
Text: Richard Gillard, b. 1953
Text © 1977 Scripture In Song (c/o Integrity’s Hosanna Music) /ASCAP, c/o Integrity Media, Inc., 1000 Cody Road, Mobile, AL 36695.
Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
United by the servant love of God in Christ, we pray this holy night for the needs of the world.
A brief silence.
You call your people to hand on what we receive from you. Form all the baptized into teachers of faith. From one generation to the next, give your church hunger for your promises in the sacraments and joy in receiving and sharing your word. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Your creation provides all that we need. Cleanse and protect the water you have given for washing and drinking, water on which all life depends. Sustain crops and herds that provide food; teach us how to live so that there is enough for all. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You redeemed your people from slavery. Preserve people throughout the world who flee violence and oppression(especially). Establish just leadership in place of tyranny and peace in place of war. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Jesus loved his followers to the end. Grant assurance of that love to all who need it: those living with guilt, those struggling to forgive, those who are lonely or overlooked. Heal the sick and embrace the dying. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Jesus washed the feet of the one who betrayed him. Inspire this congregation’s ministries of service (especially), that we love as Jesus loved us. Give us renewed courage to serve. Bless the ministry of deacons throughout the church. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Your glory shone in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We thank you for generations of the faithful who have proclaimed our Lord’s death. Unite us with them in hope until he comes again. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Hear these and all our prayers, O God, in the name of the one who loves us to the end, Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Amen.
PEACE (ELW p. 261)
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
MEAL
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.
OFFERING
OFFERING PRAYER
God of mercy and grace, the eyes of all wait upon you, and you open your hand in blessing. Fill us with good things at your table, that we may come to the help of all in need, through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and Lord.
Amen.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
DIALOGUE
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
PREFACE
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ;
who on this day overcame death and the grave,
and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
And so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of pow’r and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory, full of your glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Text: “Sanctus,” tr. English Language Liturgical Consultation
THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
Holy God, you alone are holy, you alone are God.
The universe declares your praise:
beyond the stars; beneath the sea;
within each cell; with every breath.
We praise you, O God.
Generations bless your faithfulness:
through the water; by night and day;
across the wilderness; out of exile; into the future.
We bless you, O God.
We give you thanks for your dear Son:
at the heart of human life; near to those who suffer;
beside the sinner; among the poor; with us now.
We thank you, O God.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering his love for us on the way, at the table, and to the end,
we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
We pray for the gift of your Spirit:
in our gathering; within this meal;
among your people; throughout the world.
Blessing, praise, and thanks to you, holy God, through Christ Jesus,
by your Spirit, in your church, without end.
Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Let us pray together the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us to pray:
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.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
The body of Christ, given for you.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray.
A brief silence is kept.
Lord Jesus, in a wonderful sacrament you strengthen us with the saving power of your suffering, death, and resurrection. May this sacrament of your body and blood so work in us that the fruits of your redemption will show forth in the way we live, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Reading:
Maundy Thursday
We believe
the time is now
(with the taste of bread fresh on our lips)
to go into the world and face the darkness
We believe
the moment is right
(with the bitterness of the wine sharp in our mouths)
to face the powers of the world with the love of heaven
We believe
the place is here
(with the sound of covenant echoing in our ears)
to endure the suffering love calls us to
We believe
the path is before us
(with the crumbs of heaven still scattered across the table)
to side with truth in a deafened world
We believe
the hour is come
(with the table conversation a turmoil in our minds)
to conspire with Christ and move against injustice
We believe
the gospel is this
(with bread lying broken and a goblet left empty)
love is betrayed but death shall not have the final word.
~ written by Roddy Hamilton,
STRIPPING OF THE ALTAR
The Old Rugged Cross
Verse 1
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suff’ring and shame
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain
Chorus
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
Verse 2
O the old rugged cross so despised by the world
Has a wondrous attraction for me
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary
Chorus
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
Verse 3
In the old rugged cross stained with blood so divine
A wondrous beauty I see
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died
To pardon and sanctify me
Chorus
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
Verse 4
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true
Its shame and reproach gladly bear
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away
Where His glory forever I’ll share
Chorus
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
CCLI Song # 19722
George Bennard
- © Words: Public Domain
- Music: Public Domain
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 617337
All depart in silence.
From sundaysandseasons.com.
Copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.