THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST IN HARTFORD An Open and Affirming Congregation of The United Church of Christ

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1 THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST IN HARTFORD An Open and Affirming Congregation of The United Church of Christ MAUNDY THURSDAY HOLY COMMUNION and TENEBRAE SERVICE April 2, 2015 Welcome ~ Bienvenidos 7:30 PM WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT CENTER CHURCH. We are glad you have joined us for this service of worship and the fellowship of this congregation. We hope that you will be both comforted and challenged by the Word of God for us today. If you are new to our community, we hope you will consider making this your church home. Any of our worship leaders or ushers will be able to help with your questions. If you are already a member, be sure to extend a friendly greeting to those around you, starting with someone you don t know yet. Please silence all electronic devices before Worship begins. A comfortable nursery is available in the basement of the Meeting House where parents may take young children who are restless. The service can be heard through a speaker system in the nursery.

2 PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP So it is said, for him who understands Heavenly joy, life is the working of Heaven; death is the transformation of things. In stillness, he and the yin share a single Virtue; in motion, he and the yang share a single flow. ~ Zhuangzi, The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu COMING BEFORE GOD PRELUDE for Flute and Organ Rhosymedre Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ); arr. The tune upon which this setting is based may be found in the hymnal at no Please note we will sing stanzas of the hymn printed there, My Song Is Love Unknown, within the Tenebrae portion of worship this evening. PLEASE STAND. CALL TO WORSHIP People: People: ALL: Come, come and seek the mysteries unfolding. Squint your eye and bend your ear to these deep things of God. The Son gathers with his followers, remembering the ancient sacrifice of blood, of the coming of death, of the Passing Over of the Angel of death, foreshadowing what is to come; showing them the extent of his love. All things begin to come together here, here in the upper room. Draw us deeper still, Spirit of God, into the depth, the significance of this remembrance. HYMN of Gathering No. 207 Just As I Am WOODWORTH PLEASE BE SEATED. PRAYER FOR THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES ON THE TABLE Jesus, the Christ of God, is our light. God's light like a new fire is to be shared.

3 People: Thanks be to God for light and warmth. We remember God's true light that ignites the fire that kindles within us. THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES ON THE TABLE Hymn for Choir Abide with Me, Tis Eventide Abide with me; tis eventide. The day is past and gone; the shadows of the evening fall; the night is coming on. Within my heart a welcome guest, within my home abide. text: Lowrie M. Hofford; based on Luke 24: 29, alt. music: Harrison Millard ( ) Abide with me; tis eventide. and lone will be the night if I cannot commune with thee, nor find in thee my light. The darkness of the world I fear would in my home abide. O Savior, stay this night with me; behold, tis eventide. CALL TO CONFESSION AND RECONCILIATION UNISON PRAYER OF ROGATION AND CONFESSION People: O God, even now, we feel the darkness gather as we tell the stories of the Last Supper and your time in the Garden of Gethsemane. We want to believe we would not have abandoned you in your time of need had we been with you. But in our hearts, we know our behavior would not have been different from that of the disciples. Forgive us when we are reluctant to share the Good News of the gospel, worried more about offending someone than offering them hope. In this time before Easter, help us to reflect and remember what your persecution and death mean to us. May we be prepared to greet Easter with a sense of awe and a renewed commitment to a new life in you. Amen.

4 Choral Sentences We See Your Hope as a Star text and music: Scott Ogilvy, 2015 WORD OF ASSURANCE We see your light and feel your presence. Your spirit warms us through the cold. Your hand alone to hold; your love our own. Guiding us through the darkness, we see your hope as a star in the midnight sky. In the midnight sky, there is hope. We thank Mr. Ogilvy, the tenor Warburton Choral Scholar, for this gift to the lexicon of music for worship. All things are possible with Christ. The old self dies with Christ and the same Spirit that renewed his life renews ours. Friends, hear the Good News and believe; in Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Amen. THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION CHORAL PETITION The Invited text: unknown music: Hubert Bird, 1995 O Thou who clotheth the lilies and feedeth the birds of the sky, who leadest the lambs to the pasture and the hart to the waterside, who multiplied the loaves and fishes and converted the water to wine, O do Thou, come to our table as Guest, and Giver, to dine. SCRIPTURE READING 1 Corinthians 11: The Reverend Damaris D. Whittaker INVITATION TO THE TABLE COMMUNION PRAYER

5 THE LORD S PRAYER (If able, please hold hands during the Lord s Prayer.) 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (* = traditional wording but you may use alternative wording, such as God, Creator, or Mother, as seems fitting.) WORDS OF INSTITUTION SHARING OF THE BREAD AND THE CUP The elements of communion are taken by the process of intinction: Please take a piece of bread, dip it into the chalice, then eat it. Music for Organ Let Us Break Bread Together African-American Spiritual; arr. Carol Tornquist, 2000; adapt. UNISON PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Holy God, we have been blessed as a community not only to hear Scripture read and proclaimed, but to gather at your table. Sustained in body, mind and soul, send us out into the world to share the gospel with both our words and actions, so everyone we meet encounters your embodied word. Amen. (If you need to move as the lights are dimmed during the next part of the service, please feel free to request the assistance of a deacon.)

6 TENEBRAE THE SERVICE OF SHADOWS Please remain seated for this portion of the service. THE SHADOW OF BETRAYAL Scripture Reading Mark 14:12-20 Cheryl Thomas, M.Div. Hymn No. 225 It Was a Sad and Solemn Night BOURBON stanzas 1 and 2 THE SHADOW OF AGONY OF SPIRIT Scripture Reading Matthew 26:36-45 Mark Fisher Anthem for Choir and Flute Wondrous Love from The Southern Harmony, 1835; arr. David Pegg, 2014 What wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul. When I was sinking down, when I was sinking down beneath God s righteous frown, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul. THE SHADOW OF ACCUSATION And when from death I m free, I ll sing on. And when from death I m free, I ll sing and joyful be, and through eternity I ll sing on. Scripture Reading Mark 14:53-65 The Reverend Edwin Ayala Hymn No. 222 My Song Is Love Unknown RHOSYMEDRE stanzas 1, 2, and 3

7 THE SHADOW OF DENIAL Scripture Reading Luke 22:54-62 Ileia Belton Hymn No. 218 Ah! Holy Jesus HERZLIEBSTER JESU THE SHADOW OF MOCKERY Scripture Reading John 19:1-16 Dr. Efrain Agosto Hymn No. 226 O Sacred Head, Now Wounded PASSION CHORALE stanzas 1 and 2 THE SHADOW OF CRUCIFIXION Scripture Reading Luke 23:33-43 Meredith Wickless Musical Petition Jesus, Remember Me Jacques Berthier, 1981 Please sing this petition three times. THE SHADOW OF DEATH Scripture Reading John 19:28-30 Jana Priestley, M.Div.

8 Anthem for Choir and Organ Behold the Lamb of God from Messiah text: John 1:29 music: G. F. Handel, 1741 Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. THE SHADOW OF BURIAL Scripture Reading Matthew 27:57-60 The Reverend Damaris D. Whittaker EPILOGUE for a Quartet of Voices Were You There? traditional Spiritual, arr. Charles Winfred Douglas ( ) The Warburton Choral Scholars Nadia Briones, soprano; Genevieve Clements, alto; Scott Ogilvy, tenor; Andrew Boisvert, bass Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble! Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble! Please leave the Meeting House silently.