HOLY (MAUNDY) THURSDAY The New Testament in His Blood April 13, 2017

Transcription

1 HOLY (MAUNDY) THURSDAY The New Testament in His Blood April 13, 2017 AS WE GATHER Holy Thursday begins three services that form a single unit spanning three days. It is called the Triduum. We begin with the New Testament of our Lord s body and blood. Here our Lord fulfills what came before, delivers to us His own flesh and blood, and anticipates the marriage feast of the Lamb without end, which is to come. The Passover was a yearly remembrance of God s mighty act of deliverance, rescuing His people and delivering to them a new land. Tonight we see how these words were kept and filled with new promise. We have been delivered in Christ from sin and its death, and God has given us a new and eternal dwelling. This Holy Meal of remembrance and anticipation is commanded to be done often and through this eating and drinking of faith we receive the forgiveness of sins. PREPARATION OPENING HYMN #435 Come to Calvary s Holy Mountain Come to Calv ry s holy mountain, Sinners, ruined by the fall; Here a pure and healing fountain Flows for you, for me, for all, In a full, perpetual tide, Opened when our Savior died. Come in poverty and meanness, Come defiled, without, within; From infection and uncleanness, From the leprosy of sin, Wash your robes and make them white; Ye shall walk with God in light. Come in sorrow and contrition, Wounded, impotent, and blind; Here the guilty, free remission, Here the troubles, peace may find. Health this fountain will restore; They that drink shall thirst no more. They that drink shall live forever; Tis a soul renewing flood. God is faithful; God will never Break His covenant of blood, Signed when our Redeemer died, Sealed when He was glorified. CONFESSION & ABSOLUTION Pastor: During this Lenten season we have heard our Lord s call to intensify our struggle against sin, death, and the devil all that prevents us from 1 2 trusting in God, loving each other, and living life under the cross. Since it is our intention to receive the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ on this night when He instituted this blessed Meal for our salvation, it is proper that we complete our Lenten discipline by diligently examining ourselves, as St. Paul urges us to do. This Holy Sacrament has been instituted for the special comfort of those who are troubled because of their sin and who humbly confess their sins, fear God s wrath, and hunger and thirst for righteousness. But when we examine our hearts and consciences, we find nothing in us but sin and death, from which we are incapable of delivering ourselves. Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ has had mercy on us. For our benefit He became man so that He might fulfill for us the whole will and law of God and, to deliver us, took upon Himself our sin and the punishment we deserve. So that we may more confidently believe this and be strengthened in the faith and in holy living, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, broke it, and gave it to His disciples and said: Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. It is as if He said, I became man, and all that I do and suffer is for your good. As a pledge of this, I give you My body to eat. In the same way also He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying: Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Again, it is as if He said, I have had mercy on you by taking into Myself all your iniquities. I give Myself into death, shedding My blood to obtain grace and forgiveness of sins, and to comfort and establish the new testament, which gives forgiveness and everlasting salvation. As a pledge of this, I give you My blood to drink. Therefore, whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup, confidently believing this Word and promise of Christ, dwells in Christ and Christ in him and has eternal life. We should also do this in remembrance of Him, showing His death that He was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification. Giving Him our most heartfelt thanks, we take up our cross and follow Him and, according to His commandment, love one another as He has loved us. For we are all one bread and one body, even as we are all partakers of this one bread and drink from the one cup. For just as the one cup is filled with the wine of many grapes and one bread

2 made from countless grains, so also we, being many, are one body in Christ. Because of Him, we love one another, not only in word, but in deed and in truth. May the almighty and merciful God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, accomplish this in us. Pastor: Having heard the Word of God, let us confess our sins, imploring God our Father for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness. Pastor: O almighty God, merciful Father, People: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended you and justly deserved your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray you of your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being. Pastor: God be merciful to you and strengthen your faith. Upon your confession, as a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. WORD INTROIT Psalm 116:1 4; antiphon: v. 5 Pastor: Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; People: our God is merciful. Pastor: I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice People: and my pleas for mercy. Pastor: Because He inclined His ear to me, People: therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. Pastor: The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; People: I suffered distress and anguish. Pastor: Then I called on the name of the LORD: People: O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul! 3 Pastor: Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; People: our God is merciful. HYMN OF PRAISE #606 I Lay My Sins on Jesus I lay my sins on Jesus, The spotless Lamb of God; He bears them all and frees us From accursed load. I bring my guilt to Jesus To wash my crimson stains Clean in His blood most precious Till not a spot remains. I lay my wants on Jesus; All fullness dwells in Him; He heals all my diseases; My soul He does redeem. I lay my griefs on Jesus, My burdens and my cares; He from them all releases; He all my sorrows shares. I rest my soul on Jesus, This weary soul of mine; His right hand me embraces; I on His breast recline. I love the name of Jesus, Immanuel, Christ, the Lord; Like fragrance on the breezes His name abroad is poured. SALUTATION & PRAYER OF THE DAY Pastor: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Pastor: O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament you have left us a remembrance of your Passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of your body and blood that the fruits of your redemption may continually be manifest in us; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. OLD TESTAMENT READING Exodus 24:3 11 (Moses seals the covenant with the blood of sacrifice upon the people.) When Moses went and told the people all the Lord s words and laws, they responded with one voice, Everything the Lord has said we will do. Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 4

3 We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey. Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, this is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words. Moses and Aaron, Nahab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. 6:00 BELL ANTHEM When I Behold Jesus Christ EPISTLE Hebrews 9:11 22 (Christ, our High Priest, is the mediator of a new covenant and this covenant is also sealed to us in blood.) When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep. In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Lector: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. 5 GRADUAL Hebrews 9:12a, c, 15a; Psalm 111:9a Pastor: [Christ] entered once for all into the holy places by means of His own blood, People: thus securing an eternal redemption. Pastor: Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant, People: so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. Pastor: He sent redemption to His people; People: He has commanded His covenant forever. HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 26:17 30 (Christ desires to celebrate the Passover with His disciples and fulfills it, while at the same time making it new with the gift of His own flesh and blood as our true, spiritual food.) Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-sixth chapter. People: Glory to you, O Lord. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover? He replied, go into the city to a certain man and tell him, The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house. So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me. They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, Surely not I, Lord? Jesus replied, the one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born. Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, Surely not I, Rabbi? Jesus answered, Yes, it is you. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take eat; this is my body. Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father s kingdom. When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you, O Christ. 6

4 HYMN #431 Not All the Blood of Beasts Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace Or wash away the stain. But Christ, the heav nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they. My faith would lay its hand On that dear head of Thine, While as a penitent I stand, And there confess my sin. My soul looks back to see The burden Thou didst bear When hanging on the cursed tree; I know my guilt was there. Believing, we rejoice To see the curse remove; We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice And sing His bleeding love. SERMON The Unbroken Covenant Matthew 26:17-30 HYMN #953 We All Believe in One True God We all believe in one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Everpresent help in need, Praised by all the heav nly host; All He made His love enfolds, All creation He upholds. We all believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Mary s son, Who descended from His throne And for us salvation won; By whose cross and death are we Rescued from all misery. We all confess the Holy Ghost, Who from both in truth proceeds, Who sustains and comforts us In all trials, fears, and needs. Blessed, holy Trinity, Praise forever be to Thee! PRAYER OF THE CHURCH Pastor: In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Pastor: For the gift of divine peace and of pardon, with all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord. Pastor: For the Holy Christian Church, here and scattered throughout the world, and for the proclamation of the Gospel and the calling of all to faith, let 7 us pray to the Lord. Pastor: For this nation, for our cities and communities, and for the common welfare of us all, let us pray to the Lord. Pastor: For seasonable weather and for the fruitfulness of the earth, let us pray to the Lord. Pastor: For those who labor, for those whose work is difficult or dangerous, and for all who travel, let us pray to the Lord. Pastor: For all those in need, for the hungry and homeless, for the widowed and orphaned, and for all those in prison, let us pray to the Lord. Pastor: For the sick and dying and for all those who care for them, let us pray to the Lord. Pastor: Finally, for these and for all our needs of body and soul, let us pray to the Lord. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. OFFERING As your offering is collected, please sign our attendance book located at the end of the pew. If you are a visitor, please leave your address and phone. After you are finished, please pass the book along to others in your pew, and return the book to the center aisle. You may check the register to see the names of those to greet after the service. SACRAMENT PREFACE Pastor: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Pastor: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them to the Lord. Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give Him thanks and praise. 8

5 Pastor: It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings you so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for your boundless love shown to us when you sent your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you and saying: SANCTUS Holy, Holy, Holy Page 208 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! PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Pastor: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of all creation, for you have had mercy on us and given your only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. We give you thanks for the redemption you have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully eat and drink of the fruits of His cross and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that come to us in His body and blood. Hear us as we pray in His name and as He has taught us: THE LORD S PRAYER THE WORDS OF OUR LORD Pastor: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me. In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, 9 which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. PEACE OF THE LORD Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always. AGNUS DEI Lamb of God Page 210 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, You take the sin of the world away; O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray. O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, You take the sin of the world away; Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ, And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray. DISTRIBUTION Those guests who desire to commune who are members of another LCMS congregation may do so; if you are coming from another church background, please see the pastor or an elder first. 6:00 BELL ANTHEM How Deep the Father s Love For Us HYMN #811 Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices Oh, that I had a thousand voices To praise my God, with thousand tongues! My heart which in the Lord rejoices, Would then proclaim in grateful songs To all, wherever I might be, What great things God has done for me. O all you pow rs that He implanted, Arise, keep silence now no more; Put forth the strength that God has granted! Your noblest work is to adore. O soul and body, join to raise With heartfelt joy our Maker s praise. You forest leaves so green and tender That dance for joy in summer air, You meadow grasses, bright and slender, You flow rs so fragrant and so fair, You live to show God s praise alone. Join me to make His glory known. All creatures that have breath and motion, That throng the earth, the sea, the sky. Come, share with me my heart s devotion, Help me to sing God s praises high. My utmost pow rs can never quite Declare the wonders of His might. Creator, humbly I implore You To listen to my earthly song Until that day when I adore You, Together with the angel throng And learn with choirs of heav n to sing Eternal anthems to my King. 10

6 HYMN #433 Glory Be to Jesus Glory be to Jesus, Who in bitter pains Poured for me the life blood From His sacred veins! Grace and life eternal In that blood I find; Blest be His compassion, Infinitely kind! Blest through endless ages Be the precious stream Which from endless torment Did the world redeem! Abel s blood for vengeance Pleaded to the skies; But the blood of Jesus For our pardon cries. Oft as earth exulting Wafts its praise on high, Angel hosts rejoicing Make their glad reply. Lift we, the, our voices, Swell the mighty flood; Louder still and louder Praise the precious blood! HYMN #617 O Lord, We Praise Thee O Lord we praise Thee, bless Thee, and adore Thee, In thanksgiving bow before Thee. Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish Our weak souls that they may flourish: O Lord, have mercy! May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary, That our sins and sorrows did carry, And Thy blood for us plead In all trial, fear, and need: O Lord, have mercy! Thy holy body into death was given, Life to win for us in heaven. No greater love than this to Thee could bind us; May this feast there-of remind us! O Lord, have mercy! Lord, Thy kindness did so constrain Thee That Thy blood should bless and sustain me. All our debt Thou hast paid; Peace with God once more is made: O Lord, have mercy! May God bestow on us His grace and favor That we follow Christ our Savior And live together here in love and union Nor despise this blest Communion! O Lord, have mercy! Let not Thy good Spirit forsake us; Grant that heav nly-minded He make us; Give Thy Church, Lord, to see Days of peace and unity: O Lord, have mercy! 11 COMMON DISMISSAL POST-COMMUNION THANKSGIVING Pastor: Gracious God, our heavenly Father, you have given us a foretaste of the feast to come in the Holy Supper of your Son s body and blood. Keep us firm in the true faith throughout our days of pilgrimage that, on the day of His coming, we may, together with all your saints, celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. HYMN #436 Go to Dark Gethsemane Stanzas 1-3 Go to dark Gethsemane, All who feel the tempter s pow r; Your Redeemer s conflict see, Watch with Him one bitter hour; Turn not from His griefs away; Learn from Jesus Christ to pray. Follow to the judgment hall, View the Lord of life arraigned; Oh, the wormwood and the gall! Oh, the pangs His soul sustained! Shun not suff ring, shame, or loss; Learn from Him to bear the cross. Calv ry s mournful mountain climb; There, adoring at His feet, Mark that miracle of time, God s own sacrifice complete. It is finished! hear Him cry; Learn from Jesus Christ to die. 6:00 STRIPPING OF THE ALTAR People: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 12

7 People: But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; He trusts in the LORD; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, for He delights in Him! Yet you are He who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother s womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. People: Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet I can count all My bones they stare and gloat over Me; they divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. People: But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: you who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from Him, but has heard, when He cried to Him. People: From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear Him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before Him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve Him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it. Leave in silence. Preacher Liturgist Lectors Acolyte Organist & Bell Choir Director Pastor Harold Bender Pastor Tim Prince Bob Reynolds, Dan Vaclav Riley Zacharias Michelle Prince From Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series A, Part 2. Copyright 2016 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.