Mid-Week Lent 6 Jesus Our Great High Priest Makes Us Priests March 21, 2018 Welcome to Worship Welcome and thank you for joining us for worship today! In our service we gather before our almighty and saving God to offer him our worship and praise. We also assemble to hear God s holy and powerful Word. Through this Word, God strengthens our faith and draws us closer to him. PREPARING FOR WORSHIP Jesus is our Great High Priest who could enter into the presence of God as only a high priest could in ancient Israel. Tonight we see that our Great High Priest who makes us priests. We are priests who enter God s presence through Christ s body and who enter God s presence through Christ boldly. PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP Lord, how often haven t I taken you at your Word. You confront me with my sins and lead me to repent. From your same lips you give me comforting words of eternal life. Open my heart and ears to take in all you have done for my soul, promising that I, too, will one day be with you in paradise. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Minister: Pastor Daniel Schroeder Keyboardist: Karen Adams The following were reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-706579: Evening Prayer 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. Let My Prayer Rise Before You 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress. Psalm 69: 2006 Kermit Moldenhauer. Used by permission. The copyright to The Passion History of our Lord Jesus Christ (EHV) is held by The Wartburg Project 2017. All rights reserved. 2
OPENING HYMN O Dearest Lord, Thy Sacred Head Christian Worship #118 CALL TO WORSHIP M: Lord God, you have brought us safely to this hour of evening prayer. We thank you for providing all that we need for body and life. Bless us who have gathered in your name. Forgive our sins. Speak to our hearts. Dispel our sorrows with the comfort of your Word, and receive our hymns of thanks and praise, through Jesus Christ, our living Savior, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. 3
LET MY PRAYER RISE BEFORE YOU Psalm 141 M: Let our prayers be acceptable in your sight. Come and help us in time of need that we may sing your praise in holy joy now and forever, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. C: Amen. 4
PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 84 It is in his house that we enjoy that altar from which we are fed by God himself. The refreshment that comes from our fellowship with him in the gospel enables us to return to our daily lives trusting in his goodness and continuing grace We will sing the verses responsively, Pastor and congregation, and join in singing the refrain together. How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Refrain Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. O LORD Almighty, blessed are they who trust in you. Refrain 5
PSALM PRAYER M: Almighty God, grant that during our earthly pilgrimage we may so treasure your Word and sacraments, that being nourished in faith we may one day dwell in the courts of heaven to praise you forever; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. C: Amen. PASSION HISTORY Mark 15:16-47 Calvary The soldiers led him away inside the palace, which is the Praetorium, and called together the whole cohort 1 of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. 18 The soldiers began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19 They kept hitting him on the head with a reed and spitting on him. They also kneeled down to pay homage to him. 20 When they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothing on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 21 A certain man, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), was passing by on his way in from the country. They forced him to carry Jesus cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means, The place of a skull. 23 They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 They crucified him. And they divided his garments, casting lots for them to decide what each of them would take. 25 Now it was the third hour 2 when they crucified him. 26 The superscription stating the charge against him read, The King of the Jews. 27 They also crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and one on his left. 3 29 Those who passed by ridiculed him, shaking their heads and saying, Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself! Come down from the cross! 31 In the same way the chief priests along with the experts in the law mocked him among themselves. He saved others, they said. He cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross so that we may see and believe! Those who were crucified with him also insulted him. 1 16 A Roman cohort was about six hundred soldiers. 2 25 9 AM 3 27 Some witnesses to the text include verse 28: The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, He was numbered with transgressors. See Luke 22:37, where its inclusion is certain. 6
33 When it was the sixth hour, 4 darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 5 34 At the ninth hour Jesus shouted with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 6 35 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, Listen, he s calling Elijah! 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. They said, Leave him alone. Let s see if Elijah comes to take him down. 37 Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he cried out and breathed his last, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God! 40 There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem. 42 It was already evening, and since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43 Joseph from Arimathaea, a prominent member of the council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had been dead for a long time. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took him down, and wrapped him in the linen cloth. He laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where the body was laid. (EHV) SEASONAL RESPONSE FOR LENT C: All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. By his wounds we are healed. HYMN Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted Christian Worship #127 stanzas 1-3 4 33 Noon 5 33 3 PM 6 34 Psalm 22:1 7
SERMON Hebrews 10:19-25 Jesus Our Great High Priest Makes Us Priests Brothers, we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place through the blood of Jesus. 20 It is a new and living way he opened for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh. 21 We also have a great priest over the house of God. 22 So let us approach with a sincere heart, in the full confidence of faith, because our hearts have been sprinkled to take away a bad conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold on firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. 24 Let us also consider carefully how to spur each other on to love and good works. 25 Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have the habit of doing. Rather, let us encourage each other, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (EHV) 8
SONG OF MARY 9
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OFFERING An offering basket is available at the back of church. If you wish to give an offering, you may do so before or after worship. No offering will be gathered during the service. PRAYER SPOKEN BY PASTOR 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 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. PRAYER FOR PEACE M: Lord God, all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works come from you. Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments. Defend us also from the fear of our enemies that we may live in peace and quietness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. 11
SONG OF SIMEON (NUNC DIMITTIS) BLESSING 12
CLOSING HYMN Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted Christian Worship #127 stanza 4 Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost; Christ s the rock of our salvation, His the name of which we boast. Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt None shall ever be confounded Who on him their hope have built. Thank you for worshiping with us this evening. We pray that you were edified by the Word of God as it was presented in the spoken word and in song. We thank those who organized, prepared and setup our Lenten Fellowship Meal this evening before worship. Tonight is the last of our midweek Lent devotion services. Next week we have our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services at 6:30 pm. We hope you join us for these Holy Week services. March 25 9:00am Palm Sunday March 29 6:30pm Maundy Thursday (with Holy Communion) March 30 6:30pm Good Friday Tenebrae Service (Service of Darkness) April 1 8:00am Easter Service (with Holy Communion) 9:15am Easter Breakfast Begins 10:00am Egg Hunt 10:30am Easter Festival Service 13