THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF GREENWICH (United Church of Christ) Old Greenwich, Connecticut ORDER of WORSHIP April 5, 2007 ~ 6:00 PM Maundy Thursday WELCOME & INTRODUCTION Susan M. Craig HYMN New Century Hymnal 24 (standing) The God of Abraham Praise WORDS OF PROMISE Dale Myer "I am God, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians." UNISON PRAYER OF SANCTIFICATION Blessed are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of all space and time, creator of the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of all space and time! We have been called for service from among the peoples, and have had our lives made special with directives. You have given to us festivals for rejoicing, seasons of celebration, this Festival of Matzos, the time of our freedom, a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt. Praised be to God, who sanctifies Israel and the festival season. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of all space and time, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this wonderful moment. Amen.
AFIKOMAN Rosemary Lamie THE BLESSING Anne Wachsman THE COMMON MEAL UNISON PRAYER AFTER THE MEALBarbara Davidson Blessed are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of all space and time. You feed the entire universe in Your goodness, grace, loving kindness and mercy. From the Source comes bread for all flesh, because of unlimited loving kindness. And in great goodness You never withdraw from us, nor will we lack food, now or forever. Blessed are You, Lord, who provides food for all. Amen. HYMN New Century Hymnal 330 Let Us Break Bread Together THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER David D. Young (This evening we will receive communion by intinction in the manner of the first-century Christian church. When the baskets are passed, please break off a piece of bread and when the cup is passed, dip your bread in the cup.) UNISON PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Almighty God, Ruler of the universe, we thank you for your mighty acts of deliverance, when you enable us to cross over from despair to hope, from brokenness to wholeness, from death to life. We thank you for the deep love of Jesus, which moved him to risk himself for the redemption of humanity; and for the grace we experience in receiving these symbols of the life he gave. In his name we pray, Amen.
THE SERVICE OF TENEBRAE: THE EXTINGUISHING OF LIGHTS (The room will be dimly lighted throughout the Service of Tenebrae, ending in darkness. The gradual extinguishing of the lights is symbolic of the flight of the disciples and the passion of our Lord.) HYMN New Century Hymnal 191 Before Your Cross, O Jesus (stanzas 1 & 2) The Shadow of Betrayal Matthew 26: 20-25 The Shadow of Desertion Matthew 26: 31-46 Mary Ranta Larry Haviland HYMN New Century Hymnal 219 Journey to Gethsemane (stanzas 1 & 2) The Shadow of the Trial Mark 14: 53-65 The Shadow of Denial Mark 14: 66-72 Karen Pacent Tom Mahoney HYMN New Century Hymnal 218 Ah, Holy Jesus (stanzas 1 & 2) The Shadow of Rejection Luke 23: 13-24 The Shadow of the Cross Mark 15: 16-27 Jean Watkins Jan Thalheim HYMN New Century Hymnal 229 Were You There? BENEDICTION (In the tradition of our church we ask that you leave the room in silence once the lights come up.)
The Fellowship of the Upper Room Tonight we gather to celebrate the last supper which Jesus had with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. That evening they met in an upper room of a house in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Jesus and the other disciples were Jewish and the Passover was the most holy event in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the saving acts of God in the life of the Hebrew people and, most specifically, remembering the release of the people of Israel from captivity by Pharaoh in Egypt. On Passover the Hebrew people tell the story of their salvation by God as God sent a series of plagues on the Egyptians, which finally convinced Pharaoh to release the people. The festival of Passover begins, as do all Jewish days, at sundown. Jesus and his disciples sat at dinner and performed the traditional rites, some of which we will use tonight as our setting for our common meal. Tradition understands the Passover table ritual as a fixed progression, a "Seder," which means order. We will ask the four questions that tell the story of salvation and will use Passover prayers to begin our worship. To remember the meal which Jesus and the disciples were eating, we will share matzos, an unleavened bread which recalls the bread which the Hebrew families
baked without waiting for the bread to rise, as they needed to quickly flee. We will also eat dried fruit and halvah, which are festive foods common to the Holy Land. After dinner Jesus performed a new ritual, offering each of the disciples bread: Take, eat; this is my body and a cup: This is my blood. Following this, they sang a hymn and left Jerusalem to pass the night on the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane. We will remember this new ritual, which is our Sacrament of the Lord s Supper, by our communion service, and then we will remember the darkness of that night by the extinguishing of lights, or Tenebrae, as we hear the story from scripture of Jesus last hours. The name Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word mandatum which means commandment, as Jesus gave us all a new commandment on that night that people should love one another even as Christ loves them (John 13:34-35). That spirit led the ruling monarch in Great Britain to give alms to poor people on the Thursday before Easter. These gifts were called Royal Maundy, hence the name, Maundy Thursday.
Serving First Congregational Church this evening are members of the Diaconate: Beth Beam, Barbara Davidson, Larry Haviland, Tom Mahoney, Karen Pacent, Mary Ranta, Jan Thalheim, Dale Myer, Jean Watkins We thank the Parish Life Committee and friends for preparing the meal and serving at our Fellowship Supper: Darren Beurer, Lori and Rick Borman, Vicki Cain, Joe Bob Edwards, Erlinda and Larry Haviland, Lisa Hudson, Robert Janelli, Rosemary Lamie, Alex, Denise and John Leidy, Sally Mac Dougall, Nancy Morris, Jacky Schofield, Chris Thompson, Dawn Tutje
Good Friday, April 6, 2007 10:00 AM Family and Children's Service "Holy Week through the Eyes of a Child" 11:30 AM, Carrying the Cross from the church to Greenwich Point, the Senior Pilgrim Fellowship. All youth welcomed. 8:00 PM Music for Good Friday. Saturday, April 7, 2007 9:00-11:00 in the Daniels Center. A time for families and children to dye eggs and learn about the symbols of Easter. Sunday, April 8, 2007 Easter Day 6:00 AM, Sunrise Worship Service at Tod's Point, "The Dawning of Faith." Reverend Susan M. Craig preaching. 9:00 & 11:00AM, "The Is So of It Ain't So." Dr. David D. Young preaching in the Meetinghouse. Festival brass and timpani