Welcome
Prelude
Confession and Forgiveness:
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.
Silence is kept 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 you 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.
Opening Hymn: ELW 360 “Love Consecrates the Humblest Acts”
Love consecrates the humblest act and haloes mercy’s deeds;
it sheds a benediction sweet and hallows human needs.
When in the shadow of the cross Christ knelt and washed the feet
of his disciples he gave us a sign of love complete.
Love serves and willing stoops to serve; what Christ in love so true
has freely done for one and all, let us now gladly do!
Greeting:
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:
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.
First Reading: Exodus 12:1-4, 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. 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.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
Gospel: John 13:1-17, 31b-35
This is the Holy Gospel according to John, the 13th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Now 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.
31When he had gone out, Jesus said, “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.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Hymn of the Day: ELW 629 “Abide with Me”
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me.
I need thy presence ev’ry passing hour; what but thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me!
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes, shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Order for Healing:
Our Lord Jesus healed many as a sign of the reign of God come near and sent the disciples to continue this work of healing – with prayer, the laying on of hands, and anointing. In the name of Christ, the great healer and reconciler of the world, we now entrust to God all who are in need of healing.
Prayers of Intercession:
In these holiest of days, we offer prayers for ourselves, our neighbors, and our world.
Prayers continue with each petition ending:
Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
We offer to you these petitions and those we carry in our hearts, trusting in your abundant and ever-present mercy.
Amen.
Laying on of Hands:
Sisters and brothers, I invite you to come forward and receive a sign of healing and wholeness in the name of the triune God.
Those who wish to receive laying on of hands and anointing are invited to come forward at this time.
Blessing: In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, be strengthened and filled with God’s grace, that you may know the healing power of the Spirit. Amen.
After all have returned to their places, the assembly stands and the service continues.
Let us pray,
Living God, through the laying on of hands and anointing, grant comfort in suffering to all who are in need of healing. When they are afraid, give them courage; when afflicted, give them patience; when dejected, give them hope; and when alone, assure them of the support of your holy people. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Blessing:
Almighty God, who is a strong tower to all, to whom all things in heaven and on earth bow and obey, be now and evermore your sure defense, and help you to know that the name given to us for health and salvation is the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Offering:
https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/468062
Great Thanksgiving:
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.
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; whose suffering and death gave salvation to all. You gather the people around the tree of the cross, transforming death into life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name saying:
Come, Holy Spirit!
We give you thanks, Father, through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, whom you sent in this end of the ages to save and redeem us and to proclaim to us your will.
He is your Word, inseparable from you, through whom you created all things, and in whom you take delight. He is your Word, sent from heaven to a virgin’s womb. He there took on our nature and our lot and was shown forth as your Son, born of the Holy Spirit and of the virgin Mary. He, our Lord Jesus, fulfilled all your will and won for you a holy people; he stretched out his hands in suffering in order to free from suffering those who trust you.
He is the one who, handed over to a death he freely accepted, in order to destroy death, to break the bonds of the evil one, to crush hell underfoot, to give light to the righteous, to establish his covenant, and to show forth the resurrection, taking bread and giving thanks to you, said:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
In the same way 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, then, his death and resurrection, we take this bread and cup, giving you thanks that you have made us worthy to stand before you and to serve you as your priestly people.
Send your Spirit upon these gifts of your church; gather into one all who share this bread and wine; fill us with your Holy Spirit to establish our faith in truth, that we may praise and glorify you through your Son Jesus Christ; through whom all glory and honor are yours, almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit, in your holy church, both now and forever.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer:
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us saying:
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.
Communion
Table Blessing:
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen.
Post-Communion Prayer:
Let us pray,
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.
Stripping of the Altar: Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you
so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night,
but find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you
delivered them.
5 To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and
were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and
despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they
shake their heads;
8 “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him
rescue the one in whom he delights!”
9 Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me
safe on my mother’s breast.
10 On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore
me you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no
one to help.
12 Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround
me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and
roaring lion.
14 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;
15 my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks
to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers
encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled;
17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my
clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come
quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of
the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the
wild oxen you have rescued me.
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the
midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of
Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of
Israel!
24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to
him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my
vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him
shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to
the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship
before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the
nations.
29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I
shall live for him.
30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told
about the Lord,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying
that he has done it.
All depart in silence.
Worship continues tomorrow evening at 7:00pm as we gather together at the foot of the cross on this Good Friday.
Portions reprinted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, copyright 2006. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress, license #SBL09796L. Music reprinted from the ELW, by permission of OneLicense, license #A712349. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.