Maundy Thursday April 1, 2021

Theme of the Day: The name for this day, Maundy Thursday, comes from the Latin, Dies Mandati, the “Day of the Commandment.”

Opening Hymn: 114 vv 1,2,6,7 Christ, the Life of All the Living

1 Christ, the Life of all the living, Christ, the Death of death, our foe,

Who, thyself for me once giving To the darkest depths of woe-

Through thy suff’rings, death, and merit I eternal life inherit.

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus, unto thee.

2 Thou, ah, thou hast taken on thee Bonds and stripes, a cruel rod;

Pain and scorn were heaped upon thee, O thou sinless Son of God!

Thus didst thou my soul deliver From the bonds of sin forever.

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus, unto thee.

6 Thou has suffered great affliction And hast borne it patiently,

Even death by crucifixion, Fully to atone for me.

Thou didst choose to be tormented That my doom should be prevented.

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus, unto thee.

7 Then, for all that wrought my pardon, For thy sorrows deep and sore,

For thine anguish in the garden, I will thank thee evermore,

Thank thee for thy groaning, sighing, For thy bleeding and thy dying,

For that last triumphant cry, And shall praise thee, Lord, on high.

Text: Ernst C. Homburg, 1605-81, abr.; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-78, st. 1-2, 5, 7, alt.; Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book, St. Louis, 1912, st. 3-4, 6.

P: In this Lenten season we have heard again how our Lord walked the path of suffering which led him to the cross for our salvation. We have also heard our Lord’s call to intensify our struggle against sin, death, and the devil—all that keeps us from loving God and one another. This is the struggle to which we were committed at Baptism; God’s forgiveness and the power of his Spirit to amend our lives continue with us because of his love for us in Jesus our Savior.

Within the family of the Church, God never wearies of giving peace and new life. In the absolution, we receive forgiveness as from God himself. This absolution we should not doubt but firmly believe that our sins are thus forgiven before God in heaven, for it comes to us in the name and by the command of our Lord.

We who receive God’s love in Jesus Christ are called to love one another, to be servants to each other, as Jesus became our servant.

In Holy Communion the members of Christ’s body participate most intimately in his love. Remembering our Lord’s Last Supper with his disciples, we eat the bread and drink the cup of this meal. Together we receive the Lord’s gift of his body and blood for forgiveness and participate in that new covenant that makes us one with him and one another. The Lord’s Supper is the promise of the great banquet we will share with all the faithful when our Lord returns, the joyous culmination of our reconciliation with God and each other.

Confession and Absolution

C: (Hymn 738 v. 1-2)

In hopelessness and near despair, I cry to you, my Savior!

My guilt is more than I can bear. I have not earned your favor.

You know me as I really am: How much is truth, how much is sham;

Why should you heed my pleading?

I see my heart’s condition now, My heart’s diverse affections.

Why do I love the things you loathe; I’m torn in two directions:

Now prodigal, now Pharisee. O God, be merciful to me;

Who else but you can help me?

P: Let us confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness.

C: Almighty God, merciful Father, I confess to you that I have not loved you with all my heart. In what I have done and left undone, I have pursued my ways instead of your ways. I have not loved my brothers and sisters as myself. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. I am truly sorry for my sins. I repent of them. I beg for your mercy, O Lord.

P: Forgive us for the sake of Jesus Christ who suffered and died for us.

C: (Hymn 738 v. 3)

I tremble as I feel your hand, Expecting retribution,

Yet hear no curse or reprimand, But grace and absolution:

With you there is forgiveness, Lord, You speak the sweet, consoling Word,

And I am sure you love me!

C: Cleanse me from my sins. Release me from my guilt. Grant me your Holy Spirit to amend my sinful life.

P: The almighty God has been merciful to us and has sent his Son to die for all. For his sake, God forgives our sins and calls us from darkness to his marvelous light. Therefore, as a called 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.

C: Amen.

C: (Hymn 738 v. 4)

Forgiven, free of guilt and shame, Grant me some time to render

A gift to glorify your name, Love to reflect your splendor:

This world must know what I have learned, That you bestow what none has earned: The joy of full forgiveness!

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of Holy Communion you give us your true body and blood as a remembrance of your suffering and death on the cross. Grant us so firmly to believe your words and promise that we may always partake of this Sacrament to our eternal good, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.

First Lesson: Exodus 12:1-14
God gives his people instructions for the Old Covenant, the Passover, looking forward to “the new Covenant in my [Christ’s] blood.”

The Lord told Moses and Aaron this in the land of Egypt:

²This month is to be the beginning of your calendar. It is to be the first month of the year for you. ³Tell the entire Israelite community that on the tenth day of this month, they are to take a lamb or a young goat for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, one lamb per household. ⁴But if the household is too small for a whole lamb, then that person and his neighbor next door to him must select one, based on the number of people. Determine what size lamb is needed according to how much each person will eat.

⁵Your lamb must be unblemished, a year-old male. You may take it from the sheep or the goats. ⁶You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month. Then the whole assembly of the Israelite community is to slaughter the lambs at sunset. ⁷They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat the lamb. ⁸That night they shall eat the meat that has been roasted over a fire, along with unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs. ⁹Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over a fire—with its head, its legs, and its internal organs. ¹⁰You shall not leave any of it until the morning. Whatever remains until the morning, you shall burn in the fire. ¹¹This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt ready for travel your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

¹²For on that night I will pass through the land of Egypt. I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. ¹³The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. There will be no plague among you to destroy you when I strike down the land of Egypt.

¹⁴This day shall be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. Throughout your generations you must celebrate it as a permanent regulation.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 116

Refrain

I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;*

he heard my cry for mercy.

Because he turned his ear to me,*

I will call on him as long as I live.

The LORD is gracious and righteous;*

when I was in great need, he saved me.

Refrain

I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.

For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,*

my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

How can I repay the LORD*

for all his goodness to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation*

and call on the name of the LORD.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son*

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning,*

is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain

I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.

Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
We enjoy close fellowship with the Lord in the company of those Christians with whom we share a common confession of faith.

¹⁶The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Verse of the Day: As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Gospel: Mark 14:12-26
Jesus and his disciples celebrate their last Passover together.

¹²On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

¹⁶The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”

²⁰“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹The 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.”

²²While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵“I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”

²⁶When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Hymn of the Day: 313 — Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior

Verse 1-All, Verse 2- Pastor, Verse 3- Men, Verse 4-Women, Verse 5 - Pastor, Verses 6-8 - All

1 (All) Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior, Turned away God’s wrath forever;

By his bitter grief and woe He saved us from the evil foe.

2 (Pastor) As his pledge of love undying, He, this precious food supplying,

Gives his body with the bread And with the wine the blood he shed.

3 (Men) Jesus here himself is sharing; Take heed how you are preparing,

For if you do not believe, Judgment instead you shall receive.

4 (Women) Useless would be Jesus’ passion If salvation you could fashion.

Do not come if you suppose You need not him who died and rose.

5 (Pastor) Christ says, “Come, all you that labor, And receive my grace and favor;

Those who feel no pain or ill Need no physician’s help or skill.”

6 (All) Then hold fast with faith unshaken That this food is to be taken

By the souls who are distressed, By hearts that long for peace and rest.

7 (All) Praise the Father, who from heaven Unto us such food has given

And, to mend what we have done, Gave into death his only Son.

8 (All) If your heart this truth professes And your mouth your sin confesses,

Surely you will be his guest And at his banquet ever blest.

Text: John Hus, c. 1369-1415; German version, Martin Luther, 1483-1546, abr.; tr. composite.

Sermon

THE GREAT LITANY

Prayer of Approach to God

P: O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,

C: Have mercy on us.

P: O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

C: Have mercy on us.

P: O God the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide,

C: Have mercy on us.

P: Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God,

C: Have mercy on us.

Prayer for Deliverance

P: Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses nor the offenses of our forebears. Spare us, good Lord; spare your people, whom you have redeemed with your precious blood.

C: Spare us, good Lord.

P: From all spiritual blindness; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all lack of charity,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

P: From all deadly sin and from the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

P: From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart and contempt for your Word and your will,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

P: From earthquake and tempest; from drought, fire, and flood; from civil strife and violence; from war and murder; and from dying suddenly and unprepared,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

Prayer Recalling Christ’s Saving Work

P: By the mystery of your holy incarnation; by your baptism, fasting, and temptation; and by your proclamation of the kingdom,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

P: By your bloody sweat and bitter grief, by your cross and suffering, and by your precious death and burial,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

P: By your mighty resurrection, by your glorious ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Spirit,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

P: In our times of trouble, in our times of prosperity, in the hour of death, and on the day of judgment,

C: Good Lord, deliver us.

P: Receive our prayers, O Lord our God.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

Prayer for the Church

P: Govern and direct your holy Church, fill it with love and truth, and grant it that unity which is according to your will.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Enlighten all ministers with true knowledge and understanding of your Word, that by their preaching and living they may declare it clearly and show its truth.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Encourage and prosper your servants who spread the gospel in all the world, and send out laborers into the harvest.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Bless and keep your people, that all may find and follow their true vocation and ministry.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Give us hearts to love and revere you, that we may diligently live according to your commandments.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: To all your people, give grace to hear and receive your Word and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Strengthen those who stand firm in the faith, encourage the fainthearted, raise up those who fall, and finally give us the victory.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

Prayer for Our Country

P: Rule the hearts of your servants, the president of the United States, and all others in authority, that they may do justice, love mercy, and walk in the ways of truth.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Bless and defend all who strive for our safety and protection, and shield them in all dangers and adversities.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Grant wisdom and insight to those who govern us and to judges and magistrates the grace to execute justice with mercy.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

Prayer for All People

P: To all nations grant unity, peace, and concord, and to all people give clothing, food, and shelter.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Grant us abundant harvests, strength and skill to conserve the resources of the earth, and wisdom to use them well.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Enlighten with your Spirit all who teach and all who learn.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Come to the help of all who are in danger, necessity, and trouble; protect all who travel by land, air, or water; and show your pity on all prisoners and captives.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Strengthen and preserve all women who are in childbirth and all young children, and comfort the aged, the bereaved, and the lonely.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Defend and provide for the widowed and the orphaned, the refugees and the homeless, the unemployed, and all who are desolate and oppressed.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Heal those who are sick in body or mind, and give skill and compassion to all who care for them.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

P: Grant us true repentance, forgive our sins, and strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to your Holy Word.

C: Hear us, good Lord.

Concluding Prayer

P: Son of God, we ask you to hear us.

C: Son of God, we ask you to hear us.

P: Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

C: Have mercy on us.

P: Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

C: Have mercy on us.

P: Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

C: Grant us peace.

P: Lord, have mercy on us.

C: Christ, have mercy on us.

P: Lord, have mercy on us.

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.

P: Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you, and you have promised through your beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his name, you will be with them. Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us, granting us in this world knowledge of your truth and in the ages to come, life everlasting.

C: Amen.

The Sacrament

P: The Lord be with you.

C: ♬ And also with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

C: ♬ We lift them up to the Lord.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C: ♬ It is good and right so to do.

P: It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who brought the gift of salvation to all people by his death on the tree of the cross, so that the devil, who overcame us by a tree would in turn by a tree be overcome. Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song:

♬ Holy, Holy, Holy

Ho-ly, ho-ly, ho-ly Lord God of heav-en-ly hosts:

heav'n and earth are full of your glo-ry.

Ho-san-na, ho-san-na, ho-san-na in the high-est.

Bless-ed is he, bless-ed is he,

bless-ed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Ho-san-na, ho-san-na, ho-san-na in the high-est.

Words of Institution

P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C: ♬ A-men.

♬ O Christ, Lamb Of God

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

have mer-cy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

have mer-cy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God,

you take a-way the sin of the world;

grant us your peace. A-men.

Distribution Hymn: 310 I Come, O Savior, to Your Table

1 I come, O Savior, to your table, For weak and weary is my soul;

O Jesus, you alone are able To satisfy and make me whole.

Refrain: