Bulletin for Holy Thursday

 Holy Thursday

P    In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C    Amen.

+ SERVICE OF THE WORD +

KYRIE                     LSB 186

Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us.

SALUTATION AND COLLECT OF THE DAY

P    The Lord be with you.

C    And with thy spirit.

P    Let us pray.

Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins on the cross. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we fear not the power of sin, death, and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C    Amen.

PSALM  116:12–19; 

12What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?
13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,
14I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
16O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
   You have loosed my bonds. 7I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
   and call on the name of the Lord. 18I will pay my vows to the Lord
   in the presence of all his people, 19in the courts of the house of the Lord,
   in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

EPISTLE           1 Corinthians 11:23–32

   23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

   27Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

A    This is the Word of the Lord.

C    Thanks be to God.

HOLY GOSPEL

P    The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the thirteenth chapter.

C    Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

   1Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not 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, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

   12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

P    This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C    Praise be to Thee, O Christ.

APOSTLES’ CREED

C    I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

     born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.

     He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.

     He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

     From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

     the resurrection of the body, and the life T everlasting. Amen.

SERMON

Psalm 116

12 What shall I render to the Lord
    for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord,

This Psalm explains it best. What shall I render to the Lord? As if I could somehow pay God back, return the favor for creating me (and preserving me all these years), redeeming me (by spilling the precious blood of His Son Jesus Christ) and sanctifying me (with the Gospel and the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion). I’ve got nothing. Nothing fit to render to the Lord.

So what should I do? “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” That is simply beautiful! It’s purely Gospel. It’s the best explanation of grace. You want to respond appropriately to the blessings you have received from your God? Then drink more deeply from what He has given. Take more in. Indulge further in the cup of salvation. Long for an eternity of eating and drinking and experiencing fully the blessings that the Lord has to give for which you have nothing within you to offer in return.

Tonight, this is weird and difficult and awkward to have Maundy Thursday when we are apart. Easter will be weird this year too. Tonight we observe how on the night our Lord was betrayed, He took bread and cup and pronouncing it to be His body and blood, and by His word, making it the body and blood and thereby instituting the sacrament of Holy Communion. We think about communion, but we can’t have communion because no one is here.

You may be hearing about some other congregations that are trying to have church as best they can tonight and Easter morning. Some are trying drive-in church. Some are having church in shifts, where only 10 at a time come in, following rules of social distancing and every person and every thing in the church is scrubbed with disinfectant before and after each shift. I don’t know what’s best. I feel bad for not having any Communion. I would not want to misuse the gifts of God distributing them in some weird, unchurchly way, and I of course don’t want to risk anyone’s health or even give the appearance of not caring about people’s health when we are in the midst of what has been called a national emergency.

Our church elders and council considered the older members of the congregation and those with health problems that would put them at a high risk of death if they contracted the virus. Rather than try to do something for these Holy Days, we decided to do nothing, thereby encouraging everyone, young and old, strong and weak, to stay home.

If you are listening to this from your home, let’s make the most of a bad situation.

If you don’t have the Lord’s Supper for a while, think of these things:

1. You still got God. God will bless us in other ways. Remember, Holy Communion is just one of several means of grace that our Good Lord gives us. You have your baptism. It goes with you wherever you are. You practice your baptism every time you say to God, forgive me my sins, for Jesus sake, and let me live in the newness of Jesus’ life. You have the Word of God. Keep hearing. May God grant us the continued ability to publish and proclaim His word in whatever means it can best go out. You have your contact with other Christians, however limited. Encourage each other and thereby have God’s love speak through you.

2. You are with others who have also had to go without. We are in the communion of saints, some of which were forced to go years without church. Millions of Lutherans in Russia had their churches confiscated and their pastors shot or imprisoned. When the communist, atheist Soviet Union ruled over them, they could not worship, for fear of death. Remember also the imprisoned disciples in that first century after Jesus and every generation since. We have more understanding to pray God to send courage to the persecuted Christians throughout the world.

3. Care for others. It’s noble to give up something dear, for the sake of others. That’s why we are giving up so many of our activities -- to care for others who should not be exposed to this disease. When you give up what you desire and need, it instills humility, like Christ who knelt to wash the disciples feet. In humility, think of others more than yourself. Who can you encourage with a message or phone call? A lot of people are stressed, discomforted, at wit’s end because of this mess in the world. Maybe all you can do is pray. My prayer is that God’s people will gain from all this a renewed understanding of prayer.

4. Ask for patience, endurance and hope. When we suffer, we pray. When we lack, we look to our Father to give what’s missing. In suffering we learn patience. With patience we can endure. And we hope because we believe what our Lord has promised us.

And this particular promise from our Lord is going to satisfy me tonight. He said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” He builds His church by blessing you through His means of grace, His precious word and His holy sacraments and we will have them again. Probably here in few weeks. Certainly in His house forever.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Heavenly Father, on this holy night, we remember the Passover of Your ancient people, fulfilled in Your Son’s gift of the New Testament in His blood. Be gracious to us and bless us. Remember not our sins and transgressions, for they have all been blotted out by the blood of Christ Jesus, our Passover Lamb. Forgive us, and create in us new and contrite hearts. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful Father, strengthen all of our sister churches throughout the world who celebrate the mystery of Your Son’s Passover and those Christians who are unable to gather together. Where there is distress, bring consolation; where there is strife, bring forgiveness; where there is suffering, bring help; and where there is persecution, bring freedom and joy. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Almighty Father, guard and defend the president of the United States, along with all whom You have placed in authority over us. Give wisdom and charity to all who speak and act for the common good. Preserve our regard for human life, family and livelihood. Do not let fear or the concerns of this body and life keep us from the bread that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man alone gives us. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Compassionate Father, remember all who suffer in body or soul. Most especially do we implore Your mercy to stay Your hand and drive away plague and pestilence. Spare us and those for whom we pray: including especially the Ross family and the Rogers family and those whom we name in our hearts. [Pause] Comfort us in our trials, and enliven our faith in Christ, our only hope. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, as Your Son took on the form of a slave and washed the feet of His disciples, so make us ready to serve our neighbors ahead of ourselves. Teach us to love each other and bear one another’s burdens, and conform us to the image of Jesus. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Gracious Father, Your Son’s forehead was marked by bloody sweat as He contemplated what fulfilling Your will to save us involved. Nevertheless, He drank the cup of Your wrath and punishment down to its dregs, thus fulfilling Your will to save us with His holy and precious blood. In Him is salvation, life and resurrection from the dead. Grant this unto us all, O Father; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER                                          LSB 196

C       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.

BENEDICTION                       LSB 202

P    The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and T give you peace.

C    Amen.

The Stripping of the Altar:  All ornaments and linens are removed.  This ancient custom of the Church is symbolic of the humiliation of Jesus at the hands of the soldiers.

763 WHEN PEACE, LIKE A RIVER

1     When peace, like a river, attendeth my way;
    When sorrows, like sea billows, roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
    It is well, it is well with my soul. Refrain

ref   It is well (It is well)
with my soul, (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.

2     Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
    Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate
    And hath shed His own blood for my soul. Refrain

3     He lives—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
    My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more.
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! Refrain

4     And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight,
    The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend;
    Even so it is well with my soul. Refrain

Text: Public domain

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Divine Service, Setting Three from Lutheran Service Book

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.