Maundy Thursday (posted on Saturday)

Last night, I took part in my first Maundy Thursday worship service. Maundy Thursday services have been part of the Christian calendar since the earliest days of the Church, but I'd never participated in one. It was very moving and I am more and more inclined to incorporate the Church calendar into our schedule of services. Here is the order of worship we used.

Introduction to Worship

CALL

“Jesus Prepares for Passover”

Matthew 26:17-19

¹⁷Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ” ¹⁹So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

Exodus 12:3, 6b-7, 13

³Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.

⁶Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. ⁷And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.

¹³Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Opening Hymn: Beneath the Blood-Stained Lintel

Invocation

CONFESSION

“Jesus Teaches During Holy Week, Convicting of Sin”

Mark 12:1-12

¹Then He began to speak to them in parables:  “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. ²Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. ³And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. ⁵And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. ⁶Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.

⁹“Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰Have you not even read this Scripture:

‘The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

¹¹This was the Lord’s doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹²And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

Matthew 26:20-25

²⁰When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. ²¹Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” ²²And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” ²³He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. ²⁴The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.”

Corporate Prayer of Confession

Loving God, we know that we have betrayed You in many ways. We have treated Your vineyard, which You have given us to manage, as our own. We have not cultivated for Your glory the abilities, people and resources which You have given us. Forgive us for taking advantage of people, instead of shining Christ’s light upon them. We consider the blood of the Lamb, smeared on the doorposts. Your blood was shed to cover our sin. Forgive us, good Lord, in Christ’s name. Amen.

Hymn of Thanksgiving: Man of Sorrows, What A Name!

CONSECRATION

“Jesus in the Upper Room”

John 13:1-9

¹Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. ²And supper being ended, the devil having 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 to God, ⁴rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. ⁵After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. ⁶Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” ⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” ⁸Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

⁹Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

Luke 22:14-20

¹⁴When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. ¹⁵Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

“Jesus Speaks with His disciples”

John 14:1-4, 15-21

¹“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ²In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

¹⁵“If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. ²¹He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

John 15:1-4

¹“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

John 16:33

³³These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

“Jesus Speaks with His Father and Prays for the Church”

John 17

¹“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ²as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

⁶“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. ⁸For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

⁹“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. ¹²While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

²⁰“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²²And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

²⁴“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

“Jesus’ Prayer, Arrest and Trial”

Luke 22:39-71

³⁹Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. ⁴⁰When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” ⁴¹And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴²saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” ⁴³Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ⁴⁵When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. ⁴⁶Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

⁴⁷And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” ⁴⁹When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” ⁵⁰And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. ⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? ⁵³When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

⁵⁴Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. ⁵⁶And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.” ⁵⁷But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” ⁵⁸And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” ⁵⁹Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” ⁶⁰But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶²So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

⁶³Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. ⁶⁴And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” ⁶⁵And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

⁶⁶As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, ⁶⁷“If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. ⁶⁸And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. ⁶⁹Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” ⁷⁰Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” ⁷¹And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

Meditation: Gethsemane

Jesus born in a cave a short way from Jerusalem, and now finds Himself in a cave a short way from Jerusalem at the end of His earthly ministry. The reason He came to earth was for the next few hours. There was no room in Bethlehem’s inn for the son of David, and now during Passover there is no room in Jerusalem for the King of the Jews. He must lodge in a cave on the mountainside. But He waits patiently outside the city for His hour to come.

At His birth, God spares Him from Herod seeking to kill Him. Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt. But this time, Jesus does not flee. The same Jewish leaders who collaborate with Herod and tell Him where to find the baby, now find out from Judas where the man is, and deliver Him up to Pilate.

Hymn of Response: Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

“Jesus Before Pilate”

John 18:28-19:16

²⁸Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. ²⁹Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

³⁰They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.” ³¹Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” ³²that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.

³³Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” ³⁵Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ³⁸Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. ³⁹But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

19  So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. ²And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ³Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. ⁴Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

⁵Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” ⁶Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” ⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”

⁸Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, ⁹and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” ¹¹Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

¹²From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” ¹³When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” ¹⁶Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away.

“Jesus Goes to the Cross”

Luke 23:26-43

²⁶Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. ²⁷And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. ²⁸But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ ³⁰Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ ³¹For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

³²There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. ³³And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. ³⁵And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” ³⁶The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, ³⁷and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” ³⁸And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

³⁹Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” ⁴⁰But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴²Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” ⁴³And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Psalm 22:7-18

⁷All those who see Me ridicule Me;

      They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

⁸“He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;

      Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

⁹But You are He who took Me out of the womb;

      You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

¹⁰I was cast upon You from birth.

      From My mother’s womb

      You have been My God.

¹¹Be not far from Me,

      For trouble is near;

      For there is none to help.

¹²Many bulls have surrounded Me;

      Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

¹³They gape at Me with their mouths,

      Like a raging and roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water,

      And all My bones are out of joint;

      My heart is like wax;

      It has melted within Me.

¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

      And My tongue clings to My jaws;

      You have brought Me to the dust of death.

¹⁶For dogs have surrounded Me;

      The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.

      They pierced My hands and My feet;

¹⁷I can count all My bones.

      They look and stare at Me.

¹⁸They divide My garments among them,

      And for My clothing they cast lots.

John 19:25-27

²⁵Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” ²⁷Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

Matthew 27:45-49

⁴⁵Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ⁴⁷Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” ⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. ⁴⁹The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

Psalm 22:1-5

¹My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

      Why are You so far from helping Me,

      And from the words of My groaning?

²O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

      And in the night season, and am not silent.

³But You are holy,

      Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

⁴Our fathers trusted in You;

      They trusted, and You delivered them.

⁵They cried to You, and were delivered;

      They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

John 19:28-30

²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” ²⁹Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. ³⁰So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” [Luke 23:46 - “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’”] And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Matthew 27:51-56

⁵¹Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵²and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” ⁵⁵And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, ⁵⁶among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

John 19:38-42

³⁸After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. ³⁹And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. ⁴⁰Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. ⁴¹Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴²So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Meditation: Gardens, Trees, and Brides

It’s a funny thing, God created this world with a man and a woman in a garden, and He will recreate it at the end with a Groom – Jesus – and a Bride – the Church, in the garden-city of the heavenly Jerusalem. And that New Testament Church has its beginnings right here, with a man and a woman in another garden, close to the cross and the tomb, which God uses to recreate the world, to bring new life. Adam’s sin had brought sin and death, and exile from the garden, lest they take of the tree of life. Angels were stationed at the door of the garden with a sword, to keep them out. Now, Mary sees angels in a garden again, but no sword. The tree of life doubled as the sword. And the stone in front of the door is rolled away. We can go back to the Garden. To make the first woman, God put Adam to sleep, opened up a hole in his side, took out a rib and made Eve out of it. To make the last woman, the Church, God put Jesus to death, opened up a hole in His side, blood and water poured out on the cross, and He made the Church out of it. Are you baptized in that water? Has that blood washed your sins away?

Hymn of Response: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

COMMUNION

Communion Exhortation

The Lord be with you;

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts!

We lift them up to the Lord!

“The Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. We break this bread, pass it among us, and eat, to remember, commemorate, and set before You Your Son’s death on the cross for our sins. May Your Holy Spirit use this bread to nourish our union with Jesus Christ and our faith in Him.

Communion Hymn: At the Lamb’s High Feast

[BREAD]

“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” ²⁶For as often as you drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. We take this cup, pass it among us, and drink, to remember, commemorate, and set before You Your Son’s blood poured out from the cross for our sins. May Your Holy Spirit use this wine to nourish our union with Jesus Christ and our faith in Him.

Communion Hymn: Let Thy Blood and Mercy Poured

[CUP]

“Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. ²⁹But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thank You for feeding us at Your Table. For giving us a glimpse of the glory to come, united around the Lamb’s Marriage Banquet Table, as Your bride. Reform our hearts, our speech, our posture toward this week, by what You have done for us here. In the Lamb we pray, Amen.

COMMISSION

Commission – Romans 6:3-11

Closing Hymn: Were You There? Verses 1-4