April 6 2023
Holy
Thursday
(Maundy
Thursday)
SERVICE
OF CORPORATE CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Notes
on
the Liturgy
Our
Liturgy
this evening focuses on the institution of
Holy Communion by
Christ at the Last Supper and Jesus’
commandment to love one
another. The Creed and the Peace are
omitted from this service to
emphasize its solemn nature and in
commemoration of Judas the
Betrayer’s kiss of greeting. No
Post-Communion Canticle will be
sung as we make the transition from
Eucharistic celebration to sober
meditation on Christ’s Passion. Following
the Communion, the Altar
is stripped while Psalm 22 is presented
symbolizing Christ being
stripped of His power and glory. There is
no Benediction because the
service this evening really does not end;
it continues through
tomorrow as we remember our Savior’s death
on Good Friday, and
climaxes with our celebration of Jesus’
Resurrection on Easter
Morning.
Ringing
of
the Bell
–
The
bell rings as the call to worship, reminding
us to discontinue
conversation and reverently prepare for
worship.
Welcome
and
Announcements
Stand
The
sign of the cross may be made by all in
remembrance of their Baptism.
P
In
the name of the Father and of the T
Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C
Amen.
P
I
will go to the altar of God,
C
to
God my exceeding joy.
P
Our
help is in the name of the Lord,
C
who
made heaven and earth.
431
Not All the Blood of Beasts LSB
431
1
Not
all the blood of beasts
On
Jewish altars slain
Could
give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash
away the
stain.
2
But
Christ, the heav’nly
Lamb,
Takes
all our sins away;
A
sacrifice of nobler name
And
richer blood than
they.
3
My
faith would lay its hand
On
that dear head of Thine,
While
as a penitent I stand,
And
there confess my sin.
4
My
soul looks back to see
The
burden Thou didst bear
When
hanging on the cursèd
tree;
I
know my guilt was there.
5
Believing,
we
rejoice
To
see the curse remove;
We
bless the Lamb with cheerful voice
And
sing His bleeding
love.
Text:
Isaac Watts, 1674–1748,
alt.
Text:
Public domain
Sit
P
During
this Lenten season we have heard our Lord’s
call to intensify our struggle against sin, death,
and the devil—all
that prevents us from trusting in God and loving
each other. Since it
is our intention to receive the Holy Supper of our
Lord Jesus Christ
on this night when He instituted this blessed meal
for our salvation,
it is proper that we complete our Lenten
discipline by diligently
examining ourselves, as St. Paul urges us to do.
This holy Sacrament
has been instituted for the special comfort of
those who are troubled
because of their sin and who humbly confess their
sins, fear God’s
wrath, and hunger and thirst for righteousness.
But
when we examine our hearts and consciences, we
find nothing in us but
sin and death, from which we are incapable of
delivering ourselves.
Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ has had mercy on
us. For our benefit
He became man so that He might fulfill for us the
whole will and law
of God and, to deliver us, took upon Himself our
sin and the
punishment we deserve.
So
that we may more confidently believe this and be
strengthened in the
faith and in holy living, our Lord Jesus Christ
took bread, broke it,
and gave it to His disciples and said: “Take,
eat; this is My body, which is given for you.”
It
is as if He said, “I
became man, and all that I do and suffer is for
your good. As a
pledge of this, I give you My body to eat.”
In
the same way also He took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it to them,
saying: “Drink
of
it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in
My blood, which
is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
Again,
it is as if He said, “I
have had mercy on you by taking into Myself all
your iniquities. I
give Myself into death, shedding My blood to
obtain grace and
forgiveness of sins, and to comfort and establish
the new testament,
which gives forgiveness and everlasting salvation.
As a pledge of
this, I give you My blood to drink.”
Therefore,
whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup,
confidently believing
this Word and promise of Christ, dwells in Christ
and Christ in him
and has eternal life.
We
should also do this in remembrance of Him, showing
His death—that
He was delivered for our offenses and raised for
our justification.
Giving Him our most heartfelt thanks, we take up
our cross and follow
Him and, according to His commandment, love one
another as He has
loved us. As our Lord on this night exemplified
this love by washing
His disciples’ feet, so
we by our words
and actions serve one another in love. For we are
all one bread and
one body, even as we are all partakers of this one
bread and drink
from the one cup. For just as the one cup is
filled with the wine of
many grapes and one bread made from countless
grains, so also we,
being many, are one body in Christ. Because of
Him, we love one
another, not only in word, but in deed and in
truth.
May
the almighty and merciful God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by
His Holy Spirit, accomplish this in us.
C
Amen.
P
Having
heard the Word of God, let us confess our sins,
imploring God our
Father for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, to
grant us
forgiveness.
Stand
Silence
for reflection on God’s
Word and for self-examination.
Confession
of
Sins
P
O
almighty God, merciful Father,
C
I,
a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all
my sins and iniquities
with which I have ever offended You and justly
deserved Your temporal
and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry
for them and
sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your
boundless mercy and
for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter
sufferings and death of
Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious
and merciful to me, a
poor, sinful being.
P
God
be merciful to you and strengthen your faith.
C
Amen.
P
Do
you believe that the forgiveness I speak is not my
forgiveness but
God’s?
C
Yes.
P
Let
it be done for you as you believe.
P
In
the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus
Christ I forgive you
all your sins in the name of the Father and of the
T
Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C
Amen.
P
Now
may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
completely, and may your
whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at
the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful;
He will surely do
it. Go in T
peace.
C
Amen.
SERVICE
OF THE WORD
Salutation
and Collect of the Day
P
The
Lord be with you.
C
And
also with you.
P
Let
us pray.
O
Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us
a remembrance of
Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the
sacred mystery of Your
body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption
may continually be
manifest in us; for You live and reign with the
Father and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C
Amen.
Psalm
Psalm
116:12–19;
antiphon:
v. 17
What
shall I render to the Lord
for
all his benefits to me?
I
will lift up the cup of salvation
and
call on the name of the Lord,
I
will pay my vows to the Lord
in
the presence of all his people.
Precious
in the sight of the Lord
is
the death of his saints.
O
Lord,
I am your servant;
I
am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You
have loosed my bonds.
I
will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and
call on the name of the Lord.
I
will pay my vows to the Lord
in
the presence of all his people,
in
the courts of the house of the Lord,
in
your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
Old
Testament Reading
Exodus
24:3–11
Moses
came and told the people all the words of the Lord
and all the just decrees. And all the people
answered with one voice
and said, “All
the words that the Lord
has spoken we will do.”
And
Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.
He rose early in the morning and built an altar
at the foot of the
mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the
twelve tribes of
Israel. And he sent young men of the people of
Israel, who offered
burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings
of oxen to the Lord.
And Moses took half of the blood and put it in
basins, and half of
the blood he threw against the altar. Then he
took the Book of the
Covenant and read it in the hearing of the
people. And they said,
“All
that the Lord
has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
And
Moses took the blood
and threw it on the people and said, “Behold
the blood of the covenant that the Lord
has made with you in accordance with all these
words.”
Then
Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy
of the elders of
Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel.
There was under his
feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone,
like the very heaven
for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on
the chief men of the
people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and
drank.
A
This
is the Word of the Lord.
C
Thanks
be to God.
Epistle
1
Corinthians 11:23–32
For
I received from the Lord what I also delivered
to you, that the Lord
Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took
bread, and when he had
given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This
is my body which is for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.”
In 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.”
For
as often as you eat this bread and drink the
cup, you proclaim the
Lord’s
death until he comes.
Whoever,
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. Let a person examine himself, then, and so
eat of the bread and
drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks
without discerning
the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
That is why many of you
are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we
judged ourselves
truly, we would not be judged. But 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.
Stand
Verse John
13:1b
Having
loved his own who were in the world, he loved
them to the end.
Holy
Gospel
Matthew
26:17–30
P
The
Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the
twenty-sixth chapter.
C
Glory
to You, O Lord.
Now
on the first day of Unleavened Bread the
disciples came to Jesus,
saying, “Where
will you have us prepare for you to eat the
Passover?”
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.’”
And
the disciples did as Jesus had directed them,
and they prepared the
Passover.
When
it was evening, he reclined at table with the
twelve. And as they
were eating, he said, “Truly,
I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
And
they were very
sorrowful and began to say to him one after
another, “Is
it I, Lord?” He
answered, “He
who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will
betray me. The Son
of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to
that man by whom the
Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been
better for that man if he
had not been born.”
Judas,
who would betray him, answered, “Is
it I, Rabbi?” He
said to him, “You
have said so.”
Now
as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after
blessing it broke it
and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take,
eat; this is my body.”
And
he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he
gave it to them,
saying, “Drink
of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the
covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you I will
not drink again of this fruit of the vine until
that day when I drink
it new with you in my Father’s
kingdom.”
And
when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the
Mount of Olives.
P
This
is the Gospel of the Lord.
C
Praise
to You, O Christ.
Sit
433
Glory Be to Jesus
LSB
433
1
Glory
be to Jesus,
Who
in bitter pains
Poured
for me the lifeblood
From
His sacred veins!
2
Grace
and life eternal
In
that blood I find;
Blest
be His compassion,
Infinitely
kind!
3
Blest
through endless ages
Be
the precious stream
Which
from endless torment
Did
the world redeem!
4
Abel’s
blood for vengeance
Pleaded
to the skies;
But
the blood of Jesus
For
our pardon cries.
5
Oft
as earth exulting
Wafts
its praise on high,
Angel
hosts rejoicing
Make
their glad reply.
6
Lift
we, then, our voices,
Swell
the mighty flood;
Louder
still and louder
Praise
the precious blood!
Text:
Italian, c. 18th cent.; tr. Edward Caswall, 1814–78,
alt.
Text:
Public
domain
Sermon
Maundy
Thursday
April 7, 2023 1 Cor. 11:23-32
Have
It
Christ’s Way
Today,
which
in the Christian tradition is called Holy
Thursday or Maundy
Thursday, is the day we commemorate Christ
our Lord instituting the
Sacrament of the Altar, also known as the
Holy Communion, the Lord’s
Supper, and the Eucharist. In his Small
Catechism, Martin Luther
defines the Sacrament of the Altar this way:
“It is the true body
and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the
bread and wine… for us
Christians to eat and drink.” He goes on to
say that “…
forgiveness of sins, life and salvation” are
given to us in the
Sacrament.” The biblical references for that
can be found in the
gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and
Paul’s
epistles.
It
is
also true that, as we read in John’s gospel,
on the night when
he was betrayed, before the Last Supper,
Jesus gave his disciples --
and us -- a new commandment. He told us to
love one another. To
demonstrate the self-giving,
self-sacrificing, humble type of loving
service Christ calls us to, he took on the
role of a servant and
washed the disciples’ feet. Additionally, on
that night, after the
Last Supper, as we also read in John, that
Jesus prayed to his Father
that all of His followers might be one.
Christ wills that all
Christian believers be united.
The
sad
reality is that all Christians are not one,
we are not united. On one hand, we embrace
as brothers and sisters in Christ all who
name Jesus as Lord. On the other hand, we
cannot deny that there are
differences in how we understand the Bible,
how we worship, and what
we discern God’s will for us to be. These
differences are not
insignificant.
The
Lord’s
Supper is intended to be a sacrament of
unity. We are meant
to come together in fellowship with Christ
and with one another to be
nourished and sustained by our Lord. But
among Christians, and the
denominations we have divided ourselves
into, the Sacrament has
become a point of division. Or, I should
say, more accurately, that
because of human sin, people have made their
opinions on the
Sacrament a point of division. If we all
just took Christ at his
Word and adhered to the faith delivered once
and for all to the
saints, we would live in harmony and
celebrate the Sacrament
together. But sin and error permeate and
corrupt everything.
I’ll
share
an example with you. In between my first and
second year of
seminary, I was required to participate in a
training program called
Clinical Pastoral Education. For a summer I
served as a Chaplain at
a state psychiatric hospital four days a
week and at Johns Hopkins
Hospital one day a week. It was a very
intense, grueling experience
that I called “Boot Camp for Pastors.” There
were three
supervisors: A Presbyterian minister, a
United Church of Christ
pastor, and a Catholic priest. Among the
students there were four
Methodists, three Lutherans, one
Presbyterian, a Roman Catholic, and
an Evangelical.
At
the
end of the program, we students thought it
would be nice to
celebrate with a picnic on the last day. It
seemed very natural that
at a picnic with 13 pastors and pastors in
training (13 being the
number present at the beginning of the Last
Supper)… it would be
natural to have Holy Communion as part of
the celebration. We knew
that our various traditions had different
opinions regarding Holy
Communion and that was an issue.
There
are
some recurring issues that often arise
around celebrations of
Holy Communion. These include:
-
The
type of bread: leavened, or
unleavened, or wafers; white or
wheat; whole loaf or scored or
cubed.
-
The
type of wine: real wine, grape
juice, or non-alcoholic wine; red or
white; sweet or dry.
-
How
to distribute the bread: in the
mouth or in the hand.
-
How
to distribute the wine: Common cup,
little glasses, or a pouring
chalice; or intinction, that is,
dipping the bread into the wine and
consuming both together.
-
Where
and how to receive Communion: at the
altar rail or in the pew; standing
or kneeling.
Issues
like
these are often (inadequately) resolved by
having several
stations with every conceivable option
offered. This is what we
referred to in seminary as a “Burger King
Communion”. That name
coming from the old Burger King TV
commercial, “Have it your way.” Shouldn’t we
have it Christ’s way instead?
I
would think about things differently today,
but we decided that
rather than go for “the lowest common
denominator” (all puns
intended) and a Burger King Communion, we
would go with “the
highest common denominator” and have the
Catholic priest consecrate
the elements in the most traditional way
That would be a legitimate
consecration for those of sacramental
faiths, and those who perceive
the Eucharist in other ways could make of it
what they will. As I
said, I would be of a different mind about
that today (but I was
ELCA, not LCMS, at the time).
It
looked
like we had a solution to our problem until
we presented it to
the Catholic priest. By Cannon Law, he
cannot give the Sacrament to
someone who is not in Communion with the
Church of Rome. He could be
disciplined or defrocked for that
infraction. It’s true, people
receive Communion in the Catholic Church who
are not Catholic all the
time. Most parishes have an unwritten “Don’t
ask,
don’t tell” policy. As a seminary student, I
went to
Catholic masses often. But in this
situation, the priest needed to
follow the rules.
As
some
of you may have experienced, some Missouri
Synod churches will
only share Holy Communion with people who
are members of that
particular parish or members of another
church in the Synod. We are
not nearly that strict here at Trinity. But
we do have the policy,
as our bulletins say, that to receive
Communion here one should be a
baptized adult believer who agrees with us
that Christ is truly
present in the Sacrament for the forgiveness
of sins. There are good
biblical and confessional reasons for that
being our belief and
teaching.
But,
getting
back to the picnic, the Priest said that if
we wanted to pass
around bread and wine that would be fine
with him, but he would NOT
consider that the Eucharist. After that
remark, the student
coalition broke down. We decided to just to
have the picnic without
Communion. It didn’t feel like it at the
time, but maybe that was
for the best.
In
the
Missouri Synod we call our policy about the
Sacrament “Close
Communion “or
“Closed
Communion.” People often think that makes us
exclusive or elitist,
but that’s not what’s it all about. We take
Christ seriously. We take his death
seriously. We are careful about what we
believe
and teach. We love our brothers and sisters
in Christ. We respect
their freedom as Americans to believe
whatever they believe.
But
love
does not mean unconditional affirmation and
agreement. We love
them enough to disagree with them. We are
obligated to proclaim to
them the truth God has revealed in His Word.
I cannot participate in
most ecumenical worship services because I
cannot give tacit
agreement and support to beliefs and
doctrines that are not what the
Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions
teach.
Here's
an
extreme example. One of the members of my
church was in a nursing
home. A church group came in and did a
worship service. At the end
they did what they called “Holy
Communion.” Without any
prayers or explanation, they passed out
cookies and red
soda. A faithful member on my congregation,
in Christ’s nearer
presence now, asked if the drink was the
Blood of Christ. “No,”
she said, “That’s cherry pop.” I cannot put
myself in a
situation where it appears that I approve of
cherry pop for
Communion. I cannot put myself is a
situation where I might seem to
be confessing that the Sacrament of the
Altar, which must consist of
bread and wine, are anything less than
Christ’s true body and
blood. I cannot be in Altar and Pulpit
Fellowship with those who do
not share with us the basic teachings of our
Christian faith.
St
Paul
said that if we take the Sacrament
unworthily, we take it to our
judgment, not to our benefit. What is
“unworthily?” We’re
all
sinners, so he cannot mean that. Paul says
we must discern the
body. That means we must recognize that
Christ is present. We would
not want to admit to the altar a
non-believer, or someone who mocks
and scorns Christ, or someone who’s publicly
known words and
actions make a scandal of the church, for
fear that people might
assume that God and we condone such things.
If unworthy reception of
Sacrament incurs God’s judgment, we are
doing a favor, not a
disservice, by denying Communion to such
people. In that case, it’s
the loving thing to do.
I
love the sacrament. Preaching and
celebrating Holy Communion are the
most important things I do. But I won’t do
them in Heaven. Why? We won’t need preaching
in Heaven, everyone there will already be
Christian. And we won’t need sacraments in
Heaven. Sacraments
mediate God’s presence to us here; there we
will have God’s
unmediated, face-to-face presence for
eternity.
In
the
meantime, let us worship in spirit and in
truth. Let us partake
of this foretaste of the heavenly Messianic
Banquet which this
Sacrament is. And especially let us recall
that these things are
only possible because of what happened on
this night so long ago. That Christ was
betrayed, and arrested, and went to the
cross the
next day for our salvation. That is where we
will continue our
worship tomorrow, Good Friday. Amen.
Stand
Prayer
of the Church
In
peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord,
have
mercy.
For
the
deliverance of our souls, which are precious
in God’s sight;
and for confidence to pray, knowing that
Christ Himself prays with
us, let us pray to the Lord: Lord,
have mercy.
For
newness
and holiness of life, that Christ, who offered
Himself
through the eternal Spirit, would purify our
consciences from dead
works to serve the living God, let us pray to
the Lord: Lord,
have
mercy.
For
those
who make and administer our laws amid plagues
and threats, in a
world filled with conflict and terror, that
they may act in timely
and prudent ways, let us pray to the Lord: Lord,
have mercy.
For
[_____________
and]
all who are sick, that God would refresh,
comfort and nourish them in
the midst of the wilderness of this world, let
us pray to the Lord:
Lord,
have
mercy.
For
cleansing from sin through Christ’s body
and blood, that set free
from slavery to this world, we may be
gathered into His New
Testament, let us pray to the Lord: Lord,
have mercy.
Into
Your
hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves, our
bodies and souls and
all things; redeem us, O Lord, faithful
God; through Jesus Christ,
Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns
with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Sit
Offertory
Invitation
The
Psalmist wrote, "Ascribe to the Lord the honor
due his Name;
bring offerings and come into this courts."
Therefore, we now
make our offerings to God.
The
Choir sings as the offerings are collected
Stand
Offertory LSB
192
C
Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right
spirit within me.
Cast
me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy
Holy Spirit from me.
Restore
unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me
with Thy free spirit.
Amen.
Offertory
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, your Son offered Himself to you on the
altar of the Cross. Receive and bless these
gifts which we bring to your altar here in
praise of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world, Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
SERVICE
OF THE SACRAMENT
Preface
LSB
160
P
The
Lord be with you.
C
And
also with you.
P
Lift
up your hearts.
C
We
lift them to the Lord.
P
Let
us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C
It
is right to give Him thanks and praise.
Proper
Preface
P
It
is truly good, right, and salutary that we should
at all times and in
all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty
Father,
everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who accomplished the
salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross
that, where death
arose, there life also might rise again and that
the serpent who
overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise
by the tree of the
cross be overcome. Therefore with angels and
archangels and with all
the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your
glorious name,
evermore praising You and saying:
Sanctus LSB
161
C
Holy,
holy, holy Lord God of pow’r
and might:
Heaven
and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna.
Hosanna.
Hosanna
in the highest.
Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna
in the highest.
Prayer
of Thanksgiving
P
Blessed
are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have
had mercy on those
whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son
into our flesh to
bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy
we receive the
salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing
sacrifice of His
body and His blood on the cross.
Gathered
in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg
You, O Lord, to
forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word
and Spirit. Grant us
faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as
He bids us do in
His own testament. Gather us together, we pray,
from the ends of the
earth to celebrate with all the faithful the
marriage feast of the
Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously
receive our
prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O
Father, be all
glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the
Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
C
Amen.
The
Words of Our Lord
P
Our
Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was
betrayed, took bread, and
when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it
to the disciples
and said: “Take,
eat; this is My T
body, which is given for you. This do in
remembrance of Me.”
In
the same way also He took the cup after supper,
and when He had given
thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink
of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament
in My T
blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness
of sins. This do, as
often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Proclamation
of Christ
P
As
often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we
proclaim the Lord’s
death until He comes.
C
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.
P
O
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in
giving us Your body and
blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember
and confess Your
holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your
rest in the tomb,
Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension
into heaven, and Your
coming for the final judgment. So remember us in
Your kingdom and
teach us to pray:
Lord’s
Prayer
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.
Agnus
Dei LSB
163
C
Lamb
of God, You take away the sin of the world; have
mercy on us.
Lamb
of God, You take away the sin of the world; have
mercy on us.
Lamb
of God, You take away the sin of the world;
grant us peace.
Sit
Distribution 164
Take,
eat; the body of Christ, given for you.
Amen.
Take,
drink; the blood of Christ shed for you.
Amen.
Stand
In
dismissing the communicants, the following is
said:
The
Dismissal
LSB
199
P The
body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
strengthen and preserve you
in body and soul to life everlasting. Depart T
in peace.
C Amen.
Post-Communion
Prayer
P: Almighty God,
you gave your Son both as a sacrifice for sin
and a
model of the godly life. Enable us to receive
him always with
thanksgiving and to conform our lives to his;
through the same Jesus
Christ our Lord.
C:
Amen
Sit
STRIPPING
OF THE ALTAR
As
he congregation reads Psalm 22 together, the
communion vessels are
reverently removed from the altar, the altar
is stripped, and the
chancel is cleared in preparation for the
solemn services of Good
Friday.
C
My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why
are you so far from saving me, from the words of
my groaning?
O
my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and
by night, but I find no rest.
Yet
you are holy,
enthroned
on the praises of Israel.
In
you our fathers trusted;
they
trusted, and you delivered them.
To
you they cried and were rescued;
in
you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But
I am a worm and not a man,
scorned
by mankind and despised by the people.
All
who see me mock me;
they
make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He
trusts in the Lord;
let him deliver him;
let
him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
Yet
you are he who took me from the womb;
you
made me trust you at my mother’s
breasts.
On you was I
cast from my birth,
and
from my mother’s
womb you
have been my God.
Be not
far from me,
for
trouble is near,
and
there is none to help.
Many
bulls encompass me;
strong
bulls of Bashan surround me;
they
open wide their mouths at me,
like
a ravening and roaring lion.
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;
my
strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and
my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you
lay me in the dust of death.
For
dogs encompass me;
a
company of evildoers encircles me;
they
have pierced my hands and feet—
I can count all my bones—
they
stare and gloat over me;
they
divide my garments among them,
and
for my clothing they cast lots.
But
you, O Lord,
do not be far off!
O
you my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver
my soul from the sword,
my
precious life from the power of the dog!
Save
me from the mouth of the lion!
You
have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
I
will tell of your name to my brothers;
in
the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You
who fear the Lord,
praise him!
All you
offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of
Israel!
For
he has not despised or abhorred
the
affliction of the afflicted,
and
he has not hidden his face from him,
but
has heard, when he cried to him.
From
you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my
vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The
afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those
who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May
your hearts live forever!
All
the ends of the earth shall remember
and
turn to the Lord,
and
all the families of the nations
shall
worship before you.
For
kingship belongs to the Lord,
and
he rules over the nations.
All
the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before
him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even
the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity
shall serve him;
it
shall be told of the Lord to the coming
generation;
they
shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a
people yet
unborn,
that he has
done it.
All
leave the church in silence.
Acknowledgments
Holy
Thursday
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 ©
2023
Concordia Publishing House.
Holy Thursday
(Maundy Thursday)
SERVICE OF CORPORATE CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Notes on the Liturgy
Our Liturgy this evening focuses on the institution of Holy Communion by Christ at the Last Supper and Jesus’ commandment to love one another. The Creed and the Peace are omitted from this service to emphasize its solemn nature and in commemoration of Judas the Betrayer’s kiss of greeting. No Post-Communion Canticle will be sung as we make the transition from Eucharistic celebration to sober meditation on Christ’s Passion. Following the Communion, the Altar is stripped while Psalm 22 is presented symbolizing Christ being stripped of His power and glory. There is no Benediction because the service this evening really does not end; it continues through tomorrow as we remember our Savior’s death on Good Friday, and climaxes with our celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Morning.
Ringing of the Bell
– The bell rings as the call to worship, reminding us to discontinue conversation and reverently prepare for worship.
Welcome and Announcements
Stand
The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P I will go to the altar of God,
C to God my exceeding joy.
P Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C who made heaven and earth.
431 Not All the Blood of Beasts LSB 431
1
Not
all the blood of beasts
On
Jewish altars slain
Could
give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash
away the
stain.
2
But
Christ, the heav’nly
Lamb,
Takes
all our sins away;
A
sacrifice of nobler name
And
richer blood than
they.
3
My
faith would lay its hand
On
that dear head of Thine,
While
as a penitent I stand,
And
there confess my sin.
4
My
soul looks back to see
The
burden Thou didst bear
When
hanging on the cursèd
tree;
I
know my guilt was there.
5
Believing,
we
rejoice
To
see the curse remove;
We
bless the Lamb with cheerful voice
And
sing His bleeding
love.
Text:
Isaac Watts, 1674–1748,
alt.
Text:
Public domain
Sit
P During this Lenten season we have heard our Lord’s call to intensify our struggle against sin, death, and the devil—all that prevents us from trusting in God and loving each other. Since it is our intention to receive the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ on this night when He instituted this blessed meal for our salvation, it is proper that we complete our Lenten discipline by diligently examining ourselves, as St. Paul urges us to do. This holy Sacrament has been instituted for the special comfort of those who are troubled because of their sin and who humbly confess their sins, fear God’s wrath, and hunger and thirst for righteousness.
But when we examine our hearts and consciences, we find nothing in us but sin and death, from which we are incapable of delivering ourselves. Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ has had mercy on us. For our benefit He became man so that He might fulfill for us the whole will and law of God and, to deliver us, took upon Himself our sin and the punishment we deserve.
So that we may more confidently believe this and be strengthened in the faith and in holy living, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, broke it, and gave it to His disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you.” It is as if He said, “I became man, and all that I do and suffer is for your good. As a pledge of this, I give you My body to eat.”
In the same way also He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Again, it is as if He said, “I have had mercy on you by taking into Myself all your iniquities. I give Myself into death, shedding My blood to obtain grace and forgiveness of sins, and to comfort and establish the new testament, which gives forgiveness and everlasting salvation. As a pledge of this, I give you My blood to drink.”
Therefore, whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup, confidently believing this Word and promise of Christ, dwells in Christ and Christ in him and has eternal life.
We should also do this in remembrance of Him, showing His death—that He was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification. Giving Him our most heartfelt thanks, we take up our cross and follow Him and, according to His commandment, love one another as He has loved us. As our Lord on this night exemplified this love by washing His disciples’ feet, so we by our words and actions serve one another in love. For we are all one bread and one body, even as we are all partakers of this one bread and drink from the one cup. For just as the one cup is filled with the wine of many grapes and one bread made from countless grains, so also we, being many, are one body in Christ. Because of Him, we love one another, not only in word, but in deed and in truth.
May the almighty and merciful God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, accomplish this in us.
C Amen.
P Having heard the Word of God, let us confess our sins, imploring God our Father for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness.
Stand
Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.
Confession of Sins
P O almighty God, merciful Father,
C I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.
P God be merciful to you and strengthen your faith.
C Amen.
P Do you believe that the forgiveness I speak is not my forgiveness but God’s?
C Yes.
P Let it be done for you as you believe.
P In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. Go in T peace.
C Amen.
SERVICE OF THE WORD
Salutation and Collect of the Day
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Let us pray.
O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Psalm Psalm 116:12–19; antiphon: v. 17
What
shall I render to the Lord
for
all his benefits to me?
I
will lift up the cup of salvation
and
call on the name of the Lord,
I
will pay my vows to the Lord
in
the presence of all his people.
Precious
in the sight of the Lord
is
the death of his saints.
O
Lord,
I am your servant;
I
am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You
have loosed my bonds.
I
will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and
call on the name of the Lord.
I
will pay my vows to the Lord
in
the presence of all his people,
in
the courts of the house of the Lord,
in
your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
Old Testament Reading Exodus 24:3–11
Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the just decrees. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Epistle 1 Corinthians 11:23–32
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In 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.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Whoever, 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. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But 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.
Stand
Verse John 13:1b
Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Holy Gospel Matthew 26:17–30
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-sixth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 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.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
Sit
433 Glory Be to Jesus LSB 433
1
Glory
be to Jesus,
Who
in bitter pains
Poured
for me the lifeblood
From
His sacred veins!
2
Grace
and life eternal
In
that blood I find;
Blest
be His compassion,
Infinitely
kind!
3
Blest
through endless ages
Be
the precious stream
Which
from endless torment
Did
the world redeem!
4
Abel’s
blood for vengeance
Pleaded
to the skies;
But
the blood of Jesus
For
our pardon cries.
5
Oft
as earth exulting
Wafts
its praise on high,
Angel
hosts rejoicing
Make
their glad reply.
6
Lift
we, then, our voices,
Swell
the mighty flood;
Louder
still and louder
Praise
the precious blood!
Text:
Italian, c. 18th cent.; tr. Edward Caswall, 1814–78,
alt.
Text:
Public
domain
Sermon
Maundy Thursday April 7, 2023 1 Cor. 11:23-32
Have It Christ’s Way
Today, which in the Christian tradition is called Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday, is the day we commemorate Christ our Lord instituting the Sacrament of the Altar, also known as the Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, and the Eucharist. In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther defines the Sacrament of the Altar this way: “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine… for us Christians to eat and drink.” He goes on to say that “… forgiveness of sins, life and salvation” are given to us in the Sacrament.” The biblical references for that can be found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and Paul’s epistles.
It is also true that, as we read in John’s gospel, on the night when he was betrayed, before the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples -- and us -- a new commandment. He told us to love one another. To demonstrate the self-giving, self-sacrificing, humble type of loving service Christ calls us to, he took on the role of a servant and washed the disciples’ feet. Additionally, on that night, after the Last Supper, as we also read in John, that Jesus prayed to his Father that all of His followers might be one. Christ wills that all Christian believers be united.
The sad reality is that all Christians are not one, we are not united. On one hand, we embrace as brothers and sisters in Christ all who name Jesus as Lord. On the other hand, we cannot deny that there are differences in how we understand the Bible, how we worship, and what we discern God’s will for us to be. These differences are not insignificant.
The Lord’s Supper is intended to be a sacrament of unity. We are meant to come together in fellowship with Christ and with one another to be nourished and sustained by our Lord. But among Christians, and the denominations we have divided ourselves into, the Sacrament has become a point of division. Or, I should say, more accurately, that because of human sin, people have made their opinions on the Sacrament a point of division. If we all just took Christ at his Word and adhered to the faith delivered once and for all to the saints, we would live in harmony and celebrate the Sacrament together. But sin and error permeate and corrupt everything.
I’ll share an example with you. In between my first and second year of seminary, I was required to participate in a training program called Clinical Pastoral Education. For a summer I served as a Chaplain at a state psychiatric hospital four days a week and at Johns Hopkins Hospital one day a week. It was a very intense, grueling experience that I called “Boot Camp for Pastors.” There were three supervisors: A Presbyterian minister, a United Church of Christ pastor, and a Catholic priest. Among the students there were four Methodists, three Lutherans, one Presbyterian, a Roman Catholic, and an Evangelical.
At the end of the program, we students thought it would be nice to celebrate with a picnic on the last day. It seemed very natural that at a picnic with 13 pastors and pastors in training (13 being the number present at the beginning of the Last Supper)… it would be natural to have Holy Communion as part of the celebration. We knew that our various traditions had different opinions regarding Holy Communion and that was an issue.
There are some recurring issues that often arise around celebrations of Holy Communion. These include:
-
The type of bread: leavened, or unleavened, or wafers; white or wheat; whole loaf or scored or cubed.
-
The type of wine: real wine, grape juice, or non-alcoholic wine; red or white; sweet or dry.
-
How to distribute the bread: in the mouth or in the hand.
-
How to distribute the wine: Common cup, little glasses, or a pouring chalice; or intinction, that is, dipping the bread into the wine and consuming both together.
-
Where and how to receive Communion: at the altar rail or in the pew; standing or kneeling.
Issues like these are often (inadequately) resolved by having several stations with every conceivable option offered. This is what we referred to in seminary as a “Burger King Communion”. That name coming from the old Burger King TV commercial, “Have it your way.” Shouldn’t we have it Christ’s way instead?
I would think about things differently today, but we decided that rather than go for “the lowest common denominator” (all puns intended) and a Burger King Communion, we would go with “the highest common denominator” and have the Catholic priest consecrate the elements in the most traditional way That would be a legitimate consecration for those of sacramental faiths, and those who perceive the Eucharist in other ways could make of it what they will. As I said, I would be of a different mind about that today (but I was ELCA, not LCMS, at the time).
It looked like we had a solution to our problem until we presented it to the Catholic priest. By Cannon Law, he cannot give the Sacrament to someone who is not in Communion with the Church of Rome. He could be disciplined or defrocked for that infraction. It’s true, people receive Communion in the Catholic Church who are not Catholic all the time. Most parishes have an unwritten “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. As a seminary student, I went to Catholic masses often. But in this situation, the priest needed to follow the rules.
As some of you may have experienced, some Missouri Synod churches will only share Holy Communion with people who are members of that particular parish or members of another church in the Synod. We are not nearly that strict here at Trinity. But we do have the policy, as our bulletins say, that to receive Communion here one should be a baptized adult believer who agrees with us that Christ is truly present in the Sacrament for the forgiveness of sins. There are good biblical and confessional reasons for that being our belief and teaching.
But, getting back to the picnic, the Priest said that if we wanted to pass around bread and wine that would be fine with him, but he would NOT consider that the Eucharist. After that remark, the student coalition broke down. We decided to just to have the picnic without Communion. It didn’t feel like it at the time, but maybe that was for the best.
In the Missouri Synod we call our policy about the Sacrament “Close Communion “or “Closed Communion.” People often think that makes us exclusive or elitist, but that’s not what’s it all about. We take Christ seriously. We take his death seriously. We are careful about what we believe and teach. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We respect their freedom as Americans to believe whatever they believe.
But love does not mean unconditional affirmation and agreement. We love them enough to disagree with them. We are obligated to proclaim to them the truth God has revealed in His Word. I cannot participate in most ecumenical worship services because I cannot give tacit agreement and support to beliefs and doctrines that are not what the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions teach.
Here's an extreme example. One of the members of my church was in a nursing home. A church group came in and did a worship service. At the end they did what they called “Holy Communion.” Without any prayers or explanation, they passed out cookies and red soda. A faithful member on my congregation, in Christ’s nearer presence now, asked if the drink was the Blood of Christ. “No,” she said, “That’s cherry pop.” I cannot put myself in a situation where it appears that I approve of cherry pop for Communion. I cannot put myself is a situation where I might seem to be confessing that the Sacrament of the Altar, which must consist of bread and wine, are anything less than Christ’s true body and blood. I cannot be in Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with those who do not share with us the basic teachings of our Christian faith.
St Paul said that if we take the Sacrament unworthily, we take it to our judgment, not to our benefit. What is “unworthily?” We’re all sinners, so he cannot mean that. Paul says we must discern the body. That means we must recognize that Christ is present. We would not want to admit to the altar a non-believer, or someone who mocks and scorns Christ, or someone who’s publicly known words and actions make a scandal of the church, for fear that people might assume that God and we condone such things. If unworthy reception of Sacrament incurs God’s judgment, we are doing a favor, not a disservice, by denying Communion to such people. In that case, it’s the loving thing to do.
I love the sacrament. Preaching and celebrating Holy Communion are the most important things I do. But I won’t do them in Heaven. Why? We won’t need preaching in Heaven, everyone there will already be Christian. And we won’t need sacraments in Heaven. Sacraments mediate God’s presence to us here; there we will have God’s unmediated, face-to-face presence for eternity.
In the meantime, let us worship in spirit and in truth. Let us partake of this foretaste of the heavenly Messianic Banquet which this Sacrament is. And especially let us recall that these things are only possible because of what happened on this night so long ago. That Christ was betrayed, and arrested, and went to the cross the next day for our salvation. That is where we will continue our worship tomorrow, Good Friday. Amen.
Stand
Prayer of the Church
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the deliverance of our souls, which are precious in God’s sight; and for confidence to pray, knowing that Christ Himself prays with us, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For newness and holiness of life, that Christ, who offered Himself through the eternal Spirit, would purify our consciences from dead works to serve the living God, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those who make and administer our laws amid plagues and threats, in a world filled with conflict and terror, that they may act in timely and prudent ways, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For [_____________ and] all who are sick, that God would refresh, comfort and nourish them in the midst of the wilderness of this world, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For cleansing from sin through Christ’s body and blood, that set free from slavery to this world, we may be gathered into His New Testament, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves, our bodies and souls and all things; redeem us, O Lord, faithful God; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Sit
Offertory Invitation
The Psalmist wrote, "Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into this courts." Therefore, we now make our offerings to God.
The Choir sings as the offerings are collected
Stand
Offertory LSB 192
C Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.
Offertory Prayer
Heavenly Father, your Son offered Himself to you on the altar of the Cross. Receive and bless these gifts which we bring to your altar here in praise of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT
Preface LSB 160
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Lift up your hearts.
C We lift them to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
Proper Preface
P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who accomplished the salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross that, where death arose, there life also might rise again and that the serpent who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
Sanctus LSB 161
C Holy, holy, holy Lord God of pow’r and might:
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna. Hosanna.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
P Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.
Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
The Words of Our Lord
P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Proclamation of Christ
P As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
C Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
P O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
Lord’s Prayer
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.
Agnus Dei LSB 163
C Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.
Sit
Distribution 164
Take, eat; the body of Christ, given for you.
Amen.
Take, drink; the blood of Christ shed for you.
Amen.
Stand
In dismissing the communicants, the following is said:
The Dismissal LSB 199
P The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen and preserve you in body and soul to life everlasting. Depart T in peace.
C Amen.
Post-Communion Prayer
P: Almighty God, you gave your Son both as a sacrifice for sin and a model of the godly life. Enable us to receive him always with thanksgiving and to conform our lives to his; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen
Sit
STRIPPING OF THE ALTAR
As he congregation reads Psalm 22 together, the communion vessels are reverently removed from the altar, the altar is stripped, and the chancel is cleared in preparation for the solemn services of Good Friday.
C
My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why
are you so far from saving me, from the words of
my groaning?
O
my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and
by night, but I find no rest.
Yet
you are holy,
enthroned
on the praises of Israel.
In
you our fathers trusted;
they
trusted, and you delivered them.
To
you they cried and were rescued;
in
you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But
I am a worm and not a man,
scorned
by mankind and despised by the people.
All
who see me mock me;
they
make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He
trusts in the Lord;
let him deliver him;
let
him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
Yet
you are he who took me from the womb;
you
made me trust you at my mother’s
breasts.
On you was I
cast from my birth,
and
from my mother’s
womb you
have been my God.
Be not
far from me,
for
trouble is near,
and
there is none to help.
Many
bulls encompass me;
strong
bulls of Bashan surround me;
they
open wide their mouths at me,
like
a ravening and roaring lion.
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;
my
strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and
my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you
lay me in the dust of death.
For
dogs encompass me;
a
company of evildoers encircles me;
they
have pierced my hands and feet—
I can count all my bones—
they
stare and gloat over me;
they
divide my garments among them,
and
for my clothing they cast lots.
But
you, O Lord,
do not be far off!
O
you my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver
my soul from the sword,
my
precious life from the power of the dog!
Save
me from the mouth of the lion!
You
have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
I
will tell of your name to my brothers;
in
the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You
who fear the Lord,
praise him!
All you
offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of
Israel!
For
he has not despised or abhorred
the
affliction of the afflicted,
and
he has not hidden his face from him,
but
has heard, when he cried to him.
From
you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my
vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The
afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those
who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May
your hearts live forever!
All
the ends of the earth shall remember
and
turn to the Lord,
and
all the families of the nations
shall
worship before you.
For
kingship belongs to the Lord,
and
he rules over the nations.
All
the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before
him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even
the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity
shall serve him;
it
shall be told of the Lord to the coming
generation;
they
shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a
people yet
unborn,
that he has
done it.
All leave the church in silence.
Acknowledgments
Holy Thursday 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 © 2023 Concordia Publishing House.