Worship for Holy Thursday, April 9, 2020

Holy Thursday

Thursday, April 9, 2020

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OUR WORSHIP FOR TODAY

THE OPENING SENTENCE

Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?  Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow which was brought upon me, whom the LORD hath afflicted.    

OPENING HYMN: Down in Adoration Falling  (Video Link): https://youtu.be/su5S8sdPSxU

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Loving God, you show us by example how to love others.  Today as we celebrate Holy Thursday, we remember when you washed the feet of your disciples.  Give us the strength to serve – to spiritually wash each other’s feet - in everything we do, in all moments of our lives.  May we recommit ourselves to the service of others.  We ask this through Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

FIRST READING: Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14 

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

PSALM: Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

I love the LORD, who has heard my voice, and listened to my supplication,

for the LORD has given ear to me whenever I called.

How shall I repay the LORD for all the good things God has done for me?

I will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.  

I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all God's people.

Precious in your sight, O LORD, is the death of your servants.

O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds.

I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the name of the LORD.

I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all God's people,

in the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.  

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way he took the cup also, 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.

THE HOLY GOSPEL: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean."

After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

HOMILY FOR THE DAY (Video Link):  https://youtu.be/BpZuT2-WQoI

THE APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Led by Christ in our journey of repentance and moved by his compassion, let us pray for the church, those in need, and all of God's creation.

A brief silence.

We pray for the church, that congregations be a home for the lost, a haven for the oppressed, and a source of healing for those broken by life's circumstances. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for new life springing forth from the earth; for those who groan in labor, those who are adopting children, and those who are unable to conceive. Lord, in your mercy,  hear our prayer.

We pray for Christians who do not have the freedom to worship openly, for political prisoners, refugees, widows, and orphans. Lord, in your mercy,  hear our prayer.

We pray for those who care for the weary and vulnerable: nurses, hospice workers, childcare providers, and social workers. Be present now to people who need your loving touch because of COVID-19. We pray for those in any need. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for this assembly as it enters this holy week. Sustain our pastors, musicians, staff, volunteers, and all those who will prepare for and lead worship this week, and bring us all to the joy of Easter. Lord, in your mercy,  hear our prayer.

We give thanks for the blessed saints who showed us how to live and taught us how to die. Lord, in your mercy,  hear our prayer.

Into your hands, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. Amen.

CONCLUDING PRAYER  

Loving God, we praise you in a special way today as we celebrate Holy Thursday.  Be with us as we continue our journey through Holy Week, that we may more closely align our lives with yours, knowing our call to serve others following the example you gave.  We ask this through Christ, our Lord.  Amen

CLOSING PETITION FOR BLESSING

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. _{Romans 15:13}   

Amen 

CLOSING HYMN: Holy God, We Praise Your Name (Video Link): https://youtu.be/4LC9VCuvCW4