Call to Worship One: We gather in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All: Amen. Prayer of Confession One: Friends in Christ, in this Lenten season we have heard our Lord’s call to struggle against all that keeps us from loving God and each other. This is the struggle to which we were called in our baptism. God never wearies of forgiving sin and giving the peace of reconciliation. On this night let us confess our sin against God and our neighbor, and enter the celebration of the great Three Days reconciled with God and with one another. All: Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen. Assurance of God’s Grace One: God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace we have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven. All: Amen. Prayer of the Day One: Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave us a new commandment, to love one another as he loves us. Write this commandment in our hearts, and give us the will to serve others as he was the servant of all, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. All: Amen. Gospel: John 13:1-17, 31b-35 1Now 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. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then 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. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10Jesus said to him, “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.” 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12After 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? 13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” 31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little 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.’ 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Sermon Rev. Lori E.L. Kitzing Hymn: “An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare” Prayers of the People One: God of power and might, on the night of Passover, you commanded your people to be ready to go in a hurry: to be dressed, with sandals on their feet, and walking stick in hand as they ate a special meal. We pray for people everywhere who long for freedom, who are ready, eager to do as you have commanded. Bring down oppression’s rule; overturn unjust laws; break the chains of those still enslaved; banish every form of human trafficking. Compel us, without delay, to enter a new place where all lives are honored and all voices are heard. God of tenderness and compassion, on the night before he died, Jesus set a table for his disciples. They took off their sandals and sat down in the presence of their Teacher and Lord, who washed their feet, one by one. We pray for people whose feet are tired and dusty from hard labor; for those whose backs are bent by care and worry; for those laid low by illness or guilt or grief. Wash away, we pray, the tiredness of our bodies and souls. Hold gently in your healing hands the broken places in our lives and relationships. Be our company in isolation, our source of hope in despair, and the way forward at every dead end. God of all good gifts, thank you for setting a table of welcome for everyone; for making room whether we are faithful or faithless or failures. We pray that all who are hungry will find enough to eat and clean water to drink as we share and live more responsibly. Teach us to sit down with enemies, sharing common meals and common hopes. Make us true servants of yours for the sake of the world. Teach us to love as you love for the sake of the world. We pray for faith that is worth handing on to yet another generation for the sake of the world you love. In Christ’s name we pray. All: Amen. Offering Prayer One: We are your servants, O God, for you have loosed all other bonds that held us captive. In freedom, we follow you. In gratitude, we praise you. Celebrating all that you have done for us in Christ, we bring you our tithes and offerings, asking you to add your blessing so that all that we have and all that we are may be used in blessing others. In Christ’s name we pray. All: Amen. Psalm 22 1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? 2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. 3Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. 6But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. 7All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; 8“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” 9Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast. 10On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God. 11Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled; 17I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; 18they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! 20Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! 21Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me. 22I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him. 25From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! 27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it. Printed by permission oneliscense.net A-717495
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AuthorRev. Lori E.L. Kitzing Archives
April 2024
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