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Call to Worship John13:34
Jesus said: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another. On This Night… On this night, Christ the Lamb of God gave himself into the hands of those who would slay him. On this night, Christ gathered with his disciples in the upper room. On this night, Christ took a towel and washed the disciples’ feet, giving us an example that we should do to others as he has done to us. On this night, Christ our God gave us this holy feast, that we who eat this bread and drink this cup may here proclaim his holy sacrifice and be partakers of his resurrection, and at the last day may reign with him in heaven. Hymn What Wondrous Love Is This Text: American folk tune, c. 1811 Music: Walker’s Southern harmony, 1835 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul! When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down, sinking down. When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul! To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing. To God and to the Lamb, I will sing; to God and to the Lamb, who is the Great I Am, while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing, while millions join the theme, I will sing! Prayer of Confession Eternal God, whose covenant with us is never broken, we confess that we fail to do your will. Though you have bound yourself to us, we will not bind ourselves to you. In Jesus Christ you serve us freely, but we refuse your love and withhold ourselves from others. We do not love you fully or love as you command. In your mercy, forgive and cleanse us. Lead us once again to your Table and unite us to Christ, who is the bread of life and the vine from which we grow in grace. Worshipers may observe a moment of silent prayer. Response Take, O, Take Me as I Am Text and Music: John L. Bell, 1995 Take, O, take me as I am. Summon out what I shall be. Set your seal upon my heart and live in me. Repeat. Declaration of Forgiveness The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. May the God of mercy, who forgives all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the Holy Spirit, keep you in eternal life. Amen. Scripture Reading John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet 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. The New Commandment When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘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.’ The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper The Invitation and Words of Institution This is the Lord’s Table. He invites all who seek to know him, love him, and serve him to gather around it. Jesus invites all who seek a restored relationship to God and others to gather around it. Jesus invites you, the faithful, and you, the uncertain, weary, and hurting to gather around and share the feast which he has prepared. The Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread, and after giving thanks to God, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Afterward he took the cup, saying: This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup, you remember the Lord’s death until he comes again. Great Thanksgiving and the Lord’s Prayer The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. O Lord, our God, we thank you for your works of creation, for making us in your image, freeing us from the bonds of slavery, claiming us as your people and making covenant to be our God. You fed us with manna in the wilderness and led us to the land flowing with milk and honey. When we forgot you, and our faith was weak, you spoke through the prophets, calling us to turn to your ways. Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with the heavenly choirs, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name: Holy, holy, holy God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Remembering all your mighty acts, we take this bread and this wine from the gifts you have given us, and celebrate with joy the redemption won for us in Jesus Christ. Accept this, our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving as a living and holy offering of ourselves, that our lives may proclaim the One crucified and risen. Great is the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit, unite us with the living Christ and with all who are baptized in his name, that we may be one in ministry in every place. As this bread is Christ’s body for us, send us out to be the body of Christ in the world. Gratefully, we lift to you our prayers of intercession, for those with whom we share our lives, for those unknown to us, but fully known to you, for the sick and suffering, the hungry and homeless, the grieving, the lost. We lift our thanks and praise for unexpected blessings, small expressions of care and concern, contributions of all forms to advance your kingdom and bear your love, light, and liberty into the world. That we may be one, we pray as Jesus taught us, saying, 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Communion of the People Friends, these are the gifts of God for the people of God. The body of Christ, given for you. Amen. Bread is received. The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen. Wine is received. Prayer after Communion God of grace, your Son, Jesus Christ, left us this holy meal of bread and wine in which we share his body and blood. May we, who have celebrated this sign of love show in our lives the fruits of his redemption; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. Hymn What Wondrous Love Is This And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on. And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on. And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be, and through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on; and through eternity I’ll sing on. Blessing Go in peace. As Christ loves you, love one another. Join us Sunday, April 1, at 11:00AM, when the service will conclude with the celebration of our Risen Lord. A recording of the service will be available later in the day. Comments are closed.
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PastorCinda Harkless Archives
January 2023
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