Sermon For Maundy Thursday
Rev. Greg Mech | Thursday, March 29, 2018 | Holy Thursday Divine Service | 7:00 pm
Meal to Meal: The Passover to the Lord’s Supper
This evening, we partake of a meal the Lord God has prepared with His own hands. It is a holy feast that nourishes our faith and restores our souls. It is a rich feast purchased with the costliest coin, the Son of God. Today, we eat and drink and remember and give humble thanks. Other holy meals have brought us to this feast; all meals provided by the hands of the Holy One. We remember the Passover meal and the blood of the lamb on the doorposts that protected from the angel of death. We remember the day of Passover and the lamb because it points to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It points us to this holy feast of His body and blood. But there is one more, one greater feast yet to come—the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end. A feast provided by the hands of the Lord God and enjoyed in the presence of the Lamb in the courts of His heaven. A greater feast indeed!
+ Corporate Confession and Absolution +
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 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.
P During this Lenten season we have heard our Lord’s call to intensify our struggle against sin, death, and the devil—everything 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.
Let us therefore confess our sins, imploring God our Father for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness.
C Amen.
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.
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 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 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.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Exodus 12:1–14
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
“Then 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 flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and 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 are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 5:6–8
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL Mark 14:12–25
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the fourteenth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his [Jesus’] disciples said to Him, “Where will You have us go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
And when it was evening, He came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me, one who is eating with Me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with Me. For 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.”
And as they were eating, He took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is My body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE “The Meal”
CHOIR: “A Shadow Fell On Sharon’s Rose”
SERMON “Meal to Meal: The Passover to the Lord’s Supper”
NICENE CREED
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
P Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.
P For all who celebrate this feast this night, and especially for those who do so at peril to property and income, life and limb; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For faithful pastors in every place who will administer Word and Sacrament as our Lord would have it, rightly dividing Law and Gospel; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For all persons in authority and high places, that their acts may let us live peaceful and godly lives, and that all would come to the knowledge of the truth; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For husbands and wives, and faithful marriages; for fathers and mothers who love and care patiently for their children; for children who honor their fathers and mothers; and for all babies both outside and inside their mothers’ wombs; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For all who are not thriving, all who are near despair, and all who are tempted to rash action; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For all who struggle with addictions; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For all who are sick and injured; that they would find grace to bear their suffering and such healing as is truly good for them; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For all who, this night, receive on their tongues, the living and life-giving body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation; let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P Into Your hands, gracious Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C Amen.
OFFERING
OFFERTORY What Shall I Render to the Lord
+ Service of the Sacrament +
To Our Visitors Regarding Holy Communion The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod recognizes the Real Presence of Christ’s true Body and Blood in this Sacrament. We ask that all who attend share this belief with us. Communicant members of our LC-MS parishes and such others who have spoken with the pastor are invited to receive the Sacrament today. Please carefully read and sign the Communion Card. The white wine (non-alcoholic grape juice) is provided for those that are not able to take the red wine for medical reasons.
PREFACE
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.
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 on this night gave His living and life-giving body and blood to His disciples that all Your people in may eat the feast of forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. 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
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.
LORD’S PRAYER
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
PAX DOMINI
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C Amen.
AGNUS DEI
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS
Choir: “Remember Him”
“Let the Vineyards Be Fruitful” (LSB 955)
“The Death of Jesus Christ, Our Lord” (LSB 634)
“The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want” (LSB 710)
POST-COMMUNION COLLECT
A Let us pray. We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
+ Stripping of the Altar +
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.
PSALM 22 Tone F
1My God, My God, why have You for- | saken Me?*
Why are You so far from saving Me, from the words of My | groaning?
2O My God, I cry by day, but You do not | answer,*
and by night, but I | find no rest.
3Yet You are | holy,*
enthroned on the praises of | Israel.
4In You our fathers | trusted;*
they trusted, and You de- | livered them.
5To You they cried and were | rescued;*
in You they trusted and were not | put to shame.
Tone H
6But I am a worm and | not a man,*
scorned by mankind and despised by the | people.
7All who see Me | mock Me;*
they make mouths at Me; they | wag their heads;
8“He trusts in the Lord; let Him de- | liver Him;*
let Him rescue Him, for He de- | lights in Him!”
9Yet You are He who took Me | from the womb;*
You made Me trust You at My | mother’s breasts.
10On You was I cast | from My birth,*
and from My mother’s womb You have | been My God.
11Be not far from Me,
for trouble | is near,*
and there is | none to help.
12Many bulls en- | compass Me;*
strong bulls of Bashan sur- | round 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 with- | in My breast;
15My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and My tongue sticks | to My jaws;*
You lay Me in the | dust of death.
16For dogs en- | compass Me;*
a company of evildoers encircles Me;
they have pierced My | hands and feet—
17I can count | all My bones—*
they stare and gloat | over Me;
18they divide my garments a- | mong them,*
and for My clothing they | cast lots.
Tone F
19But You, O Lord, do not be | far off!*
O You My help, come quickly | to My aid!
20Deliver My soul | from the sword,*
My precious life from the power | of the dog!
21Save Me from the mouth of the | lion!*
You have rescued Me from the horns of the wild | oxen!
22I will tell of Your name to My | brothers;*
in the midst of the congregation I will | praise You:
23You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glo- | rify Him,*
and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of | Israel!
24For 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.
25From You comes my praise in the great congre- | gation;*
My vows I will perform before those who | fear Him.
26The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek Him shall | praise the Lord!*
May your hearts live for- | ever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn | to the Lord,*
and all the families of the nations
shall worship be- | fore You.
28For kingship belongs | to the Lord,*
and He rules over the | nations.
29All 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 him- | self alive.
30Posterity shall | serve Him;*
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming gener- | ation;
31they shall come and proclaim His righteousness to a people | yet unborn,*
that He has | done it.
All leave the church in silence.
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