Bulletin for Holy Thursday/Tenebrae worship

"Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you broadcast the death of the Lord until He comes.”  – 1 Corinthians 11:26 CEB)

Greeting                                                                    
Come, you with dirty feet, aching backs, and weary souls. We come bearing a heavy load of worry, frustration, and isolation. Come, you are hungry, thirsty, longing to meet the One who will feed you, body and soul. We come with emptiness in our stomachs and our hearts, desperate to be filled. Come to meet Jesus who kneels to wash our dirt and grime, who feeds us with bread and with love that never ends. We come to receive the balm for our anxiety, the provision for our hunger, the antidote for our loneliness. Come to receive a new commandment: love one another as Christ has loved you. We come to embrace this new commandment so that everyone will know we are disciples of Jesus Christ, God Incarnate who came to live and love among us. Amen.                                                                                                   

Hymn: “When I Survey the WondrousCross,” #298  

The Apostles’ Creed, #881

Gloria Patri: #70 

Confession and Pardon

Let us pray. Merciful God, we confess that we have failed to love as You teach us to love. We ignore the needs of our neighbors. We shy away from those   who are hurting. We meet the suffering of others   with trite answers to distance ourselves from their pain. We neglect creation, taking advantage of the earth’s resources without caring for it in return. We fail to love ourselves as You love us, tending to our own pain and distress by numbing our feelings instead of drawing close to You, the source of our well-being. Forgive us we pray. Free us to joyfully follow You into a life of love and service, building a world in which all creation can flourish. Amen. Receive this good news: Jesus, who comes to us, washes our feet, and invites us to sit at the table, is   the source of our salvation, saving us from our sins   and reconciling us to God. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Thanks be to God.                                          

The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

(The pastor gives thanks and remembers God’s acts     of salvation and concludes) … and so, with Your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise Your name and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the One who come in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

(The institution of the Lord’s supper is recalled. The pastor concludes) … and so, in remembrance of these Your mighty acts in Christ Jesus, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.  

(The pastor invokes the present work of the Holy Spirit and then praises the Trinity, concluding): … all honor and glory is Yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.          

Lord’s Prayer

Sharing the Bread and Cup

"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?" - Psalm 22:1 (NKJV)

Hymn: “Were You There,” #288

The Passion of Jesus Christ: Mark 14:1 – 15:47

Stripping the Altar

Hymn: “What Wondrous Love Is This,” #292

Wednesday with the Wesleys

“And first let us inquire, what is salvation? The salvation which is here spoken of is not what is frequently understood by that word, the going to heaven, eternal happiness. It is not the soul’s going to paradise, termed by our Lord, ‘Abraham’s bosom.’ It is not a blessing which lies on the other side death, or (as we usually speak) in the other world. The very words of the text itself put this beyond all question. ‘Ye are saved.’ It is not something at a distance: it is a present thing, a blessing which, through the free mercy of God, ye are now in possession of. Nay, the words may be rendered, and that with equal propriety, ‘Ye have been saved.’ So that the salvation which is here spoken of might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul till it is consummated in glory.”

- John Wesley (The Scripture Way of Salvation)

Scripture lessons for Easter Sunday

Next Sunday, we come to that most festive of days on the Christian calendar: Easter!   Scripture lessons will come from Matthew 28:1-10 and John 20:1-18.

Pictured: The Resurrection (11th century mosaic), Hosios Loukas monastery, Church of the Katholikon (in the narthex), Distomo, Greece.

March draws to a close

Shelley G. is today's reader

Kraig S. is today's acolyte

Sign of faithful attendance

The cross is ready for Good Friday

Joys:

+Praise God for Sid’s safe return to be with us.

+Praise God for Harper worshipping with us today.

+Praise God for family invitations to spend Easter together.

+Prayers of joy for family member Haley who found the dress for her wedding next April.

+Praise God for a fun bridal shower with joyful, upbeat, friendly folks in attendance.

+Praise God for a fun, successful networking event last week for women entrepreneurs.

+Praise God for the faithful service of our beloved pianist, Renae H., for Korla S. who served as usher, and for Bob S. who served as today's Scripture reader.

Concerns:

+Praying for Nancy B.’s great niece Jan who is dealing with a liver condition … and for all who love and care for her, too.

+Praying for Sandy’s nephew Jay who is back in the hospital; praying for all who love and care for him.

+Praying for the Sharp’s dear friend Billy H. in Texas; he is dealing with medical challenges; praying for all who love and care for him.

+Praying for Craig R., Judy C., Donna D., and Karnella S. who are dealing with medical challenges.

+Praying for Pastor Charles’ relative, Joe P., a civilian firefighter in Dubai who is praying for a safe, calm, quiet night’s sleep.

+Praying for all who are impacted directly and indirectly by conflict in the world.

+Praying for peace. 

Today in Methodist History

Today is the anniversary of the death of Charles Wesley.

From the Charles Wesley Society: During his adult life, Charles traveled, preached, wrote poetry and hymns, saw to the work of the Methodist societies, bands, and classes, and remained loyal to the Anglican Church until his death. He argued against John’s path of increasing separation from the Church of England that included ordaining ministers, sanctioning their offering the sacraments, and scheduling of worship services at the same hour as local Anglican churches.

He wrote more than 6,500 texts, including the poems and hymns. His range of poetic meters demanded the composition of new tunes and rhythms. His use of Scripture in his texts is unprecedented, with only the books of Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Third John not used. The brothers published sixty-four collections of hymns between 1738 and 1785, many of which consisted of only Charles’ texts.

Wesley died on March 29, 1788, in Marylebone, London, England; his final hymn was dictated to his wife on his deathbed:

In age and feebleness extreme,
Who shall a helpless worm redeem?
Jesus, my only hope Thou art,
Strength of my failing flesh and heart,
O, could I catch a smile from Thee
And drop into eternity!

He was buried in the Marylebone Parish Church, London, an Anglican church. He did not wish to be buried in unconsecrated, Methodist ground; his gravestone reads:

HERE LIE
THE REMAINS OF
THE REV.
CHARLES WESLEY, M.A.
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
THE 29TH MARCH 1788
AGED 80 YEARS.
WITH POVERTY OF SPIRIT BLESSED
REST HAPPY SAINT IN JESUS REST.
A SINNER SAVED THROUGH GRACE FORGIVEN
REDEEMED FROM EARTH TO REIGN IN HEAVEN.
AND LABOURS OF UNWEARIED LOVE
BY THEE FORGOT ARE CROWN’D ABOVE
CROWN’D THROUGH THE MERCY OF THY LORD
WITH A FREE FULL IMMENSE REWARD

Bulletin for March 29 - Focus: Good Friday

Byzantine mosaic, circa 1056 AD

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? – Psalm 22:1 (NKJV)

Call to Worship – (based on Galatians 6:14) — from the Lutheran Church of Australia

God forbid that I should boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Him is salvation, life, and resurrection from the dead; by Him we are redeemed and set free. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us.

Hymn: “O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done," #287

Prayer: – Christine Jerrett

Now we know all is grace all is gift. You give us all good things: life and love; daily bread and water that quenches our thirst; friends and faith. Most of all, in Your Son, Jesus, You meet us with a love that will never let us go; You utter words of mercy and forgiveness that override the hurts and heal our brokenness; You offer new beginnings where we had    expected only dead ends. We give you thanks and praise for the mystery of Your suffering love that gives us life. We give You thanks and praise that You know our weakness and hear our prayers. We give You thanks and praise that all our dying and living is held in Your good keeping. Now we know all is grace, all is gift. We give You thanks and praise. Amen.

Gloria Patri: #70 

Lord’s Prayer

First Lesson: Isaiah 53:4-9

Hymn: "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross," #301

Gospel Lesson: John 19:17-24

Sermon: “What the night revealed”

Hymn: “Beneath the Cross of Jesus,” #297

Choral Amen

Join us for worship!

Join us tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. as our Lenten worship series concludes with the focus being on the events of Good Friday.