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THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION
PALM SUNDAY
THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST
ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL OF SAINT MATTHEW
Below are some worship resources which you are welcome to use at no charge. Please just use a copyright acknowledgment "Copyright Lisa Frenz. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission."
Most of these worship resources were written for Mt.
Carmel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon combining elements
of traditional Lutheran liturgy with new wording, rituals, etc. to meet the
needs of a modern worshipping congregation.
Notes:
Lights are on bright. Shades are open.
Candles:
Lighted Votives on table(s) at front (one on each side?)
Altar Candles, Peace Candle, Pascal Candle
Baptismal Font at front center with processional cross immediately behind.
Please note that the directions during the Passion story may not apply to your physical plant. The main object is to slowly bring down the light levels. How you acheive that depends on your facility.
Also, the congregation joins the choir in singing the songs during the Passion.
Order of Worship
PROCESSION WITH PALMS
All who are able gather in the hall.
Stand
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
Processional Gospel:
P: When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount
of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village
ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her;
untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this,
'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." This took place
to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the
daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a
donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The disciples went and did
as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their
cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches
from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him
and that followed were shouting,
C: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in
the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
P: When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking,
C: "Who is this?"
P: The crowds were saying,
C: "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."
Matthew 21:1-11
A: O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures
forever! Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
C: Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
A: This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
C: I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
A: The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
C: This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the
day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
A: Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
C: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you
from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind
the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
A: You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will
extol you.
C: O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love
endures forever.
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
PROCESSIONAL SONG: We Are Marching in the Light of God
Text: South African
Music: SIYAHAMBA, South African, Copyright Administrator: Walton Music Corp.
All enter the sanctuary process to their seats.
We are marching . . .
We are singing . . .
We are living . . .
We are praying . . .
We’re exalting . . .
Prayer of the Day:
A: Let us pray . . .
The Prayer of the Day is said in unison.
Greeting of Peace:
P: Being a people reconciled to God through Christ, we should also be reconciled
to each other. Peace be with you.
C: And also with you.
All share the Peace of Christ.
Lesson: Philippians 2:5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the
point of death-- even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every
name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
R: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PRAISE SONG: All Glory, Laud, and Honor
Text: Theodulph of Orleans, c. 760-821; tr. John M. Neale, 1818-1866,
alt.
Music: VALET WILL ICH DIR GEBEN (rhythmic), Melchior Teschner, 1584-1635
Refrain: All glory, laud, and honor
to you, redeemer, king,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.
You are the king of Israel
and David's royal Son,
now in the Lord's name coming,
our King and Blessed One. Refrain
The multitude of pilgrims
with palms before you went.
Our praise and prayer and anthems
before you we present. Refrain
Their praises you accepted;
accept the prayers we bring,
great author of all goodness,
O good and gracious King. Refrain
LITURGY OF THE PASSION
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray.
C: God of compassion, you made a plan for the restoration of all creation
through the suffering, death and resurrection of your Son, Christ Jesus. Instill
in us the heartfelt knowledge that this drastic sacrifice on Your part was caused
by us, every individual who lived, is living or will live on this earth. Turn
our thoughts and actions from the selfish center of our lives to the generous
selflessness which echoes the love which comes from You. Amen.
Sit
Lesson: Isaiah 50:4-9a
The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen
as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks
to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have
set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who
vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who
are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who
will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will
eat them up.
R: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Silence
A: Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away
from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my
years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste
away.
C: I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an
object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from
me.
A: I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a
broken vessel.
C: For I hear the whispering of many-- terror all around!-- as they
scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
A: But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
C: My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies
and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast
love.
Psalm 31:9-16
SONG: Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended
Text: Johann Heermann, 1585-1647; tr. Robert Bridges, 1844-1930, alt.
Music: HERZLIEBSTER JESU, Johann Cruger, 1598-1662
Ah, holy Jesus, how have you offended,
that mortal judgment has on you descended?
By foes derided, by your own rejected,
O most afflicted.
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon you?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, has undone you.
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied you;
I crucified you.
For me, kind Jesus, was your incarnation,
your mortal sorrow and your life's oblation,
your death of anguish and your bitter passion,
for my salvation.Instrumental Interlude
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon you?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, has undone you.
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied you;
I crucified you.
The Passion of Jesus Christ
ACCORDING TO THE
GOSPEL OF SAINT MATTHEW
Narrator:
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests
and asked, "How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?" And
they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking
for the right time and place to betray Jesus.
Turn off bright lights. Leave dims only. When lights are down, begin music.
“Will I Hand Jesus Over”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Narrator:
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to
Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover supper?"
"As you go into the city," he told them, "you will see a certain
man. Tell him, `The Teacher says, My time has come, and I will eat the Passover
meal with my disciples at your house.' " So the disciples did as Jesus
told them and prepared the Passover supper there.
[Begin instrumental music.]
When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples.
21While they were eating, he said, "The truth is, one of you will betray
me." Greatly distressed, one by one they began to ask him, "I'm not
the one, am I, Lord?" He replied, "One of you who is eating with me
now will betray me. For I, the Son of Man, must die, as the Scriptures declared
long ago. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer. Far better for him if
he had never been born!" Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked,
"Teacher, I'm not the one, am I?" And Jesus told him, "You have
said it yourself."
As they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God's blessing on
it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take
it and eat it, for this is my body." And he took a cup of wine and gave
thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from
it, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people.
It is poured out to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words--I will not drink
wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom."
Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
"Tonight all of you will desert me," Jesus told them. "For the
Scriptures say, `God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will
be scattered.' But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of
you to Galilee and meet you there." Peter declared, "Even if everyone
else deserts you, I never will." "Peter," Jesus replied, "the
truth is, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three
times." "No!" Peter insisted. "Not even if I have to die
with you! I will never deny you!" And all the other disciples vowed the
same.
“Will I Deny the Teacher”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Close 1st window blind.
Narrator:
Then Jesus brought them to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit
here while I go on ahead to pray." He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons,
James and John, and he began to be filled with anguish and deep distress. He
told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here
and watch with me."
He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you stay awake and watch with me even one hour? Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!"
Again he left them and prayed, "My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, your will be done." He returned to them again and found them sleeping, for they just couldn't keep their eyes open. So he went back to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, "Still sleeping? Still resting? Look, the time has come. I, the Son of Man, am betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let's be going. See, my betrayer is here!"
“Will I Betray The Chosen”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Close 2nd window blind.
Narrator:
And even as he said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a
mob that was armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent out by the leading
priests and other leaders of the people. Judas had given them a prearranged
signal: "You will know which one to arrest when I go over and give him
the kiss of greeting." So Judas came straight to Jesus. "Greetings,
Teacher!" he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. Jesus said, "My friend,
go ahead and do what you have come for."
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. One of the men with Jesus pulled
out a sword and slashed off an ear of the high priest's servant. "Put away
your sword," Jesus told him. "Those who use the sword will be killed
by the sword. Don't you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of
angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would
the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?"
Then Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I some dangerous criminal, that you have
come armed with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn't you arrest me in the
Temple? I was there teaching every day. But this is all happening to fulfill
the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures." At that point,
all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the
high priest, where the teachers of religious law and other leaders had gathered.
Meanwhile, Peter was following far behind and eventually came to the courtyard
of the high priest's house. He went in, sat with the guards, and waited to see
what was going to happen to Jesus.
Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find
witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even
though they found many who agreed to give false witness, there was no testimony
they could use. Finally, two men were found who declared, "This man said,
`I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.' "
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Well, aren't you going
to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?" But Jesus
remained silent.
Then the high priest said to him, "I demand in the name of the living God
that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus replied,
"Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man,
sitting at God's right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds
of heaven." Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror,
shouting, "Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard
his blasphemy. What is your verdict?" "Guilty!" they shouted.
"He must die!"
Then they spit in Jesus' face and hit him with their fists. And some slapped
him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?"
“Will I Spit In His Face”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Close the 3rd window blind.
Narrator:
Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, a servant girl came
over and said to him, "You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean."
But Peter denied it in front of everyone. "I don't know what you are talking
about," he said.
Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing
around, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Again Peter denied
it, this time with an oath. "I don't even know the man," he said.
A little later some other bystanders came over to him and said, "You must
be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent." Peter said, "I
swear by God, I don't know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed.
Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: "Before the rooster
crows, you will deny me three times." And he went away, crying bitterly.
“Will I Remember”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Close 4th window blind.
Narrator:
Very early in the morning, the leading priests and other leaders met again to
discuss how to persuade the Roman government to sentence Jesus to death. Then
they bound him and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to
die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back
to the leading priests and other leaders. "I have sinned," he declared,
"for I have betrayed an innocent man." "What do we care?"
they retorted. "That's your problem."
Then Judas threw the money onto the floor of the Temple and went out and hanged
himself.
The leading priests picked up the money. "We can't put it in the Temple
treasury," they said, "since it's against the law to accept money
paid for murder." After some discussion they finally decided to buy the
potter's field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. That is why
the field is still called the Field of Blood. This fulfilled the prophecy of
Jeremiah that says,
"They took the thirty pieces of silver--
the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel--
and purchased the potter's field,
as the Lord directed."
“Have I Sinned?”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Carry the cross down the isle and place before altar
Narrator:
Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. "Are you the
King of the Jews?" the governor asked him. Jesus replied, "Yes, it
is as you say."
But when the leading priests and other leaders made their accusations against
him, Jesus remained silent. "Don't you hear their many charges against
you?" Pilate demanded. But Jesus said nothing, much to the governor's great
surprise.
Now it was the governor's custom to release one prisoner to the crowd each year
during the Passover celebration--anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious
criminal in prison, a man named Barabbas. As the crowds gathered before Pilate's
house that morning, he asked them, "Which one do you want me to release
to you--Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" (He knew very well
that the Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.) Just then, as Pilate
was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: "Leave
that innocent man alone, because I had a terrible nightmare about him last night."
Meanwhile, the leading priests and other leaders persuaded the crowds to ask
for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. So when the governor
asked again, "Which of these two do you want me to release to you?"
the crowd shouted back their reply: "Barabbas!" "But if I release
Barabbas," Pilate asked them, "what should I do with Jesus who is
called the Messiah?" And they all shouted, "Crucify him!" "Why?"
Pilate demanded. "What crime has he committed?" But the crowd only
roared the louder, "Crucify him!"
“Let Him Be Crucified”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Put out all candles except Pascal Candle, altar candles and Peace Candle.
Narrator:
Pilate saw that he wasn't getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So
he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I
am innocent of the blood of this man. The responsibility is yours!" And
all the people yelled back, "We will take responsibility for his death--we
and our children!" So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus
flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers
to crucify him.
Some of the governor's soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called
out the entire battalion. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They
made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they placed a
stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery,
yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and grabbed
the stick and beat him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of
mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then
they led him away to be crucified.
“Will I Laugh?”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Carry black pall down to the cross and lay it at the foot of the cross.
Narrator:
As they were on the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,
and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. Then they went out to a place called
Golgotha (which means Skull Hill). The soldiers gave him wine mixed with bitter
gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes
by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A signboard
was fastened to the cross above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him.
It read: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."
Two criminals were crucified with him, their crosses on either side of his.
And the people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. "So!
You can destroy the Temple and build it again in three days, can you? Well then,
if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!"
The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders
also mocked Jesus. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't
save himself! So he is the king of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the
cross, and we will believe in him! He trusted God--let God show his approval
by delivering him! For he said, `I am the Son of God.' " nd the criminals
who were crucified with him also shouted the same insults at him.
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. At about three
o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"
which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the
bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah.
One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on
a stick so he could drink. But the rest said, "Leave him alone. Let's see
whether Elijah will come and save him." Then Jesus shouted out again, and
he gave up his spirit.
Silence
Cover cross with the pall.
[Begin instrumental music]
Narrator:
At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly
men and women who had died were raised from the dead after Jesus' resurrection.
They left the cemetery, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to
many people.
The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by
the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, "Truly, this was the
Son of God!"
“Truly, Truly!”
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Narrator:
And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching
from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and
Joseph), and Zebedee's wife, the mother of James and John.
[Begin instrumental music.]
As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who was one of Jesus'
followers, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. And Pilate issued an order
to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long linen cloth.
He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then
he rolled a great stone across the entrance as he left. Both Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary were sitting nearby watching.
The next day--on the first day of the Passover ceremonies--the leading priests
and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, "Sir, we remember what
that deceiver once said while he was still alive: `After three days I will be
raised from the dead.' So we request that you seal the tomb until the third
day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then
telling everyone he came back to life! If that happens, we'll be worse off than
we were at first." Pilate replied, "Take guards and secure it the
best you can." So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.
Silence
Carry out Pascal Candle.
Stand
PRAYER REFRAIN O God, Hear Us
Text & Music: Bob Hurd, Copyright Admin: GIA Publications
O God, hear us. Hear our prayer. (Repeat)
Prayers of the Church
PRAYER REFRAIN O God, Hear Us
Text & Music: Bob Hurd, Copyright Admin: GIA Publications
O God, hear us. Hear our prayer. (Repeat)
Sit
Silence
Offering
Stand
Offering Prayer:
A: Let us pray,
C: God of our salvation, we give you thanks. You have walked with us
all our lives. You have given us uncounted assistance. You have stayed by us
when we abandoned you. Increase our awareness of you so that we may always give
back to you what you first gave to us: our lives, our talents, our possessions,
that you may use them as you will in this world. Amen.
COMMUNION REFRAIN “Create In Me” (Aguilar)
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Eucharistic Prayer:
P (Spoken over music) True God, Giver of Life, Word of our Creator,
Spirit of Counsel and Might; God of our deliverance, be with us now as we join
in the celebration of your love.
COMMUNION REFRAIN “Create In Me” (Aguilar)
Words & Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
(Spoken over music) On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus
took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it and gave it to the disciples, saying,
“This is my body which is given for you. Do this often in remembrance
of me.”
After supper Jesus took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this often in remembrance
of me.”
When you eat this bread and drink this cup you make public Jesus’ death
until he comes. Come, take in this lifesaving meal.
Lord’s Prayer:
(Spoken over music) Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your
kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily
bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from
the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the
glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
Sit
Silence (Distribution)
Stand
Dismissal:
P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ fill you to overflowing, sustain
you in all things and nourish you in body and spirit.
C: Amen.
Prayer:
A: Let us pray.
C: Lord Jesus, you are our Christ, the One who reconciles us, brings
us back from the depths of lifelessness. With your body you feed us to overflowing,
with your blood you transfuse us to boundless vitality, that we may walk boldly
in this world: being all that you would have us be, doing all that you would
have us do, showing all that we meet the power, the wonder, the glory of God.
Amen.
Silence
Sit
Community Announcements
Stand
Benediction
P: May God bless you. May God keep you always in love. May God be with you as
you share Christ, your savior, your friend, your brother, your constant companion
who is in you, knowing that you are filled with the Spirit and empowered to
act as the hands of God here and now.
C: Amen.
SENDING SONG: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Text: Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676; based on Arnulf of Louvain, c. 1250; tr. composite
Music: HERZLICH TUT MICH VERLANGEN (rhythmic), German melody, c. 1500, adapt.
Hans Leo Hassler, 1564-1612
O sacred head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred head, what glory,
what bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine.
How art thou pale with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn;
how does that visage languish
which once was bright as morn!
Thy grief and bitter passion
were all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
Oh, make me thine forever,
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love to thee.
Lord, be my consolation;
shield me when I must die;
remind me of thy passion
when my last hour draws nigh.
These eyes, new faith receiving,
from thee shall never move;
for he who dies believing
dies safely in thy love.
A: Walk with the Lord this week to Calvary, the tomb, towards the promise
of Easter.
C: Thanks be to God.
Postlude