The Holy Eucharist
Maundy Thursday
March 28, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Presider: The Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, Rector
Deacon: The Rev. Ella Roundtree-Davis, Deacon
Preacher: Mr. Karsten Tyson, Licensed Lay Preacher
St. Matthew's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/stmattsav
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The Great Litany & The Holy Eucharist:
Enriching Our Worship
Note: In Lent, St. Matthew's will continue to use prayers from Enriching Our Worship 1 (1997). Enriching Our Worship is a series of supplemental worship resources for The Episcopal Church. One of its objectives is to honor the experience of women by providing gender-neutral language for God in its prayers, expanding the Church's vocabulary of prayer from other parts of Scripture and Christian Tradition. There are changes, small and great, throughout the service, so pay attention and ask questions during our Christian Education Hour.
Hymn #331: Now My Tongue the Mystery Telling
1 Now, my tongue the mystery telling
Of the glorious Body sing,
And the Blood, all price excelling,
Which the Gentiles' Lord and King,
Once on earth among us dwelling,
Shed for this world's ransoming.
2 Given for us and condescending
To be born for us below,
He with men in converse blending Dwelt,
the seed of truth to sow,
Till He closed with wondrous ending
His most patient life of woe.
3 That last night at supper lying,
Mid the Twelve, His chosen band,
Jesus, with the Law complying,
Keeps the Feast its rites demand;
Then, more precious food supplying,
Gives Himself with His own hand.
4 Word-made-flesh the bread
He taketh By His word His Flesh to be;
Wine His sacred Blood he maketh,
Though the senses fail to see;
Faith, alone the true heart waketh
To behold the mystery.
5 Therefore we, before Him bending,
This great Sacrament revere;
Types and shadows have their ending,
For the newer rite is here;
Faith, our outward sense befriending,
Makes our inward vision clear.
6 Glory let us give and blessing
To the Father and the Son,
Honour, thanks, and praise addressing,
While eternal ages run;
Ever too His love confessing
Who from Both with Both is One.
[Words: Att. Thomas Aquinas; ver. Hymnal 1940, rev. Copyright © 1985 Church Publishing Inc. Music: Grafton, melody from Chants ordinaires de l’Office Divin; harm. Songs of Praise. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #28055. All rights reserved.]
The Opening Acclamation
[EOW1, p. 50]
Blessed be the God of our salvation:
Who bears our burdens and forgives our sins. Amen.
The Great Litany
[EOW1, p. 46]
The people kneel or stand, as they are able.
I.
Holy God, Creator of heaven and earth, Have mercy on us.
Holy and Mighty, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
Holy Immortal One, Sanctifier of the faithful, Have mercy on us.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.
II.
From all evil and mischief; from pride, vanity and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred and malice; and from all evil intent, Savior deliver us.
From sloth, worldliness and love of money; from hardness of heart and contempt for your word and your laws, Savior deliver us.
From sins of body and mind; from deceits of the world, flesh and the devil, Savior deliver us.
From famine and disaster; from violence, murder, and dying unprepared, Savior deliver us.
In all times of sorrow; in all times of joy; in the hour of our death and at the day of judgment, Savior deliver us.
By the mystery of your holy incarnation; by your birth, childhood and obedience; by your baptism, fasting and temptation, Savior deliver us.
By your ministry in word and work; by your mighty acts of power; by the preaching of your reign, Savior deliver us.
By your agony and trial; by your cross and passion; by your precious death and burial, Savior deliver us.
By your mighty resurrection; by your glorious ascension; and by your sending of the Holy Spirit, Savior deliver us.
III.
Hear our prayers, O Christ our God. Hear us, O Christ.
Govern and direct your holy Church; fill it with love and truth; and grant it that unity which is your will. Hear us, O Christ.
Give us boldness to preach the gospel in all the world, and to make disciples of all the nations. Hear us, O Christ.
Enlighten your bishops, priests and deacons, especially Frank, Guillermo, and Ella, with knowledge and understanding, that by their teaching and their lives they may proclaim your word. Hear us, O Christ.
Give your people grace to witness to your word and bring forth the fruit of your Spirit. Hear us, O Christ.
Bring into the way of truth all who have erred and are deceived. Hear us, O Christ.
Strengthen those who stand; comfort and help the fainthearted; raise up the fallen; and finally beat down Satan under our feet. Hear us, O Christ.
IV.
Guide the leaders of the nations into the ways of peace and justice. Hear us, O Christ.
Give your wisdom and strength to Joseph, the President of the United States; Brian, the Governor of Georgia, and Van, the Mayor of Savannah, that in all things they may do your will, for your glory and the common good. Hear us, O Christ.
Give to the Congress of the United States, the members of the President’s Cabinet, those who serve in our state legislature, and all others in authority the grace to walk always in the ways of truth. Hear us, O Christ.
Bless the justices of the Supreme Court and all those who administer the law, that they may act with integrity and do justice for all your people. Hear us, O Christ.
Give us the will to use the resources of the earth to your glory and for the good of all. Hear us, O Christ.
Bless and keep all your people. Hear us, O Christ.
V.
Comfort and liberate the lonely, the bereaved and the oppressed. Hear us, O Christ.
Keep in safety those who travel and all who are in peril. Hear us, O Christ.
Heal the sick in body, mind or spirit especially the people of our Parish Prayer List; and provide for the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. Hear us, O Christ.
Guard and protect all children who are in danger. Hear us, O Christ.
Shower your compassion on prisoners, hostages and refugees, and all who are in trouble. Hear us, O Christ.
Forgive our enemies, persecutors and slanderers, and turn their hearts. Hear us, O Christ.
Hear us as we remember those who have died, especially ... , and grant us with them a share in your eternal glory. Hear us, O Christ.
VI.
Give us true repentance; forgive us our sins of negligence and ignorance and our deliberate sins; and grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to your word.
Hymn S-102: Holy God (Trisagion)
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us
The Collect of the Day
[BCP, p. 357, 274]
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of Exodus 12:1-14
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. [Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 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 lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.] This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; 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 live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 116:1, 10-17
Read responsively by half-verse (at the asterisk).
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
10 How shall I repay the Lord *
for all the good things he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people.
13 Precious in the sight of the Lord * is the death of his servants.
14 O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord * in the presence of all his people,
17 In the courts of the Lord’s house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 11:23-26
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn #577: God Is Love (verses 1-2)
REFRAIN
God is love and where true love is God himself is there.
1 Here is Christ we gather love of Christ our calling.
Christ our love is with us gladness be his greeting.
Let us fear and love him Holy God eternal.
Loving him let each love Christ in one another. [Refrain]
2 When we Christians gather members of one body.
Let there be in us no discord but one spirit.
Banish now be anger strife and every quarrel.
Christ our God be always present here among us. [Refrain]
[Words: Latin; tr. James Quinn, alt, Copyright © 1969, 1988 James Quinn, SJ. Music: Ubi Caritas (Murray), A. Gregory Murray, Copyright © 1982 The Trustees of Downside Abbey / G.I.A. Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #30137650. All rights reserved.]
The People stand, as they are able, for the reading of the Gospel.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
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.
“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 Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Hymn #577: God Is Love (verse 3)
3 Grant us love's fulfillment joy with all the blessed.
When we see your face O Savior in its glory
Shine on us, O purest light of all creation.
Be our bliss while endless ages sing your praises.
REFRAIN
God is love and where true love is God himself is there.
[Words: Latin; tr. James Quinn, alt, Copyright © 1969, 1988 James Quinn, SJ. Music: Ubi Caritas (Murray), A. Gregory Murray, Copyright © 1982 The Trustees of Downside Abbey / G.I.A. Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #30137650. All rights reserved.]
The Sermon
by Mr. Karsten Tyson, Licensed Lay Preacher
The Washing of Feet
Fellow servants of our Lord Jesus Christ: On the night before his death, Jesus set an example for his disciples by washing their feet, an act of humble service. He taught that strength and growth in the life of the Kingdom of God come not by power, authority, or even miracle, but by such lowly service.
Therefore, I invite you who share in the royal priesthood of Christ, to come forward, that we may recall whose servant we are by following the example of our Master. Come remembering his admonition that what will be done for us is also to be done by us to others, for “a servant is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
The presider and assistants wash the feet of the first persons to come forward, and those whose feet are washed then, in turn, wash the feet of those who come after them, thereby giving all the opportunity to follow the example and command of Jesus.
The Foot-Washing Anthems
The Lord Jesus, after he had supped with his disciples and had washed their feet, said to them, "Do you know what I, your Lord and Master, have done to you? I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done."
Peace is my last gift to you, my own peace I now leave with you; peace which the world cannot give, I give to you.
I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.
Peace is my last gift to you, my own peace I now leave with you; peace which the world cannot give, I give to you.
By this shall the world know that you are my disciples: That you have love for one another.
AAHH #674: Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters
1 Wash, Wash O God, our sons and daughters,
Where your cleansing waters flow.
Number them among your people;
Bless as Christ blessed long ago.
Weave them garments bright and sparkling;
Compass them with love and light.
Fill, anoint them; send Your Spirit,
Holy dove and heart’s delight.
2 We who bring them long for nurture;
By your milk may we be fed.
Let us join Your feast, partaking
Cup of blessing, living bread.
God, renew us, guide our footsteps;
Free from sin and all its snares,
One with Christ in living, dying,
By Your Spirit, children, heirs.
3 Oh, how deep Your holy wisdom!
Unimagined, all Your ways!
To Your name be glory, honor!
With our lives we worship, praise!
We Your people stand before You,
Water washed and Spirit-born.
By Your grace, our lives we offer,
Recreate us, God transform.
[Text: Ruth Duck, Copyright © 1989, The United Methodist Publishing House. Tune: Beach Spring, attr. To B.F. White; harm. By Ronald A Nelson, Copyright © 1978, Lutheran Book of Worship.]
The Confession of Sin
The Deacon (or Celebrant) says
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).
Let us confess our sins to God.
Silence may be kept. All pray together, kneeling, as they are able,
God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ,that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.
The Bishop, when present, or the Priest, stands and says:
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace
[EOW1, p. 56]
The peace of the Christ be always with you.
And also with you.
Parish Announcements
Holy Week & Easter Schedule: Holy Week began with Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024, and ends with Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024. See below for the complete worship schedule:
March 29, Good Friday:
12:00 PM Stations of the Cross
5:00 PM Evening Prayer (Zoom and Facebook only)
6:00 PM Good Friday Worship with Communion from the Reserved Sacrament
April 8, Holy Saturday:
9:30 AM Holy Saturday Worship
Decorating the Church for Easter to follow
April 9, Easter Day:
6:00 AM Ecumenical Easter Sunrise at First Congregational Church, 621 Habersham St, Savannah, GA 31401; Continental Breakfast to Follow; the Rev. Saundra Stiles Thomas presiding, the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda preaching
9:30 AM Holy Communion with Children's Easter Speeches
The Offertory
[BCP, p. 376]
Giving to St. Matthew's:
Mail us a check or money order at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 1401 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd, Savannah, GA 31415; OR
Make a secure online gift to St. Matthew’s and/or automate future gifts at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now; OR
Text “stmattsav” to 73256 to make a secure online donation through your phone.
NOTE: Donations made online (#2 or #3) through Realm incur a processing fee of about 2.5%. Please consider adding an additional 2.5% to your online gift to cover these costs.
If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your sister or brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your sister or brother, and then come and offer your gift. [Matthew 5:23-24]
Give online at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now
LEV #39: There is a Fountain
1 There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains
2 The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away:
Wash all my sins away, Wash all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away
3 Thou dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its pow’r
Till all the ransomed Church of God are saved, to sin no more:
Are saved, to sin no more, Are saved to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed Church of God are saved, to sin no more.
4 E’er since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die:
And shall be till I die, And shall be till I die,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
5 Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save;
When this poor, lisping stamm’ring tongue lies silent in the grave:
Lies silent in the grave, Lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue lies silent in the grave.
[Words: William Cowper, Public Domain. Music: American Melody; arr. Lowell Mason. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #94935. All rights reserved.]
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Circling through earth so all may grow
Vanquishing fear so all may give
Widening grace so all may live
Amen.
[Words: Eric H. F. Law, Copyright © 2015 Eric H. F. Law. Music: Old 100th, attributed to Louis Bourgeois, Public Domain. Reprinted with permission from Kaleidoscope Institute. All rights reserved.]
Eucharistic Prayer 1
[EOW1, p. 57]
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.
It is truly right, and good and joyful, to give you thanks, all-holy God, source of life and fountain of mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord. For our sins he was lifted high upon the cross, that he might draw the whole world to himself; and, by his suffering and death, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who put their trust in him. Therefore, joining with Angels and Archangels and with the faithful of every generation, we lift our voices with all creation as we say:
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 comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The people stand or kneel.
Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of the universe and giver of life. You formed us in your own image and called us to dwell in your infinite love. You gave the world into our care that we might be your faithful stewards and show forth your bountiful grace.
But we failed to honor your image in one another and in ourselves; we would not see your goodness in the world around us; and so we violated your creation, abused one another, and rejected your love. Yet you never ceased to care for us, and prepared the way of salvation for all people.
Through Abraham and Sarah, you called us into covenant with you. You delivered us from slavery, sustained us in the wilderness, and raised up prophets to renew your promise of salvation. Then, in the fullness of time, you sent your eternal Word, made mortal flesh in Jesus. Born into the human family, and dwelling among us, he revealed your glory. Giving himself freely to death on the cross, he triumphed over evil, opening the way of freedom and life.
On the night before he died for us, Our Savior Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his friends, and said: “Take, eat: This is my Body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said: “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Remembering his death and resurrection, we now present to you from your creation this bread and this wine. By your Holy Spirit, may they be for us the Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. Grant that we who share these gifts may be filled with the Holy Spirit and live as Christ’s Body in the world. Bring us into the everlasting heritage of your daughters and sons, that with Blessed Mary the Mother of God, Blessed Matthew our Patron, and all your saints, past, present, and yet to come, we may praise your Name for ever.
Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to you be honor, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread & Fraction Anthems
[EOW1, p. 69]
Silence may be kept.
We break this bread to share in the Body of Christ.
We who are many are one body, for we all share in the one bread.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:
Have mercy on us!
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:
Have mercy on us!
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:
Grant us your peace!
Look! Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Gifts of God for the people of God.
The Distribution of Holy Communion
All baptized Christians of any denomination are invited to come forward to participate fully in Communion. Baptized children may receive Communion at the discretion of their parents or guardians.
You may receive Communion kneeling or standing. Please extend your hands forward to receive the Body of Christ (bread). If you would like to receive the Blood of Christ (wine), the minister will take the bread from your hand and dip (intinct) it in the wine for you, then place it inyour mouth. If you would only like to receive the bread, you may consume it and return to your seat.
If you need gluten-free bread for Communion, please raise your hand when you are at the altar rail. If you would not like to receive Communion for any reason, please cross your arms over your chest, and the Priest will say a blessing over you.
If you are worshipping online, you may pray to receive spiritual communion using the following prayer:
In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar of your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.
LEV #74: Jesu, Jesu
Refrain:
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve
the neighbors we have from you.
1 Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
Master who pours out himself for them. [Refrain]
2 Neighbors are rich folk and poor,
varied in color and race,
neighbors are nearby and far away. [Refrain]
3 These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love;
all these are neighbors to us and you. [Refrain]
4 Kneel at the feet of our friends,
silently washing their feet,
this is the way we should live with you. [Refrain]
[Words: Tom Colvin (1969), adapted from John 13:1-17. Music: Ghana Folk Song; adapt. Tom Colvin (1969); harm. Charles H. Webb (1988). Copyright © 1969 Hope Publishing Co. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #202340. All rights reserved.]
LEV #155: This is My Body
This is my body given up for you,
this is my blood poured out for you.
This is my body given up for you,
this is my blood poured out for you.
Body of Christ. Amen.
Blood of Christ. Amen.
Body of Christ. Amen.
Blood of Christ. Amen.
[Words: Mary, Cause of Our Joy. Copyright © 1985, Augsburg Fortress. Music: Edward V. Bonnemere. Copyright © Amity Music Corp. Copyright © 1985, Augsburg Fortress Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #53415. All rights reserved.]
The Post-Communion Prayer
[EOW1, p. 69; Enriching our Worship 2 (2000), pp. 56-57]
Let us pray.
For In-Person Worshippers:
Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image and nourishing us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Now send us forth a people, forgiven, healed, renewed; that we may proclaim your love to the world and continue in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.
For Online Worshippers and Those Receiving Spiritual Communion:
Faithful God, in the wonder of your wisdom and love you fed your people in the wilderness with the bread of angels, and you sent Jesus to be the bread of life. Though we cannot consume now these gifts of bread and wine, we thank you that we have received the sacrament of Christ’s presence, the forgiveness of sins, and all other benefits of Christ’s passion. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we embody your desire and be renewed for your service through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
LEV #31 Lead Me to Calvary
1 King of my life I crown Thee now
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.
REFRAIN:
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony,
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
2 Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept. [Refrain]
3 Let me like Mary, thru the gloom,
Come with a gift to Thee;
Show to me now the empty tomb
Lead me to Calvary. [Refrain]
4 May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share
Thou hast borne all for me. [Refrain]
[Words: James Montgomery. Music: Petra, Richard Redhead. Reprinted with Permission under ONE LICENSE #97924.]
The Agapé Meal
The Presider prays the following blessings at the beginning of the meal, all standing.
Over Wine
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe. You create the fruit of the vine; and on this night you have refreshed us with the cup of salvation in the Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
Over Bread
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe. You bring forth bread from the earth; and on this night you have given us the bread of life in the Body of your Son Jesus Christ. As grain scattered upon the earth is gathered into one loaf, so gather your Church in every place into the kingdom of your Son. To you be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
Over the Other Foods
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe. You have blessed the earth to bring forth food to satisfy our hunger. Let this food strengthen us in the fast that is before us, that following our Savior in the way of the cross, we may come to the joy of his resurrection. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and for ever. Amen.
During the meal or toward its close, a person appointed reads the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel according to John.
A Reading from the Gospel According to John (17:1-26)
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.
“I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
As the meal ends, The agapé concludes with a blessing or dismissal.
Lenten Solemn Prayer over the People
[BOS22, pp. 12-14]
Deacon:
Let us bow down before the Lord.
Presider (From Palm Sunday through Maundy Thursday):
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
The Dismissal
[BCP, p. 366]
Let us bless the Lord!
Thanks be to God!
Next, the Congregation is invited to help the Clergy and Altar Guild strip the altar in preparation for Good Friday.
The Parish Prayer List
PRAYER LIST: Glenda Allen, Lazola Cope, Charles Gordon, Marva Harris, David Jones, Donald Jones, Sheila Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Leonard Law Jr., Jessica Mathis, Sada Maxwell, John “Butch” Mitchell, Sandra Mitchell, Russell Nails, Jabbar Newton, Jeannette Outing, Lee Grant Pearson Sr., Lysa Rodriguez, Frieda McDew Shorter, Edward Vaughn, and Jewel Wheeler
BIRTHDAYS: Whitney Robinson (03/24), Michael Canada (03/25), Jordyn Jones (03/29)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: N/A
RECENT DEATHS: N/A
May the souls of all the departed rest in peace; and may light perpetual shine upon them. Amen.
Permissions and Credits: This service is reproduced from Enriching Our Worship 1 (EOW1), The Book of Common Prayer 1979 (BCP), The Hymnal 1982 (Hymn), Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal (LEV), and other sources cited. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Images: Ethiopian Orthodox Icon of Jesus Washing the Disciples' Feet at the Last Supper.