The Gathering
Welcome
Hymn Old Rugged Cross
Leader: In many and various ways God spoke of old to
our fathers by the prophets,
All: but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.
Christ the Life of all the
Living,
Christ,
the death of death our foe,
Christ,
yourself for me once giving
To
the darkest depths of woe:
Through
your suff’ring, death and merit
Life
eternal I inherit.
Thousand,
thousand thanks are due,
Dearest
Jesus, unto you.
Leader: No one has ever seen God
All: The
only Son, who is in the bosom of the father, he has made God known.
Leader: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full
of grace and truth.
All: We
have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father.
Leader: Therefore we
must pay close attention to what we have heard.
All It
was declared at the first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who
heard him
Leader While God himself also bore witness by signs
and wonders and various miracles
All and
by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will
Leader Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so
closely,
All and let us run with perseverance the
race that is set before us
Leader: Looking
unto Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith
All For
the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and
is seated at the right hand of the throne of God
Lord, you suffered men to bruise you
That from pain I might be free;
Falsely did your foes accuse
you,--
Thence I gain security;
Comfortless your soul did
languish
Me to comfort in my anguish.
Thousand, thousand thanks are
due,
Dearest Jesus, unto you!
Leader These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled
All: We
are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to
those who obey him
Leader When we cry ``Abba Father,`` it is the Spirit
himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God
All and
if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ
Leader This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
throughout the whole world, as a testimony all nations.
All We
are witnesses to these things and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to
those who obey him
Leader You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses.
All We
are witnesses to all that he did. They
put him to death by hanging him on a tree:
Leader but God raised him up on the third day and
made him manifest,
All not
to all people, but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses.
Christ, the faithful Witness,
sharing
Living words from God above:
Christ, yourself the Word
declaring
All the wonders of God`s love:
Let your Word, rich fruit now
bearing,
Be the seed of my declaring.
Grant, O Lord, that I may too
Faithful witness bear for you
Prayer of the day
O Lord our God, you sustained you people in the
wilderness with bread from heaven: Feed now your pilgrim flock with the food
that endures to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First Lesson Isaiah 53:7-8
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
Psalmody from
Psalm 22
Leader: They shall
look on him whom they have pierced
All: many
enemies surround me like bulls; they are all around me, like fierce bulls form
the land of Bashan. They open their
mouths like lions, roaring and tearing at me.
Leader: My strength is gone, gone like water spilled on
the ground.
All: All
my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax. My throat is dry as dust, and my tongue
sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have
left me for dead in the dust.
Leader: They shall
look on him whom they have pierced
Second Lesson 1 Peter 4:7-11
The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Theme Hymn Were You There (ELW #353) verses 1, 2, 3, 4
Silent Witness…what testimony would be given if things
could speak?
The Spear
**This sermon is a
dialogue between two persons and is from the “Silent Witness” series.**
Excuse me! I wonder if you could give me just a few minutes of your time. (Don’t say it: I know what you’re thinking. I’ve talked to a thorn and a robe and a nail, and now I’m trying to interview a spear! But you have to admit I got a lot more information from those others than you expect, didn’t I?) Sir, I know you are of position and stature, but please give us a few moments of your time. Please tell us about the events of that dark Friday as you witnessed the whole ordeal.
I don’t have to be here! I hope you realize that fact! As an official representative of the government, still in active government service, I don’t have to testify if I don’t want to.
Yes, sir. We understand that.
I just thought it would be better if I reminded everyone that I am still an official weapon of the government in power, and that mine is a position of responsibility and authority – in the right hands, that is.
Yes, sir. We respect that fact.
I have fought fierce battles with enemies of superior numbers and force. I have seen men die fighting for the honor of their country and their king. I have even brought enemies to their knees – and to their graves – in honor of country and king. I have been held at attention when the governor passed by, and I have held off angry crowds at the gates of the palace. I have pierced the flesh of would-be anarchists and terrorists, and I have saved the life of my ruler on more than one occasion. I have been used by skilled soldiers and I have been used by cowards in uniform. But no one is using me now. I am here because what I witnessed needs to be told, and it need to be told accurately.
We respect your credentials, sir.
I have never been broken. I was always kept polished and sharpened, and my handle was rubbed with the finest oils to keep it from cracking under the pressure of battle. Whenever I was nicked, I was immediately honed to a razor-sharp edge again. If you take proper care of your head, it will take care of you, is what I always say.
Yes, sir. Can we get on with your testimony?
I’m on guard duty now; I think it’s more of a semi-retirement than a duty. I’m assigned to “crucifixion crowd control.” I’m not always sure whether that means trying to keep the criminals from escaping, the crowd from killing the criminals before the government can, or if I’m supposed to protect the officials from the crowd and the criminals. Perhaps it’s a bit of all of those. Whatever I’m supposed to be doing, I do it the best I can. That’s what being a military spear is all about.
Yes, sir. Now would you please tell us about that day.
I guess the best place to start is in the courtyard. That’s where I first came in contact with the accused. He was on trial for heresy, and he was also being tried for treason. They said he was a threat to the government because he called himself “king.” Actually, the way I heard it, everyone else – including those who were trying him – called him a king. All he said was that if that’s the way they say it, so be it. He agreed with them, but he didn’t flaunt it. I really didn’t see him as much of a threat to any of us. Even at my age I could have handled any of his followers; they weren’t even armed! Well, he was found guilty, and I found that strange.
Strange?
There were no real charges against him. The witnesses kept telling differing stories and contradicting themselves and each other. The judges passed him from one to another because none of them wanted this political hot potato. And when they finally found him innocent, the mob took control of the process and frightened the judges into sentencing him to death. I have been witness to many trials and so I can testify: he got a raw deal! When the sentence was handed down, it was time to start the long walk up the hill again. I’ve been there a number of times. Usually a person only makes the trip once, if you get what I mean!
Yes, sir. Please continue.
The trip up the hill was not uneventful. It was confusing duty, as it often is. Some of the time I was used to hold back people in the crowd who cried and screamed that he was innocent. Some pushed toward him saying they just wanted to touch him to be healed of some illness. This was not your usual crucifixion crowd.
I see.
And yet…something made it clear that this was not the usual type of person on his way to be executed. A couple of times I was used to rap him on the back of the legs. He wasn’t in much shape to be carrying a cross. He’d been through a lot of beatings and his head was still bleeding from the crown of humiliation they put on him. Actually, it was a crown made of the meanest-looking thorns I’ve ever come across. As we went along, he fell a few times. Each time he fell, I was used to prod him along. There was no effort to treat him with any respect. In fact, I’ve never heard such a variety of noises from a crowd. There was cursing and hateful yelling as he passed by, and then a step or two further and you’d hear someone praying for him or telling him they loved him.
It sounds confusing.
If it sounds confusing, that’s because it was! We finally made it to the top of the hill. I assumed that I’d be at attention all the time, but I was in for a surprise. The guard carrying me – and a couple of the other guards – got into an argument over who would get to keep his clothes. As you may know, soldiers are notorious souvenir hunters. It isn’t like they were arguing over some fine king’s robe. It was just a simple cloak. Well, I got tossed to the ground during the argument. They decided to roll dice to see who would get the cloak (instead of cutting it into enough pieces for each one to have a memento). So, while they were shooting dice, I had to lie unflatteringly in the dirt beneath the cross. Throughout this whole ordeal I have not held my head as high as I used to, but this was most degrading. But then, so is being crucified, I would imagine.
Yes, sir.
The morning sun was getting hotter and hotter as I lay still in the dirt. At first I was directly in the sun’s rays and I could feel my staff drying our and my head getting hot enough to scorch anyone who would pick me up carelessly. As the sun shifted, I began to cool…as the shadow of the cross and the body on it passed over me. I was thankful for that relief from the heat of this totally humiliating scene. It seemed odd that I’d be thankful that an innocent man was hanging on a cross, but selfishly I was. Because he was hanging there, I was given relief; I was refreshed, and I was even able to forgive the thoughtless guard who tossed me aside. It’s amazing how different I felt in the shadow of that cross.
Please, tell us how it felt. What was it like?
As I lay there, I was looking straight up at the one hanging on the cross. His head hung down, and I could see his agonized expression. He seemed like a person who was deeply hurt. I don’t mean hurt from the pain of the whippings, or the long walk, or the puncture wounds of the thorns, or the penetrating nails in his hands; I mean the kind of hurt when you’ve been…oh, what can I call it?...Betrayed! That’s it – betrayed. I know that feeling as I serve this crummy crucifixion duty, but that’s nothing to what he’s been through.
Oh?
I heard that one of his own cabinet members had betrayed him with a kiss, and that another had betrayed him by denying to even know him, and that others betrayed him by running away during all of this. He seemed to have the weight of all the betrayals in the world on his shoulders, and on his face. But even with that agony clearly seen on his face, his words were words of love.
Love?
Now, I’m not a judge of character, but if I were a human being and was treated like that, you’d not heard words of love coming from my mouth – things like, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”! Now, that’s something only a very special someone could say – and really mean – at a time like this! And do you know what? He meant what he said. He really, truly meant it! You could tell it in his voice, and you could see it on his face. When he spoke those words of forgiveness, the agony on his face turned to a smile of assurance as though he knew that his request was granted. He looked at peace then. He was no criminal! He was no threat to the government! What this world needed was more like him. Can you imagine what the world would be like if his kind of love could be found in more people?
My guard came and picked me up. I thought we were going to leave, but I heard the others mention that the bodies couldn’t be left on the crosses because of some religious days. So, it was decided to help the men die a little faster. The soldiers were instructed to break the criminals’ legs. They often used a heavy mallet to do that; if anything could crush their bones, it could. Well, they took care of the other two criminals as they were instructed, and then they noticed that the one called “king” had already died. So, instead of breaking his legs, it was decided to check and make sure he was dead. That’s where I came in. I was lifted toward him. My first thought was that I wanted to get another look at the face of this forgiving philanthropist. I wanted to be close to his gaze, and to his heart. But his gaze was gone. His eyes were closed in death. His heart had stopped beating. Yet it seemed as though his forgiveness was still there. At any rate, I did get closer to his heart than I had expected. You see, in order to make sure that he was dead, I was forced into his side with a thrust that felt as though all of mankind was pushing me in, not just one lone guard.
And what did you find there?
What I found there was a broken heart, a heart which once beat for love and seemed to have been beaten by hate. But I quickly found out that that was only partly true.
Partly?
Yes, his heart had beaten out of love; his whole being was love. But hatred had not beaten him. I know that for a fact. Let me tell you how I know. As I was pulled from that lifeless side, both blood and water flowed out with me. As that blood poured over me, I had a felling shoot from the tip of my pointed head to the foot of my staff. I felt sharper than I had ever been. I felt polished to a flawless sheen. I felt as though my staff were alive as if rooted in healthy soil again. And then, as the water engulfed me, I knew that if I had been a person, I too would have been forgiven for my role in all of this.
Well, you certainly can’t blame yourself. After all, you’re only a…I mean, you were just an instrument in the hands of others. It certainly isn’t your fault.
I assume that you know that you had a very active role in all this, too. It was the sins of everyone – and that includes you – that broke his heart and caused him to suffer and die. That’s why he hung there…because someone had to, and he didn’t want it to be you. So he took your place.
Yes, sir; we are aware of that.
Hymn Saviour
when in Dust to You (ELW #601) verse 1, 3, 4
Apostles’ Creed
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say the Apostles’ Creed:
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.*
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer
Leader: Lord Jesus,
we have betrayed you.
All: Called
into your service and commissioned by Your Spirit, we have proved unfaithful
and often cowardly.
Leader: We plead the
merits of your faithful suffering and death,
All: the witness of the water and the blood
Leader: Your promise of forgiveness and renewal to all
who truly trust and follow You.
All: Forgive our guilt we pray
Leader: And give us grace to hear your word, to take up
our own crosses daily
All: And to follow you
Leader: Give us the
strength to bear whatever hardship we endure
All: as those who follow you
Leader: Give us the
courage to condemn all evil and to defend the right and good
All: as those who follow you
Leader Give us the
love to reach out to the suffering and needy, in compassion
All: as those who follow you
Leader: Lord make us faithful witnesses to this,
All: Your cleansing and renewing love.
Leader: Give to our nation and its leaders, and to all
those whose call is to serve and defend, the wisdom to perform their duties in
ways that are wise and good;
All: and keep them safe from harm
Leader: All this we pray in your good name, and as you,
Lord have taught us to:
Lord’s Prayer
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.
Offering Hymn - Come and Journey with a Saviour
The Great
Thanksgiving
The Invitation
He was always the guest.
In the homes of Peter and Jarius, Martha and Mary, Joanna and Susanna,
he was always the guest.
At the meal tables of the wealthy where he pled the case of the poor, he was always the guest.
Upsetting polite company, befriending isolated people, welcoming the stranger, he was always the guest.
But here, at this table, he is the host.
Those who wish to serve him must first be served by him, those who want to follow him must first be fed by him, those who would wash his feet must first let him make them clean.
For this is the table where God intends us to be
nourished; this is the time when Christ can make us new.
So come, you who
hunger and thirst for a deeper faith, for a better life, for a fairer world.
Jesus Christ who has sat at our tables, now invites us to be guests at his table.
Hymn – Eat This Bread (ELW #472)
The Story
What we do here, we do in imitation of what Christ
did. To his followers in every age Jesus
gave us an example and command rooted in the experience he shared with his
disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem.
Reader:
On the night on which we he was betrayed, and as they
were sitting at a meal, Jesus took a piece of bread and broke it. He gave it to his disciples saying, “This is
my body. It is broken for you. Do this to remember me.” Later, after they had eaten, he took a cup of
wine and said, “This cup is the new relationship with God made possible because
of my death. Drink this all of you, to
remember me.”
Presider:
So, now we do as Jesus did. We take this bread and this wine, the produce
of the earth and fruit of human labour.
In these, Jesus has promised to be present; through these, Christ can make us whole.
Eucharistic Prayer
Presider Let
us Pray
The
Lord be with you
All And also with you
Presider Lift up your hearts.
All We lift them to the
Lord
Presider Let
us give thanks to the Lord our God
All It is right to give
our thanks and praise
Presider It is indeed right, for you made us, and before us, you made the world we inhabit, and before the world, you made the eternal home in which, through Christ, we have a place.
All that is
spectacular, all that is plain have their origin in you; all that is lovely,
all who are loving point to you as their fulfillment.
And grateful as
we are for the world we know and the universe beyond our ken, we particularly
praise you, whom eternity cannot contain, for coming to earth and entering time
in Jesus.
For his life
which informs our living, for his compassion which changes our hearts, for his
clear speaking which contradicts our harmless generalities, for his disturbing
presence, his innocent suffering, his fearless dying, his rising to life
breathing forgiveness. We praise you and we worship him.
Here too our
gratitude rises for the promise of the Holy Spirit, who even yet, even now,
confronts us with your claims and attracts us to your goodness.
Therefore we
gladly join our voices to the son of the church on earth and in heaven:
Sanctus Holy,
Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your
glory. Hosanna in the highest
Benedictus Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest
Presider And now, lest we believe that our
praise alone fulfils your purpose we fall silent and remember him who came
because words weren’t enough.
Setting our
wisdom, our will, our words aside, emptying our hearts, and bringing nothing in
our hands, we yearn for the healing, the holding, the accepting, the forgiving
which Christ alone can offer
Silence
Merciful God, send now, in
kindness, your Holy Spirit to settle on this bread and wine and fill them with
the fullness of Jesus.
And let that same Spirit rest
on us, converting us from the patterns of this passing world, until we conform
to the shape of him whose food we now share.
Amen
Fraction (Taking and breaking bread)
Among friends gathered around
a table, Jesus took bread, and broke it, and said, “This is my body – broken
for you.”
(Holding up a cup of wine)
Later he took a cup of wine
and said “This is the new relationship with God made possible because of my
death. Take it, all of you, to remember
me.”
Jesus , firstborn of Mary
All Have mercy on us
Jesus
Saviour of the world
All Have mercy on us
Jesus,
monarch of heaven
All Have mercy on us
He who has suffered for our
injustices is now present in this bread. He whose body was hung on a cross is now
offered to us in this cup.
So take this bread and this
wine. In them God comes to us so that we
may come to God.
The sharing of the bread and the wine
The Peace
Leader: Please Stand
Christ
who has nourished us, is our peace.
Strangers and friends, male
and female, old and young, he has broken down the barriers to bind us to him
and to each other. Having tasted his
goodness, let us share his peace.
The peace of the Lord be
always with you.
All And Also with you
Concluding Prayer
Leader Let
us pray
In gratitude, in deep
gratitude for this moment, this meal, these people, we give ourselves to you.
Take us out to live as changed people because we have shared the Living Bread
and cannot remain the same.
Ask much of us, expect much
from us, enable much by us, encourage many through us.
So, Lord, may we live to your
glory, both as inhabitants of earth and citizens of the commonwealth of
heaven. Amen
Closing Blessing
As we go now
from this moment,
as we leave
behind our time together.
May we walk
with one another,
may we help
each other on the way.
As we go now
from this moment,
as we go into
the future together.
May we
treasure one another,
may we realize
how precious we are.
May we realize
how precious we are.
May we realize
how precious we are.
Sending Hymn - Alas and Did My Savior Bleed (ELW #337)
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