Dear God,

I’m writing to say I’m sorry
For being angry yesterday
When you seemed to ignore my prayer
And things didn’t go my way

First, my car broke down
I was very late for work
But I missed that awful accident
Was that your handiwork?

I found a house I loved
But others got there first
I was angry, then relieved
When I heard the pipes had burst!

Yesterday, I found the perfect dress
But the color was too pale
Today, I found the dress in red
Would you believe, it was on sale!

I know you’re watching over me
And I’m feeling truly blessed
For no matter what I pray for
You always know what’s best!

I have this circle of E-mail friends,
Who mean the world to me;
Some days I “send” and “send”,
At other times, I let them be.

When I see each name download,
And view the message they’ve sent;
I know they’ve thought of me that day,
And “well wishes” were their intent.

I am so blessed to have these friends,
With whom I’ve grown so close;
So this little poem I dedicate to them,
Because to me they are the “Most”!

So to you, my friends, I would like to say,
Thank you for being a part;
Of all my daily contacts,
This comes right from my heart.

God bless you all is my prayer today,
I’m honored to call you “friend”;
I pray the Lord will keep you safe,
Until we write again.

God Bless You.

The seven last words of Jesus Christ on the cross are a collection of seven short phrases Jesus uttered at his crucifixion immediately before he died, gathered from the four Gospels. The sayings were short and there is a reason behind that. Crucifixion causes asphyxia. This makes inhaling air to speak difficult and painful, especially as death approaches.

Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ

1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Almighty God, to whom your crucified Son prayed for the forgiveness of those who did not know what they were doing, grant that we, too, may be included in that prayer. Whether we sin out of ignorance or intention, be merciful to us and grant us your acceptance and peace: in the name of Jesus Christ, our suffering Savior. Amen.

2. “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

O Lord Jesus Christ, who promised to the repentant the joy of paradise, enable us by the Holy Spirit to repent and to receive your grace in this world and in the world to come. Amen.

3. “Woman, behold your son . . . Behold your mother.”

O Blessed Savior, who in your hour of greatest suffering expressed compassion for your mother and made arrangements for her care, grant that we who seek to follow your example may show our concern for the needs of others, reaching out to provide for those who suffer in our human family. Hear this our prayer for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

4. Eli Eli lama sabachthani? (“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”)

O Lord, I call for help by day, and in the night I still must cry. Regard me, listen to my prayer.My soul is troubled, I am weak, cut off as one whom you forsake, forgotten near the pit of death.Your wrath weighs heavy on me here. Your angry waves upon me break. Friends watch in horror from afar.I am shut in without escape. My eyes are dim because I weep. My hands are lifted up to you.

Do you work wonders for the dead? Can graves tell out your mighty deeds? There, who can know that you can save?Lord, do not hide your face from me. You have afflicted me from youth. Your anger is destroying me.Your flood of anger closes in. The darkness is my closest friend—shunned and forsaken, all alone. (PsH 88:1-7)

5. “I thirst”

O blessed Savior, whose lips were dry and whose throat was parched, grant us the water of life that we who thirst after righteousness may find it quenched by your love and mercy, leading us to bring this same relief to others. Amen.

6. “It is finished”

O Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work that you were sent to do, enable us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful to our call. Grant us strength to bear our crosses and endure our sufferings, even unto death. Enable us to live and love so faithfully that we also become good news to the world, joining your witness, O Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

7. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Father, into whose hands your Son Jesus Christ commended his spirit, grant that we, too, following his example, may in all of life and at the moment of our death entrust our lives into your faithful hands of love. In the name of Jesus who gave his life for us all. Amen.

These precious last seven words of Christ on the Cross must remain in our minds even after Good Friday. Amen.

The Opening

Welcome

Welcome to this Maundy Thursday celebration. On this night we remember and celebrate the final supper Jesus shared with his disciples in the context of the Passover, when the people of Israel observed their liberation from Egypt. The Last Supper was Christ’s observance of the Seder—the Passover Eve Service. Hear this instruction that God gave to the people of Israel:

Scripture: Exodus 12:1-7, 12-14

Hymn: “Lift Up Your Hearts unto the Lord” PsH 309, SFL 63, TWC 771 (st. 1, 2, 4)

Call to Worship

Return to the Lord, God of all mercies,

for a feast of love has been prepared for his own.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

O taste and see the goodness of the Lord

Happy are they who take refuge in God.

Solo: “O Magnify the Lord” (Praise and Worship Songbook, Integrity/Hosanna Music)

Opening Prayer

The Call to Wash One Another’s Feet

Reading: “He who would be great among you” (see box)

The Footwashing

(The simplest tradition is for the pastor to wash the feet of a few leaders in the congregation, either elders or representatives from different ages or groups. They remove their shoes and sit in a place visible to all. The pastor kneels, pours water from a pitcher into a basin, and then wipes their feet with a towel.)

Hymn: “Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love” PsH 601, PH 367, SFL 251, TWC 436 (Sung during the footwashing.)

The Meal

Opened with the ancient Jewish table prayer:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, Creator of the Universe. Through your work, all things were made, and by your goodness we have this food to share. Blessed be God forever. Amen.

Confession and Assurance

The Call to Confession: 1 John 5:8

Prayer

Most holy and merciful Father, we confess to you and to one another, that we have sinned against you by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not fully loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not always had in us the mind of Christ.

You alone know how often we have grieved you by wasting your gifts, by wandering from your ways, by forgetting your love. Forgive us, we pray you, most merciful Father, and free us from our sin. Renew in us the grace and strength of your Holy Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior, Amen.

Hymn: “Just As I Am” PsH 263, PH 370, RL 468, TH 501, TWC 445

Declaration of Pardon

To all who confess themselves to be sinners, humbling themselves before God and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, I declare this sure promise: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The Word of the Lord

Hymn: “As We Gather at Your Table” SNC 245 (st. 1)

Scripture: Matthew 26:17-30

Sermon: “At the Table”

The Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

(The elements are distributed by tables; each person is invited to pass the bread and cup to the next, saying, “The body of Christ was given for you”; “The blood of Christ was shed for you.”)

Our Response of Prayer and Gratitude

Hymn: “As We Gather at Your Table” SNC 245 (st. 2-3)

Reading

Reader 1: God may be speaking to us individually, asking whether we have fully and freely accepted his offer of freedom at the Festival of Redemption. Have we, for example, sprinkled the Blood of the Lamb on the doorposts of our hearts in the face of human and spiritual opposition, clearly trusting in God to deliver us?

Reader 2: This is the time when we must receive God’s gift freely, to give God his due. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deut. 6:5). “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve” (Matt. 4:10).

Reader 1: We are bound to thank, praise, glorify, extol and adore God who did all these wonders for our ancestors and for us. God brought us forth

Reader 2: from slavery
Reader 1: to freedom,
Reader 2: from anguish
Reader 1: to joy,
Reader 2: from mourning
Reader 1: to festivity,
Reader 2: from darkness
Reader 1: to great light,
Reader 2: from bondage
Reader 1: to redemption.

Hymn: “There Is a Redeemer” SNC 145

Closing

Prayer

Scripture Readings: Revelation 21:6-7;

Jeremiah 31:33; Revelation 21:1-4

Parting Hymn: “You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd” SNC 182 (Sung unaccompanied, very simply.)

Benediction

———– Wish you all the blessings of the Holy Week —————–