Maundy Thursday
VISUAL ARTS (PARAMENTS, GENERAL DECORATIONS, SPECIFIC DECORATIONS)
Brim: Creative Overflow in Worship Design
Banner Designs for the Church Year
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CALL TO WORSHIP
In four days, we have come from Jesus being treated like a king in the streets to a small room where he asks as servant of all. The Latin term mandatum or maundy means commandment. It comes from John 13:34 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” In ancient times, this started the final 3 days to get right with God before taking communion on Easter Sunday.
As we gather here on Maundy Thursday, we also making preparation or getting right with God before we celebrate the joys of Easter. As the disciples prepared the upper room to celebrate Passover with Jesus, we are here to prepare our hearts to receive the overwhelming sacrifice that God gave to us. We are also here to again renew our commitment to Jesus’ commandment to love others as he loved us—sacrificially and wholly.
—Elinor Swindle Brown
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Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Jesus said: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as he loved us, we also should love one another.
On this day
Christ the Lamb of God gave himself into the hands of those who would slay him.
On this day
Christ gathered with his disciples in the upper room.
On this day
Christ took a towel and washed the disciples’ feet, giving us an example that we should do to others as he has done to us.
Christ our God gave us the holy feast,
that we who eat the bread and drink the cup may proclaim his holy sacrifice
and be partakers of his resurrection, and at the last day may reign with him in heaven.
—Chris Fleming (unknown source)
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INVOCATION
Almighty God, your ways are higher than our ways, and your thoughts higher than our thoughts. We dream of glory through power, fame, and great riches. You glorified yourself through sacrifice by giving up your Son Jesus Christ to the humiliation of the cross for us, the people you so dearly love. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us as we worship this evening and shake us from thoughts of vainglory. Enable us to experience suffering with Christ so that we may also experience the power of his resurrection. In the name of Jesus Christ, king of endless glory, Amen.
—Chris Fleming
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MUSIC (HYMNS, SONGS, ANTHEMS)
- Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts
- Let Us Break Bread Together
- You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
- Loaves Were Broken, Words Were Spoken
- We Gather Here in Jesus’ Name
- In Remembrance of Me
- One Bread, One Body
—Elinor Swindle Brown
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- Hymn 1
- My Savior’s Love (I Stand Amazed at the Presence)
- What Wondrous Love is This
- Lead Me to Calvary
- Hymn 2
- Worthy is the Lamb
- Behold the Lamb
- Crown Him with Many Crowns
- When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
- Special Music
- Lead Me to Calvary
- Hallelujah, What a Savior
- Nearer My God to Thee
- Hymns for Stripping of the Altar
- Nearer, My God, to Thee
- There is a Fountain
- Lead Me to Calvary
- Near the Cross
—Chris Fleming
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CALL TO CONFESSION
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PRAYER OF CONFESSION
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ASSURANCE OF PARDON
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CHILDREN’S SERMON
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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
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SCRIPTURE TEXTS/SERMON IDEAS
- Matthew 26:17-35
- Mark 14:12-25
- Luke 22:7-23
- John 13-17
—Elinor Swindle Brown
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Order of Worship for Stripping the Altar on Maundy Thursday
- Prelude (A reverent hymn focusing on the Lord’s Supper, the Cross, God’s love toward the Church, Christians fellowshipping with one another.)
- Call to Worship (above)
- Invocation (above)
- Hymn 1
- Lighting of the Candles (while the hymn is sung)
- First Reading: Exodus 12:1-14Minister: In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus Christ to be “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” It was at a Passover meal that Jesus Christ identified himself as the Lamb of God to the disciples. He purposefully chose words to reflect the image of the Passover lamb being slaughtered as the Israelites prepared for deliverance from slavery in Egypt.Jesus says, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.The Passover lamb in Exodus was simply a promise of a more excellent lamb. The Passover lambs in Exodus caused death to “passover” those who put its blood on their doorpost and lintels of their houses. The Passover lamb Jesus Christ defeats death and sin. The blood of Jesus Christ fully redeems us and makes us children of God.
- Hymn 2
- Gospel Reading: John 13:1-17, 31-35
- A Sermon or Brief Meditation can be given at this time, or it can be skipped to allow the rituals and prayers to speak God’s word to God’s people.
- Prayers of the People (below)
- Words of Institution for Communion
- Special Music (This can be an offering by the choir/instrumental/soloist. It can be done before or after the Words of Institution)
- Prayer of Thanksgiving for Christ’s Sacrifice ending with the Lord’s Prayer
- Stripping of the Altar
This can be done in silence, or while someone reads Psalm 22. Or have a soloist sing or play a very reverent, meditative song. (above)
Minister: Stripping of the altar (removing all ornaments, linens, and paraments) is an ancient custom of the Church done on Maundy Thursday. It is symbolic of the humiliation of Jesus at the hands of the soldiers.
After the Last Supper, less than 24 hours remained in the earthly life of our Lord. Events moved rapidly: praying in Gethsemane, the betrayal by Judas, the arrest, mock trial, painful beating, the trudge to Golgotha and his execution.
(Palms, flowers and decorations are removed.)
As his life was stripped from him, so we strip our altar of the signs of life to symbolize his purposeful, redemptive suffering and death for us. Plants are new life springing forth. In the passion and suffering of Christ, human life ebbs from him. In recognition of this we remove the palms and flowers from our sanctuary.
(Candles are extinguished and removed.)
Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.” The events of Golgotha snuffed out the human life of Jesus, the Light of the world. As even creation was dark when he suffered, so we extinguish our candles and remove them.
(Hymnals and service books are removed.)
Our worship books help guide our worship life together as we sing praises to God. As Jesus suffers, joyous songs are not heard. As these sounds of joy are removed from our lips, we remove them from the altar.
(Communion vessels are removed.)
Jesus’ offered body and his shed blood have been given to us in, with, and under the form of bread and wine in this Holy Mystery. As he was removed from us in the grave, so we remove the elements and vessels of this sacrament.
(Altar and other paraments are removed.)
Our altar is in the form of a table. It is here where our Lord Jesus serves us as both host and meal at his banquet feast. The coverings and paraments are made of fine linen; material appropriate for feasting with our king. As our king’s body was stripped in crucifixion, so our altar is stripped of its coverings.
- Depart in Silence (There will be no benediction as this is the night Christ was betrayed. The next benediction will be on Easter Sunday.)
—Chris Fleming
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SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS (VIDEOS, TAPED SONGS)
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PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Loving, listening God, ever-attentive to the voices of those in need, we call on your name so that we might live.
Now hear our prayer:
…for the church that bears Christ’s name, that the world may know we are his disciples by the love that we have for one another.
…for leaders of nations and all persons in positions of authority, that their lives may be marked by Christ-like service and love.
…for all who are oppressed and living in captivity, that they may escape from evil and death to find the land of freedom you have promised.
…for those who are hungry and thirsty this day and for those who have too much, that we may learn to share your generous gifts, O God.
…for those who are dealing with loss or facing death, that the presence of Christ may bless and keep them.
(Other petitions may be included, or worshipers may be invited to offer their own prayers, silently or aloud.)
Answer us in the day of trouble, O God, so that we may lift up the cup of salvation in the presence of your people, giving thanks for all your goodness to us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
—Submitted by Chris Fleming; posted on the website of the Presbyterian Church USA. http://www.pcusa.org/)