April 10 online worship

Preparations for Worship:

• Do your best to eliminate distractions like the phone, TV, etc.
• Worship actively! Whether you are by yourself or with others, try reading the parts of the service aloud (responses, lessons, and prayers).
• This service is for children too. Help them participate. Ask those who have that ability to read a prayer or lesson aloud. Take a moment to describe what’s happening. Ask questions. Encourage little ones to draw what they are hearing while you all listen. Unlike our more typical Sunday worship at church, you can pause at any time for questions and discussion.
• Before you begin, load each of the videos below. (You might first have to get past a distracting ad.)
• Pause for a moment of quiet meditation. Then pray:
  “Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your gracious Word, and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with undivided attention I may hear your voice and speak your praise. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.”

GOOD FRIDAY LITANY

Behold the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world. Come let us worship.

The Lord says, “My people, what wrong have I done to you?  How have I offended you? Answer me!  Through baptism, I led you from slavery to freedom, but you lead your Savior to the cross.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I planted you as my fairest vineyard, I grafted you into the one true vine, I gave you the water of salvation, but you give me gall and vinegar to drink, and leave me thirsting upon a cross.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I gave you a royal scepter, but you give me a crown of thorns. I raised you up to newness of life, but you raise me high upon a cross.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I give you heaven, and yet you complain about that which you think you lack. I give you eternity, and yet you worry about this life.  You suffer, and you then blame me, though I have proven my love!  Should not I take everything from you?” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“What more could I have done for you?  I gave you my peace and my truth, but you fight with each other, you cause pain to those I love, you dismiss those I chose to lead you.  Should not my anger burn?  Should not I destroy you?” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

“I come as your brother and sister, hungry, yet you give me no food, thirsty, yet you give me no drink, a stranger, and you do not welcome me, naked, and you do not clothe me, sick and in prison, and you do not visit me.” Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, have mercy upon us.

Silence for personal confession

The Lord also says, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel.  I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Amen

Behold the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world. Come let us worship.

Let us pray. God Most Holy, look with mercy on this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, be given over into the hands of the wicked, and suffer death upon the cross. Keep us always faithful to him, our only Savior, who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

FIRST LESSON: ISAIAH 52:13-53:12

¹³Look, my Servant will succeed. He will rise. He will be exalted. He will be highly exalted. ¹⁴Just as many were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man, and his form was more disfigured than any other person—¹⁵so he will sprinkle many nations. Because of him, kings will shut their mouths. For they will see something they had never been told before. Something they had never heard before they will understand. ^53:1Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ²He grew up before him like a shoot and like a root from dry soil. He had no attractiveness and no majesty. We saw him, but nothing about his appearance made us desire him. ³He was despised and rejected by men, a man who knew grief and was acquainted with suffering. Like someone that people cannot bear to look at he was despised, and we thought nothing of him. ⁴Surely he was taking up our weaknesses, and he was carrying our sufferings, but we thought he was stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵But, in fact, he was pierced because of our rebellious deeds. He was crushed because of our guilt. The punishment to bring us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has laid on him the guilt of us all. ⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent in the presence of her shearers, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸He was taken away without protection and without justice. Who of his generation even cared? Yes, he was cut off from the land of the living. Because of the rebellion of my people he was stricken. ⁹They intended to make his grave with the wicked, but he was with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, and no deceit was in his mouth. ¹⁰Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him. He made him suffer. When you make his life a guilt offering, he will see offspring. He will lengthen his days, and the Lord’s pleasure will succeed in his hand. ¹¹After the anguish of his soul he will see the light of life. He will provide full satisfaction. By knowledge of him my just Servant will justify the many, for he himself carried their guilt. ¹²Therefore I will give him a share among the great, and with the strong he will share plunder, because he poured out his life to death, and he let himself be counted with rebels, and he himself bore the sin of many, and he intercedes for the rebels.

Silence for prayer and meditation

GOSPEL: JOHN 19:17-30

¹⁷Carrying his own cross, he went out to what is called the Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸There they crucified him with two others, one on each side, and Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹Pilate also had a notice written and fastened on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰Many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. ²¹So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that ‘this man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’” ²²Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” ²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took his tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ²⁴So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it. Instead, let’s cast lots to see who gets it.” This was so that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. So the soldiers did these things. ²⁵Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were standing near the cross. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son!” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother!” And from that time this disciple took her into his own home. ²⁸After this, knowing that everything had now been finished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine was sitting there. So they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished!” Then, bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

Silence for prayer and meditation

DEVOTION

BIDDING PRAYER

Let us pray for the whole Church, that our gracious Father would defend her from the devil and keep her faithful to her Lord.
Silent prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you have revealed your saving name to the world through Jesus Christ our Lord. Protect us from the assaults of the evil one, and help us remain faithful to your Word so that in every adversity, we may stand firm in our faith and give ourselves fully to our Savior’s work, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray for those who serve in the public ministry and for all people of God.
Silent prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you rule over all things for the good of your people. Preserve us from divisive spirits and false teachers. Give your servants the grace to proclaim Christ joyfully in word and deed so that all who hear them may come to know their Savior better and be strengthened for their lives of service, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray for those who are being instructed in the Word, that they remain firm in the simple faith of Baptism.
Silent prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you make us your own dear children by the washing of rebirth and renewal in the Holy Spirit. Give strength to all who are buried with Christ in Baptism, that each day they may die to sin and rise again to live new and holy lives, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray for our earthly government, our rulers, and all who are in authority.
Silent prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you have established earthly government to keep a measure of order in this dying world and to protect us from the disorder of sin. Give to all rulers the wisdom to govern well and to all citizens the desire to obey them, so that we may live peaceful lives in all godliness and holiness, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray that our gracious Father would protect us and our communities from the many earthly calamities that threaten us.
Silent prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, on all sides we are surrounded by danger from wars and famine, from disease and pestilence, with the devil begrudging us every minute of our lives. Protect us from all these miseries so that your name may still be glorified in them and so that we may safely pass through them to your heavenly kingdom, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray for those who are outside the Church, that they may come to know the one, true God and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent.
Silent prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, your Son was lifted up on the cross so that he might draw all people to himself. Through the proclamation of your Word, mercifully gather from the nations a people that are your very own, that we may join together around your throne in glory to praise and thank you forever, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray for our enemies and for all those who hate us.
Silent prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, no one can harm us without grieving you, whose name we bear. We ask that you would change the hearts of those who work against us and who hate us without reason. Give them repentance and faith so that they may be glad with us and find joy in your love, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray for all who suffer under cross and trial.
Silent prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you sent your Son into the world to bear our grief and to carry our sorrows. Help those who are suffering for your name’s sake and who are struggling against temptation, that they may not be overwhelmed with sadness but find relief in your grace, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Finally, let us pray for all those things for which our Lord would have us ask in the words he himself has taught us:

THE LORD’S PRAYER

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 forever and ever. Amen.

What follows are The Reproaches, are an ancient Good Friday custom. They combine various Old Testament prophecies of condemnation with words of rebuke as if spoken by the Savior. They express how serious God is about sin. Yet ultimately, God shows mercy by sending the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world.

FIRST REPROACH

Thus says the LORD: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer me. For I have raised you up out of the prison house of sin and death, and you have delivered up your Redeemer to be scourged. For I have redeemed you from the house of bondage, and you have nailed your Savior to the cross. O my people!
Holy LORD God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer, God eternal, leave us not to bitter death. O LORD, have mercy.

SECOND REPROACH

Thus says the LORD: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer me. For I have conquered all your foes, and you have given me over and delivered me to those who persecute me. For I have fed you with my Word and refreshed you with living water, and you have given me gall and vinegar to drink. O my people!

Holy LORD God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer, God eternal, allow us not to lose hope in the face of death and hell. O LORD, have mercy.

THIRD REPROACH

Thus says the LORD: What have I done to you, O my people, and wherein have I offended you? Answer me. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? My people, is this how you thank your God? O my people!

Holy LORD God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer, God eternal, keep us steadfast in the true faith. O LORD, have mercy.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

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