Watchword for Maundy Thursday
“He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.” (Psalm 111:4)
(Moravian Daily Texts 2014)
Preparing the table
Reader 1: What table is this
that bears the weight of sacrifice:
heaven’s intent,
broken in each morsel?
(The cloth is spread on the table)
Reader 2: What moment is this
that spills with holy love
restless in this the world,
crushed in the taste of wine?
(Wine is placed on the table)
Reader 3: What place is this
where heaven shatters
into a thousand crumbs in the
hands of a vulnerable Saviour?
(Bread is placed on the table)
Reader 4: What hour is this
that calls the bread-maker
to break body and spill blood
in the name of love?
(Candle is lit and put on the table)
Hymn Lord God, your love has called us here
Lord God, your love has called us here
as we, by love, for love were made.
Your living likeness still we bear,
though marred, dishonoured, disobeyed.
We come, with all our heart and mind
your call to hear, your love to find.
We come with self-inflicted pains
of broken trust and chosen wrong,
half-free, half-bound by inner chains,
by social forces swept along,
by powers and systems close confined
yet seeking hope for humankind.
Preparing ourselves
There in a garden when God called my name
I could not face him because of my shame
Trust I had broken, I ate from his tree:
God forgive Adam, for Adam is me.
There in a garden Christ knelt down in prayer
I helped them find him and I led them there
They took and killed him on Calvary tree:
God forgive Judas, for Judas is me.
There in a courtyard as Jesus was tried
I do not know him – three times I replied
There as the cock crowed was my treachery:
God forgive Peter, for Peter is me.
There in a garden he rose from his tomb
When we were hiding he entered the room
Doubt not my living; my wounds you can see:
God forgive Thomas, for Thomas is me.
Now in my life, Lord, in my everyday
I need your guidance to show me the way
Faithless and fearful no more let me be:
Be my forgiveness and come alive in me.
Hymn Lord God, your love (continued)
Lord God, in Christ you call our name
and then receive us as your own,
not through some merit, right or claim,
but by your gracious love alone.
We strain to glimpse your mercy-seat
and find you kneeling at our feet.
Then take the towel, and break the bread,
and humble us, and call us friends.
Suffer and serve till all are fed,
and show how grandly love intends
to work till all creation sings,
to fill all worlds, to crown all things.
Lord God, in Christ, you set us free
your life to live, your joy to share.
Give us your Spirit’s liberty
to turn from guilt and dull despair
and offer all that faith can do
while love is making all things new.
Scripture Reading
St. John, Chapter 22, verses 7-20
Hymn 347 Unless a single grain of wheat
Table Talk
Preparing the Bread and the Wine
Lord Jesus Christ, present with us now, as
we do in this place what you did in an
upstairs room, breathe your Spirit upon us
and upon this bread and this wine, that they
may be heaven’s food and drink for us,
renewing, sustaining and making us whole,
and that we may be your body on earth,
loving and caring in the world.
Prayers for a changed world
Lord of the cross: forgive us and heal us.
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.
Reflection Eat of the Christ Bread
Sharing bread and wine
Hymn 661 Eat this bread
Eat this bread, drink this cup,
come to me and never be hungry.
Eat this bread, drink this cup,
trust in me and you will not thirst.
Preparing to depart
We believe the time is now,
with the taste of bread fresh on our lips,
to go into the world and face the darkness.
with the bitterness of the wine sharp in our
mouths, to face the powers of the world
with the love of heaven.
We believe the place is here,
with the sound of covenant echoing in our
ears, to endure the suffering love calls us to.
We believe the path is before us,
with the crumbs of heaven
still scattered across the table,
to side with truth in a deafened world.
We believe the hour is come,
with the table conversation a turmoil in our
minds, to conspire with Christ
and move against injustice.
We believe the gospel is this,
with bread lying broken and a goblet left
empty: love is betrayed, but death
shall not have the final word.
Sharing God’s Peace
Let us greet one another with a sign of peace.
Hymn 222 Night has fallen
Blessing (All join hands)
As you have been fed at this table,
go to feed the hungry.
As you have been set free,
go to set free the imprisoned.
As you have received – give.
As you have heard – proclaim.
And the blessing which you have received
from Father, Son and Holy Spirit
be always with you. Amen.
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