If you are watching our live stream tonight, you are invited to find a candle, so that we can all light candles at the same time.
CALL TO WORSHIP (WRITTEN BY SARAH ARE FOR A SANCTIFIED ART, LLC)
One: Do you remember your last supper before the pandemic?
The last meal you had out at a restaurant with friends?
The last meal before fear and anxiety ran the conversation?
If you had known it was your last, would you have lingered?
Would you have ordered dessert?
Would you have held your friends’ hands and told them how much you loved them?
If you had known, would you have washed their feet?
Tonight we gather together, because this night was the beginning of the end.
This night was Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.
Take a moment to imagine how Jesus must have felt.
Friends, with all of this in mind, I invite you to join me in our opening words:
All: Tonight we will hear, again and again, of a love that knows no bounds.
May we be fully present here. May we worship holy God.
GATHERING PRAYER (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art, LLC)
Bread of life, this Lenten season, I want to practice seeing you at every table—every place where food is shared, hands are held, and laughter is exchanged; every quiet table where I eat alone. I want to see you in all of it—the holiness and the ordinary. Open my eyes to you in my midst. Amen.
CALL TO CONFESSION (WRITTEN BY SARAH ARE FOR A SANCTIFIED ART, LLC)
The closer and closer we get to the crucifixion,
The more earnest our prayers of confession feel.
For we know that what was done to Jesus—
Betrayal, humiliation, violence, and death—
Are things we do to each other all the time.
So with all earnestness, a sense of urgency, and a deep hope for transformation,
We return to this prayer once again,
Trusting that the God who holds the stars in the sky is holding us tonight.
Let us confess together. . .
Moment of silent prayer–people of God, what do you confess tonight?
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (WRITTEN BY SARAH ARE FOR A SANCTIFIED ART, LLC)
Holy God who holds us together,
If I were to place myself at your table, I would probably be Peter—
Misunderstanding your radical hospitality,
Sticking to the rules,
Arguing what I do and don’t deserve.
Then again, it’s possible that I’d be Judas—
The one who betrayed you,
The one who failed to see the good right in front of him,
The one who might have thought he wasn’t worthy of your love.
If I were to place myself at your table,
It’s possible I would be one of the unnamed disciples—
Watching, but not speaking,
Silently missing the opportunity
To tell you what I believe and how much I love you.
If I were to place myself at your table,
I am confident that I would have made the same mistakes
Your well-intentioned disciples made.
There is no surprise there.
What is surprising is that I know you would have washed my feet nonetheless.
So forgive me, God.
Wash not just my feet, but my hands and my head also. Amen.
WORDS OF FORGIVENESS (WRITTEN BY SARAH ARE FOR A SANCTIFIED ART, LLC)
One: Family of faith,
Jesus knew that Peter would deny.
He knew that Judas would betray,
And he knew the disciples would hide in fear.
And still—and still—he invited them in.
He washed their feet, and he fed them.
Friends, we worship the living Christ
Whose love shocks, surprises, and far exceeds our understanding of love.
So may this story tonight remind us:
All: No matter who we are,
No matter where we go,
No matter how great our mistakes or regrets are in life,
We will always be invited in and held together by the Living God.
Again and again and again, we are forgiven.
Again and again and again, we are held. Amen.
PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING (WRITTEN BY SARAH ARE FOR A SANCTIFIED ART, LLC)
Jesus of Nazareth,
If the disciples had known
That the last supper would be their last meal with you
Before the crucifixion, I bet they would have listened differently.
I bet they would have put down their arguments,
And leaned in with their whole bodies.
I bet they would have asked questions
And halted the small talk.
I bet they would have taken notes and hung on your every word.
Jesus of Nazareth, I want to listen like that.
I want to listen like tonight might be the last time you speak.
I want to listen like everything could change tomorrow.
I want to listen like my soul depends on it.
So gracious God, clear away anything in me that might distract.
Clear away anything in me that might hinder my hearing and receiving of your word.
I am listening.
We are listening.
With hope and honesty we pray.
Amen.
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING
PSALM 116:1-2, 12-19
I love the Lord, who has heard my voice
and listened to my supplication,
for the Lord has given ear to me
whenever I called.
How shall I repay the Lord
for all the good things God has done for me?
I will lift the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all God’s people.
Precious in your sight, o Lord,
is the death of your servants.
O Lord, truly I am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your handmaid.
You have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call upon the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all God’s people,
in the courts of the Lord’s house,
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
HYMN This Is the Night
lyrics by Peter Abélard, 12th cent.
translated by Richard Lyman Sturch, 1990
© 1990 Stainer & Bell, Ltd. (admin. Hope Publishing Company)
music by Margaret R. Tucker, 1991
© 1998 Hope Publishing Company
Used by Permission. CCLI License #3456351 and ONE LICENSE # 738214-A
1 This is the night, dear friends, the night for weeping,
when powers of darkness overcome the day,
the night the faithful mourn the weight of evil
whereby our sins the Son of Man betray.
2 This night the traitor, wolf within the sheepfold,
betrays himself into his victim’s will,
the Lamb of God for sacrifice preparing:
sin brings about the cure for sin’s own ill.
3 This night Christ institutes his holy supper,
blest food and drink for heart and soul and mind;
this night injustice joins its hand to treason’s,
and buys the ransom-price of humankind.
4 This night the Lord by slaves shall be arrested,
he who destroys our slavery to sin;
accused of crime, to criminals be given,
that judgment on the righteous Judge begin.
5 O make us sharers, Savior, of your Passion,
that we may share your glory that shall be;
let us pass through these three dark nights of sorrow
to Easter’s laughter and its liberty.
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING
JOHN 13:1-17, 31-35 (NRSV)
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’
Consider:
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What is your definition of vulnerability? How do Jesus’ and Peter’s actions in this text expand that definition?
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In ancient Palestine, footwashing was one of the greatest acts of hospitality and care. It was an embodied act—focused on tending to the place where humans carried the wear and tear of travel and daily life. It confronted the filth humans accumulated along the way. And it was a practice often administered by servants. While this practice is unfamiliar in our culture, and for many, deeply uncomfortable, what are similar acts of hospitality and care?
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Recall a time when you have been held by another. Recall a time when you have resisted support, choosing self-reliance or to focus on others instead. What is easier for you—to give or to receive? Why?
HYMN Come to the Table of Grace
music and lyrics by Barbara Hamm, 2008
© 2008 Hope Publishing Company
Used by Permission. CCLI License #3456351 and ONE LICENSE # 738214-A
1 Come to the table of grace.
Come to the table of grace.
This is God’s table; it’s not yours or mine.
Come to the table of grace.
2 Come to the table of peace.
Come to the table of peace.
This is God’s table; it’s not yours or mine.
Come to the table of peace.
3 Come to the table of love.
Come to the table of love.
This is God’s table; it’s not yours or mine.
Come to the table of love.
4 Come to the table of hope.
Come to the table of hope.
This is God’s table; it’s not yours or mine.
Come to the table of hope.
5 Come to the table of joy.
Come to the table of joy.
This is God’s table; it’s not yours or mine.
Come to the table of joy.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (Presbyterian Book of Common Worship)
Liberating and redeeming God,
we give thanks that you hear the cries of your people.
Therefore, in our time of trial, we call upon your name, saying
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
As you delivered our ancestors from slavery
and led them to a land of promise and plenty,
liberate all who are captive or oppressed
and bring them to a place of abundant life.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
As you saved your people from death
on the night of the Passover,
redeem us from sin and death
through Jesus Christ the Lamb.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
As Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord
stooped down to wash his disciples’ feet,
teach us to love and serve our neighbors
with Christlike compassion and humility.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
As Christ the Lord has handed on to us
a feast of grace in his body and blood,
help us to share with all who hunger
the gifts we have received from you.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God, our liberator and redeemer,
we give thanks that you have heard our cry.
Continue to lead us from death to life eternal,
and let our lives be a sign of your saving love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
HYMN An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare
lyrics by Fred Pratt Green, 1973
© 1974 Hope Publishing Company
music arranged by John Weaver, 1988
© 1990 Hope Publishing Company
Used by Permission. CCLI License #3456351 and ONE LICENSE # 738214-A
1 An upper room did our Lord prepare
for those he loved until the end:
and his disciples still gather there
to celebrate their risen friend.
2 A lasting gift Jesus gave his own:
to share his bread, his loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
he by his cross shall lift us up.
3 And after supper he washed their feet,
for service, too, is sacrament.
In Christ our joy shall be made complete:
sent out to serve, as he was sent.
4 No end there is! We depart in peace.
He loves beyond our uttermost:
in every room in our Father’s house
Christ will be there, as Lord and Host.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (WRITTEN BY SARAH ARE FOR A SANCTIFIED ART, LLC)
We are each a tapestry of stories.
We are our stories of fear and grief,
As well as our stories of love and joy.
We believe that God sees all of these interwoven truths
And says to our fragile selves:
“Come in.
Come in from the cold,
Come in from the rain,
Come in from wherever you are,
And be here tonight.”
We believe that God then pours warm water into a basin
To wash off the weariness of the day,
The bruises of the past,
And the doubt that clings to us.
We believe that this act is an act of love.
Similarly, we believe that God says to us: “Eat.”
And God shares of God’s self,
And it is food not only for our bodies, but for our souls.
We believe that all this happens
Every time we close our eyes and imagine God,
And every time we close our eyes and imagine God,
We believe the parts of our tapestry that feel worn and frayed
Are held together.
So today, we remember. Today we say thank you.
Today, we know—we are held together.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION (ADAPTED FROM A BENEDICTION BY SARAH ARE FOR A SANCTIFIED ART, LLC)
May your mouth speak of God’s goodness.
May your arms hold those in need.
May your feet walk toward justice.
May your heart trust its worth.
May your soul dance in God’s grace.
And may this be your rhythm—
Again and again and again,
Until God’s promised day.
In the name of the Lover, the Beloved, and Love itself,
Go with courage, go with heart, go in peace.