COMMUNION
I believe in radically, totally and completely open communion. I believe that the communion table does not belong to me. –It not my table to fence nor my place to keep anyone away from partaking from it. I also believe that it is not the churches table or their job to restrict it either. I believe that it is a table that belongs to God through Jesus Christ, and because it is God’s table, absolutely everyone is welcome: Atheists and Agnostics, Buddhists, Muslims, even Witches and Satanists are welcome at the communion table. Together, in that moment, we create a new community where we are all questioning and wondering and experiencing the of love and grace of God together. This is the invitation that I use every time that I officiate communion:
My Friends, This is the Lord’s Table. Everyone is welcome. There are no exceptions, no age limits, no discrimination. We come, not because we are whole, but because we are broken. We come not because we are full of piety, but because we are hungry for God’s love and grace. We do not come with all of the answers –we all come with questions and wonder. If you would like to join us for communion, you are welcome and you are joyously invited to do so! This is for you.
I also give communion to little children, I never want them to be able to remember a time when they were not welcomed in love at God’s table. Of course we need to explain what it means to us, but children are welcomed and accepted and part of the family, whether they have been baptized or whether they believe or understand or not. In a similar way, the developmentally challenged are welcomed. They may never understand any of the symbolism and it may just be a snack, but that is ok. They are included and that is the point.
BENEDICTION
This is my benediction, delivered with all of the feeling and emphasis I can muster. It is my own twist on the Aaronic blessing from book of Numbers. I give this benediction almost every time I lead worship, sometimes tweaking the wording a bit to echo the theme of the day.
And now may God bless you and keep you, may God’s face shine down with love upon you, may God be gracious to you and grant to you and the WHOLE WIDE WORLD, (no exceptions), God’s amazing love and peace! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS
(Please turn and read these words in unison to your neighbor.)
No matter who you are, no matter what you have done or what has been done to you, the love and the grace of God is greater than our brokenness. I assure you that through the work of Jesus Christ, we are all completely forgiven.
The important thing here is to have someone you know well look you directly in the eyes and tell you each week that God has completely forgiven you. Since people frequently sit with their families, these words of forgiveness coming from your spouse or from your parent or your children (who you probably fought with that very morning) make this assurance of God’s forgiveness much more real and tangible. People are remembering their family fights and disagreements and the wrongs when they say this. The forgiveness of God is real and for every wrong, especially the ones within your own families.
MAUNDY THURSDAY 2024 “Setting the Table” Liturgy
Setting the Table
A Maundy Thursday Worship Service
7 pm 3/28/2024 Created for combined worship with Bostwick Lake UCC, First Congregational Church Rockford, & North Kent Presbyterian Church
Prelude: El Shaddi/ O the deep deep love of Jesus. Tornquist.
Karen Betz-Griewahn, Pianist
Welcome: Pastor Karen
Call to Worship – Pastor Brian
Leader: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.
People: The Christ who loves us, will be our Passover lamb sacrificed for us;
Leader: Jesus said, “ I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
People: O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed are those who place their trust in God who has come and lived among us.
Leader: My friends, magnify the Lord with me,
People: And let us all exalt God’s name together.
All: Let us worship God.
Laura Weld
Opening Scripture: Mark 14: 12 – 17
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
Pour Water into Baptismal Font: NKPC Liturgist
Bless Water / Opening Prayer – Pastor Jon
Opening Hymn: 506 Look Who Gathers at Christ’s Table
- Cleansing the Table Eileen Evans
Scripture: Psalm 51: 1-10:Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Wipe empty Communion Table with white dish cloth: Eileen Evans
Prayer of Confession: Pastor Jon
*A responsive Psalm of Confession and Renewal:
Leader: Have mercy upon us, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercies, blot out our transgressions.
People: Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin. For we know that our transgressions and our sins are ever before us.
Leader: Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us.
People: Cast us not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from us.
All: Restore to us the joy of your salvation, and uphold us with a willing spirit. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Sing Verse 1 of Setting the Table
II. Covering the Table Barb Berry
Scripture: Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.“Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Put Purple tablecloth on table: Barb Berry
Assurance of Pardon: Pastor Brian
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS (Please read these words to your neighbor.)No matter who you are, no matter what you have done or what has been done to you, the love and the grace of God is greater than our brokenness. I assure you that through the work of Jesus Christ, we are all completely forgiven.
Sing Verse 2 of Setting the Table
III. Decorating the Table: Laura Weld
Scripture Isaiah 55:9-13“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Put Flower arrangement on table. Laura Weld
Pastor Karen
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth with all of it’s fullness celebrates what God has done. Let us respond to God’s love and forgiveness with gloria found on page 582:
Gloria: Hymn 582: Glory to God Whose Goodness Shines on Me: Pastor Karen
While our flowers celebrate the spring time of our new life in Christ, they also commemorate the death of our beloved savior. Please stand and sing verse three of setting the Table.
Sing Verse 3 of Setting the Table
- Lighting the Table: Eileen Evans
Scripture Isaiah 9:1-2 & 6-7:
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Put 2 Candlesticks on Table, light them: Eileen Evans
Pastoral Prayer for the world: Pastor Jon
Sing Verse 4 of Setting the Table
- Place Setting the Table: Laura Weld
Scripture Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Put a place setting of a plate and cutlery on table: NKPC Liturgist
Invitation to the communion table: Pastor Karen
My friends: We will be serving communion by intinction today. When things are ready, you are invited to come forward and to dip your hands in the baptismal font, and I will dry them for you. You are then invited to take a piece of bread and to dip it into the cup and partake up front. Alternatively, if you would prefer to remain seated and partake, just raise your hand and we have an usher who will bring communion to you. All of the communion bread tonight is gluten free.
My Friends, This is the Lord’s Table. Everyone is welcome. There are no exceptions, no age limits, no discrimination. We come, not because we are whole, but because we are broken. We come not because we are full of piety, but because we are hungry for God’s love and grace. We do not come with all of the answers –we all come with questions and wonder. If you would like to join us for communion, you are welcome and you are joyously invited to do so! This is for you.
Sing verse 5 of Setting the Table
- Bringing The Bread Eileen Evans
Scripture: John 6:32-40
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Go to the narthex. Put the Communion Bread (platter and stack) on the table: Eileen Evans Words of Institution of Bread (break the bread). Pastor Jon
Sing verse 6 of Setting the Table
- Bringing the Cup: Barb Berry
Scripture: John 15:5-13 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Go to the Narthex, get the cup and pitcher
Put the Cup and Pitcher on the Table : Barb Berry
Words of Institution Cup: (pour the cup) Pastor Brian
Sing Verse 7
Communion by Intinction.
My friends, you are now invited to come forward by the center aisle and to dip your hands in the baptismal font and to partake in communion together.
Pastor Jon Serves Bread. Pastor Brian Serves Cup
(As We Now take the sacrament and break thou the bread of life by KBG on piano)
Let us all stand and sing our communion hymn together:
Hymn after Communion # 498 Loaves Were Broken, Words Were Spoken
Sermon by: Rev. Brian Smilde
Combined Choir: The Power of the Cross…………… by Keith Getty Arr. Mark Hayes
Benediction: Pastor Karen
Postlude: Face to Face with Christ my savior.
Karen Betz-Griewahn, Pianist