Your Sorrow Will Turn to Joy

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!

Jubilate Sunday Lectionary Summary

Those Who Wait on the Lord Shall Rejoice
The people of God are pilgrims and sojourners in this world, looking ahead to a destination yet to come (1 Peter 2:11-20). Though we are now children of God, the fullness of what we shall be has not yet been revealed (1 John 3:1-3). We are those who wait on the Lord. "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him" (Lam 3:25). Jesus tells us that the wait is just a little while. "A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me" (John 16:16). Though you must experience sorrow for a time, though you must live as strangers in a world that is at enmity with Christ, yet your sorrow will be turned to joy when He returns. "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength" (Is. 40:31). The little while of weeping shall be replaced with an eternity of rejoicing in the presence of Christ the crucified and risen Savior. "And no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22).

Cover Art: Icon of Christ Prior to the Ascension

To listen, pray and sing along with the service, click on this MP3 audio link http://lcmssermons.com/images/aut52/CY2012/Easter4.Jubilate.2012.YourSorrowWillTurntoJoy.mp3. The sermon, "Your Sorrow Will Turn to Joy", begins at 21:30.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here is the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

Dear people of God,

We live in a therapeutic and palliative world.

Ø the treatment of disease or disorders by remedial agents or methods to effect a cure

Ø Relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure.

The truth is, it’s all palliative—even the therapeutic. “For as in Adam all die, … 1 Corinthians 15:22

Sadly, so much of what happens within popular Christianity reflects and mimics the world. We will do anything to avoid suffering.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Ø Luther writes in the preface to the first part of his German books in 1539 (St. L. XIV:434ff.): “Let me show you a right method for studying theology; the one that I have used. If you adopt it, you will become so learned that if it were necessary, you yourself would be qualified to produce books just as good as those of the Fathers and the church councils. …This method is the one which the pious king David teaches in the 119th Psalm and which, no doubt, was practiced by all the Patriarchs and Prophets. In the 119th Psalm you will find three rules, which are abundantly expounded throughout the entire Psalm. They are called: Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio.”

Ø For Luther, theologians are made not simply by "understanding, reading or speculating" but "by living, no rather by dying and being damned" (WA 5/163:28-29) as he said in a lecture on Psalm 5:11 in 1520.

Ø [One theologian of the last century Rudelbach (d. 1862) had this to say in an address on Luther’s instruction [that] “Oratio, meditatio, tentatio faciunt theologum.” This word comprises our entire theological methodology. Here, just as is the case with every thought sealed by the Spirit of God, there is nothing to add, nothing to subtract.” There can be no doubt that the distressing lack of true teachers would be quickly ended if Luther’s methodology were observed everywhere. [Again, sadly, we have done much to do just the opposite.]

Ø Oratio is prayer. Prayer begins with the ear, with God speaking first to us. Prayer grows out of the Word of our Lord; prayer is the voice of faith. Meditatio is the continual study of God's word, of letting the Word of God dwell in you richly. Tentatio is the place of the cross: of spiritual affliction, trial, and temptation. Christ's suffering is His alone. Our place is to bear our cross in the vocation to which we are called. [CFW Prof., Rev. John Pless lecture]

Ø Luther’s list continually leads one back to the word. Oratio, meditatio, tentatio “describe the life of faith as a cycle that begins with prayer for the gift of the Holy Spirit, concentrates on the reception of the Holy Spirit through meditation on God’s word, and results in spiritual attack. This in turn leads a person back to further prayer and intensified meditation” (Kleinig, 258).

And, of course, the Word is at its beginning an end the very Son of God who, according to the Holy Gospel of St. John, the evangelist and apostle of our Lord [John 1:17]  “took on flesh [to dwell (tent)] among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

What glory had John and the disciples of our Lord seen that was full of grace and truth? Answer: The suffering, death, and burial of the Son of the Living God.

FORMULA OF CONCORD: SOLID DECLARATION
VIII. THE PERSON OF CHRIST 

“On the other hand, these are properties of the human nature: being a bodily creation or creature, flesh and blood, finite and located in one place; it suffers, dies, ascends, and descends; it moves from one place to another, suffers hunger, thirst, cold, heat, and the like.”

 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:22

The curse of Genesis 3 is not that you will suffer and die for your sin. That was predetermined and understood in the beginning when God did really say in Genesis 1:16, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

The curse of Genesis 3 [vv. 16-19] is that suffering will accompany the very blessings and commands of God as you abide in them.

Ø To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Ø Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

Ø And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,

This aspect of the curse is precisely what Jesus addresses in the Gospel text presented by His beloved apostle and appointed to be read in His Church on this Jubilate Sunday.

Text: Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,  “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 10:19-22

Did you hear the Good News, the incredibly wonderful promise in our Gospel today? Jesus says, “your sorrow will turn into joy.” Like very Gospel promise, it is a sure thing, a done deal, a dead solid lock. Why? Because Jesus says it.

And as the eternal Word of God, it must be so because He makes it so just as so. Let there be _______ , and there is. There is nothing left for man to do to complete other than to believe it and live in it—or not.

Neither your belief nor the life that you live makes it so. Your belief receives what has been created by His ever living and active Word [Hebrews 4:12], and lives the life made by God by the power of His Holy Spirit working in and through that Word who is Christ.

Unbelief denies the truth, and so declines and refuses to live as it has been created to live and thus lets the blessing go unused.

Peace to you, because we do not have peace. Rejoice! Because we have no joy. Live because we have not life. Salvation because we need saving—most of all from ourselves. Even, believe! Because we have not faith.

God gives us all of these by speaking them into existence among us.

So here Jesus is telling them of the joy He will speak into the disciples, into our, lives of sorrow and tribulation.

It may take the form of life threatening or chronic debilitating health problems like cancer or stroke, lupus or MS. It may be unemployment or underemployment in an unpleasant job. But these are things that come to even unbelievers, though for some not until their very last days after a lifetime of seemingly out of proportion reward and happiness.

But more than that, it will often be particularly because you are a Christian, a member of the body of Christ here on earth—suffering because you have been and are in the process of being born again. Losing a job out of faithfulness to God or family or even neighbor. Losing friends, relatives, even children or spouse to worldly cares.  Watching people leave the church or head to greener pastures.

Remember Noah and his family. We still have more than 8.

So take heart dear Christians. Jubilate! Shout for joy to God. Sing the glory of his name—the glory of suffering, death, and even burial that lead to resurrection.

Your suffering and tribulation and death is not punishment for your sin. That would have to be eternal. That is what Christ suffered and endured for you, for the joy set before Him.

Your suffering and tribulation and death are all part of the birth-pangs of being reborn into the kingdom of God. But , “your sorrow will turn into joy”—joy for you and joy for those who will be brought to faith and into the Church through your suffering, your continuing to bear the cross of Christ in the world as His body here on earth.

The Church is the Ark that saves us, you and every believer, and bears us safely through the troubled waters of tribulation into the kingdom of heaven.

Just as the cross was merely a temporary, though painful and debilitating wound, so is our tribulation. And just as our Lord endured the cross for the joy set before Him, so too is our tribulation only a wounding of our heel we endure for the joy set before us.

[Therefore] let us, [dear brothers and sisters] hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴An let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25

Just as Jesus spoke to His disciples in our Gospel lesson, He is speaking to you today in the DS and especially at His table. “Your sorrow will turn into joy.” Because He is here to forgive you all your sins and give you a better, eternal life--in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Testimony of God

Dear Friends and members of Trinity,

He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!

Quasimodo Geniti Sunday Lectionary Summary
The Wounds of Christ Give Us Life
"For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood" (1 John 5:7). These three point to Christ and flow from Christ. Jesus shows His disciples His hands side, from which blood and water flowed, saying "Peace be with you." He presents the wounds which turn our fear to gladness and which restore us to the Father. Jesus breathes on His disciples and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:23). His breath, His words are Spirit and life. They raise up our dry, dead bones and give us new and everlasting life (Ezek 37:1-14). Christ now gives His ministers to speak His forgiving, Spirit-filled words to the penitent in His stead. Our Lord continues to come to His people, presenting His wounds to us in the Sacraments of water and blood. He bids us to touch His side at His table, to receive His risen body and blood in true faith, that believing we may have life in His name.

Cover Art: Icon of The Profession of Faith of St. Thomas displayed in our Lady Shrine - St. John's Church Greenacre NSW

To listen, pray and sing along with the service, click on this MP3 audio link. http://lcmssermons.com/images/aut52/CY2012/Easter2QuasimodoGeniti.2012.TheTestimonyofGod.mp3

The sermon, "The Testimony of God", begins at 27:45.

The sermon transcript will follow whenever I get around to listening and transcribing it. I don't want anyone reading the manuscript from which I preached lest something be lost.

A blessed Eighth Day as Newborn Infants of God in Christ Jesus to you all.

Izzy

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Laugh!

Posted at http://sacredsandwich.com/

Unbelievable!

He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!

Lectionary Summary
Christ's Resurrection Brings Us Life

“In Adam all die.” For we are all participants in the sin of Adam, who rebelled against God in the garden and brought the curse of death into the world. But “in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22)). For He was faithful to His Father and destroyed death on the holy tree. Jesus, the Second Adam, now walks in the garden in the cool of the day and reveals Himself to the daughter of Eve (John 20:1–18). The risen Christ brings not the curse of death but the blessing of life, the resurrection of the body. He leads us through the baptismal sea to new life on the other side, conquering our mortal enemies in its depths (Ex. 14:10—15:1). In this way our Lord Jesus wipes away the tears from all faces. For He has swallowed up death forever. Let us therefore be glad and rejoice in His salvation (Is. 25:6–9)!

Cover Art: Scenes of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, 1541 attributed to Lambert Lombard (1506-1566)

To listen, pray and sing along with the service, click on this MP3 audio link.
http://lcmssermons.com/​images/aut52/CY2012/​ResurrectionofOurLord.2012U​nbelievable.mp3

The sermon, "Unbelievable!," begins at 33:05.

The sermon transcript will follow whenever I get around to listening and transcribing it. I dont want anyone reading the manuscript from which I preached lest something be lost.

Please stay tuned. :^)

Our Place in the Passion of Our Lord

There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

Lectionary Summary

Behold the Lamb of God, Who Takes Away the Sin of the World

Jesus, the Lamb of God, is led to the slaughter of His cross as the sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the world. "Despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Is. 53:3), He is the righteous Servant who justifies many by His innocent suffering and death. He bears our griefs and carries our sorrows; He is wounded for our transgressions; He is crushed for our iniquities; He suffers our chastisement, so that "with His stripes we are healed" (Is. 53:4-5). As the Son of God, He fulfills the Law for us in human flesh, and so fulfills the Scriptures (John 19:7, 24). For in Christ, "God was reconciling the whole world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Cor. 5:19).

Cover Art: "Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves"
Amand Durand Etching

This is the order of service for the Good Friday Chief Service celebrated at
TRINITY
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
74 N. Fort Lane Blvd.
Layton, Utah
801-544-5770
Rev. Kurt M. Hering, Pastor
www.trinitylayton.org

To listen, pray and sing along with the service, click on this MP3 audio link. The sermon, "Our Place in the Passion of Our Lord," begins at 33:42.

GOOD FRIDAY
Chief Service
April 6, 2012

Today we celebrate God's gift of Holy Communion here at Trinity. In Christ's church, every pastor is called to be a faithful steward of the mysteries of God (1 Corinthians 4:1-2), admitting no one to the Sacrament who has not first been taught and examined according to the Scriptures.
(Augsburg Confession, Art. XXIV ) Therefore, if you are visiting and have not spoken with Pastor prior to the service, he will be delighted to speak with you about our confession of the Christian faith following the Divine Service in order that you may receive the very body and blood of Christ at His table with us here in the future. Until then, you are welcome to receive the sign of the cross in remembrance of your baptismal forgiveness during the distribution of the Sacrament.

Service of the Word

Stand

Collect of the Day

P Let us pray.
Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and delivered into the hands of sinful men to suffer death upon the cross;

C through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Sit

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 52:13-53:12


P The Old Testament Reading for Good Friday is from the 52nd and 53rd chapters of Isaiah.

After the reading:

P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.

Silence

Collect

P Let us pray.
Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins on the cross. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him
C that we fear not the power of sin, death, and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Sit

Epistle Reading 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

P The Epistle is from the 5th chapters of 2 Corinthians.

After the reading:

P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God. Silence

Stand

Collect

P Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, who willed that Your Son should bear for us the pains of the cross and so remove from us the power of the adversary. Help us so to remember and give thanks for our Lord's passion
C Amen.

Sit

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Hymn: "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" LSB #425

P The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St.
John.

Reading: John 18:1-11
(Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus)
Hymn: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," #450 v. 1

Reading: John 18:12-27
(Jesus before the High Priest and the Denial of Peter)
Hymn: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," #450 v. 2

Reading: John 18:28-40
(Jesus before Pilate)
Hymn: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," #450 v. 3

Reading: John 19:1-16a
(Jesus Prepared for Crucifixion)
Hymn: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," #450 v. 4

Reading: John 19:16b-24
(The Crucifixion of Jesus)
Hymn: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," #450 v. 5

Reading: John 19:25-30
(Jesus' Mother and His Death)
Hymn: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," #450 v. 6

Reading: John 19:31-42
(Jesus' Side Is Pierced)
Hymn: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," #450 v. 7

Silence/ Sit

Sermon "Our Place in The Passion of Our Lord"

Hymn of the Day: "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth" LSB #438

Stand

Bidding Prayer

The Bidding Prayer is the traditional prayer that is used on Good Friday. This is taken from the LSB Altar Book (pp. 406ff.).

P Let us pray for the whole Christian Church, that our Lord God would defend her against all the assaults and temptations of the adversary and keep her perpetually on the true foundation, Jesus Christ:
Almighty and everlasting God, since You have revealed Your glory to all nations in Jesus Christ and in the Word of His truth, keep, we ask You, in safety the works of Your mercy

C so that Your Church, spread throughout all the
nations, may be defended against the adversary and may serve You in true faith and persevere in the confession of Your name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

P Let us pray for all the ministers of the Word, for all
vocations in the church, and for all the people of God:
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole
body of the Church is governed and sanctified, receive the supplications and prayers which we offer before You for all Your servants in Your holy Church

C that every member of the same may truly serve You
according to Your calling; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

P Let us pray for our catechumens, that our Lord God would
open their hearts and the door of His mercy that, having received the remission of all their sins by the washing of regeneration, they may be mindful of their Baptism and evermore be found in Christ Jesus, our Lord:

Almighty God and Father, because You always grant
growth to Your Church, increase the faith and understanding of our catechumens

C that, rejoicing in their new birth by the water of Holy
Baptism, they may forever continue in the family of those whom You adopt as Your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

P Let us pray for all in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty:
O merciful Father in heaven, because You hold in Your hand all the might of man and because You have ordained, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do well, all the powers that exist in all the nations of the world, we humbly pray You graciously to regard Your servants, especially our President, Mr. Obama; the Congress of the United States; our Governor, Mr. Herbert; and all those who make, administer, and judge our laws; and all who have authority over us;

C that all who receive the sword as Your ministers may
bear it according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

P Let us pray our Lord God Almighty that He would deliver
the world from all error, take away disease, ward off famine, set free those in bondage, grant health to the sick, and a safe journey to all who travel:
Almighty and everlasting God, the consolation of the sorrowful and the strength of the weak, may the prayers of those who in any tribulation or distress cry to You graciously come before You,

C so that in all their necessities they may rejoice in Your manifold help and comfort; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

P Let us pray for all who are outside the Church, that our
Lord God would be pleased to deliver them from their error, call them to faith in the true and living God and His only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and gather them into His family, the Church:

Almighty and everlasting God, because You seek not the death but the life of all, hear our prayers for all who have no right knowledge of You,

C free them from their error, and for the glory of Your
name bring them into the fellowship of Your holy Church; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

P Let us pray for peace, that we may come to the knowledge
of God's holy Word and walk before Him as is fitting for Christians:
Almighty and everlasting God, King of Glory, and Lord of heaven and earth, by whose Spirit all things are governed, by whose providence all things are ordered, the God of peace and the author of all concord, grant us, we implore You, Your heavenly peace and concord

C that we may serve You in true fear, to the praise and
glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

P Let us pray for our enemies, that God would remember
them in mercy and graciously grant them such things as are both needful for them and profitable for their salvation:
O almighty, everlasting God, through Your only Son, our blessed Lord, You have commanded us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us. We therefore earnestly implore You

C that by Your gracious visitation all our enemies may
be led to true repentance and may have the same love and be of one accord and one mind and heart with us and with Your whole Christian Church; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

P Let us pray for the fruits of the earth, that God would send down His blessing upon them and graciously dispose our hearts to enjoy them according to His own good will:
O Lord, Father Almighty, by Your Word You created and You continue to bless and uphold all things. We pray You so to reveal to us Your Word, our Lord Jesus Christ

C that, through His dwelling in our hearts, we may by
Your grace be made ready to receive Your blessing on all the fruits of the earth and whatsoever pertains to our bodily need; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Stand

The Sentence and Response
Spoken three times in sequence

P Behold the life-giving cross on which was hung the salvation of the world.

C Oh, come, let us worship Him.

Sit

The Reproaches

These are the words of the Lord against His people, the Church, to which the congregation replies with a plea for mercy.

P 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. Micah 6:3-4

Holy Lord God, holy and mighty God, holy and most merciful Redeemer; God eternal, leave us not to bitter death. O Lord, have mercy.

C "Lamb of God, Pure and Holy," LSB #434 st. 1

P 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. Jeremiah 2:6-7

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.

C "Lamb of God, Pure and Holy," LSB #434 st. 2

P Thus says the Lord: What have I done to you, O My people, and wherein have I offended You? Answer Me. What more could I have 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. Isaiah 5:2-4

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.

C "Lamb of God, Pure and Holy," LSB #434 st. 3

Stand

P We adore You, O Lord,

C and we praise and glorify Your holy resurrection.

P For behold, by the wood of Your cross

C joy has come into all the world.

P God be merciful to us and bless us,

C and cause His face to shine upon us, and have mercy upon us.

P We adore You, O Lord,

C and we praise and glorify Your holy resurrection.

P For behold, by the wood of Your cross

C joy has come into all the world.

Stand

Hymn: "Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle" LSB #454

Service of the Sacrament

The Preface

P The Lord be with you.

C And also with you.

P Lift up your hearts.

C We lift them to the Lord.

P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who accomplished the salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross that, where death arose, there life also might rise again and that the serpent who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome. Hear us as we Hear us as we pray in His name and as He has taught us:

The Lord's Prayer

C Our Father, who art in heaven . . .

The Words of Our Lord

P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: "Take eat; this is My + body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me."

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: "Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My + blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

Peace of the Lord

P The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C Amen.

Distribution

Stand

Concluding Collect

P We implore You, O Lord, that Your abundant blessing may be upon Your people, who have had the passion and death of Your Son in devout remembrance

C that we may receive Your pardon and the gift of Your comfort, and may increase in faith and take hold of eternal salvation; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

Hymn: "The Royal Banners Forward Go" LSB #455

The pastor and congregation leave in silence.

+ + +

GOOD FRIDAY AT NOONDAY

GOOD FRIDAY AT NOONDAY

To listen to the service and pray along, go to this MP3 audio link.

http://lcmssermons.com/images/aut52/CY2012/ GoodFridayNoonday.mp3

The minister enters in silence and goes to his place.

STAND

SENTENCES AND COLLECTS

P: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him,
C: and with His stripes we are healed.

P: Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the cross;

C: who now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

P:We all, like sheep, have gone astray;
C: and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

P: Almighty and most merciful God, give us grace so to contemplate the Passion of our Lord

C: that we may find in it the forgiveness of our sins; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.

SIT

The HYMN, “Upon the Cross Extended,” LSB # 453, is sung.

COLLECTS ON THE SEVEN WORDS

THE FIRST WORD:

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” Luke 23:34

P: Lord Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God was taken, and by the hand of wicked men was crucified and slain, and did make intercession for the transgressors, we pray Thee, grant unto us all the blessed assurance that there is now no condemnation to them which are in Thee,

C: and that, if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father in Thee, the Righteous, whose blood speaks better things than Abel’s blood, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE SECOND WORD:

“Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise” Luke 23:43

P: Lord Jesus Christ, Thou merciful King and Prince of Peace, who didst veil Thy divine glory and was robed in humility, crowned with thorns, nailed upon the tree of shame, and numbered with the transgressors, we thank Thee that Thou hast remembered us in our condemnation and hast translated us into Thy Kingdom of Grace.

C: We pray Thee, rule in our hearts and lives with the scepter of Thy Word, and when life’s brief day is ended, take us with Thee into Paradise, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE THIRD WORD:

“Woman, behold thy son!” – “Behold thy mother!” John 19:26, 27

P: O Compassionate Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee for Thy perfect obedience which Thou did render for us even to the death of the cross. We pray Thee, grant us Thy Holy Spirit, that He may write Thy holy Law upon our hearts, so that, following Thy example of filial love and obedience, we may honor and serve our parents, and, from the least to the greatest, may learn obedience and walk in Thy footsteps.

C: And let Thy strength be made perfect in our weakness, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE FOURTH WORD:

“My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46

P: Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Author and Finisher of our faith, who didst tread the winepress of God’s wrath alone and wast made a curse for us on the accursed tree, being forsaken of God, we pray Thee, grant that our faith in Thee may never know doubt or change. Strengthen us in the sure knowledge and confidence that nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Thee and that, though Thy Father hide His face from us in a little moment of wrath,

C: we may never despair of His loving-kindness, for the sake of Thy bitter agony, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE FIFTH WORD:

“I thirst!” John 19:28

P: O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Redeemer of the world, who on the cross didst endure the pains and anguish of body and soul to accomplish all things for our redemption and in Thy cry “I thirst!” didst reveal Thy fervent desire and zeal to draw all men unto Thyself,

C: grant that the souls of men everywhere may hear Thy gracious Gospel and drink of the waters of life and be satisfied, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE SIXTH WORD:

“It is finished!” John 19:30

P: Lord Jesus, who on the cross didst cry out: “It is finished!” we thank Thee that Thou didst complete the work which Thy Father gave Thee to do: Thou didst fulfill the Law of God for us; Thou didst bear its curse in our stead; Thou didst reconcile all men to God.

C: Grant that we may with our whole heart believe this and that we may never rely on any work or merit of our own, but always trust in Thy finished work on Calvary, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE SEVENTH WORD:

“Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit” Luke 23:46

P: Lord Jesus Christ, who in Thy dying moment didst commend Thy soul into Thy Father’s hands, thereby assuring us that Thou didst finish the work of our redemption and that Thy Father is well pleased in Thee, we pray Thee,

C: grant us by Thy Holy Spirit such confidence in Thy redemption that, washed of our sin in Thy blood, we, too, in our dying hour may confidently commend our soul into the Father’s hand, trusting wholly in Thy merits, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The HYMN, “O O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” LSB #450, is sung.

STAND

PRAYERS

P: O Savior of the world, by Your cross and precious blood You redeemed the world.

C: Save us and help us, we humbly implore You, O Lord.

P: We adore You, Lord Jesus, in Your cross and Passion, through which You have brought life and joy into the world.

C: Be gracious to us according to Your mercy and bless us and lift up the Light of Your countenance upon us and give us Your peace.

P: Gracious Jesus, our Lord and our God, at this hour You bore our sins in Your own body on the tree so that we, being dead to sin, might live unto righteousness.

C: Have mercy upon us now and at the hour of our death and grant to us, Your servants, with all others who devoutly remember Your blessed Passion, a holy and peaceful life in this world and through Your grace eternal glory in the life to come, where, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, You live and reign, God forever. Amen.

P: Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

C: have mercy upon us.

P: Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;

C: have mercy upon us.

P: Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world;
C: grant us peace.

STAND

BLESSING

P: Christ crucified draw you to Himself, to find in Him a sure ground of faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the + Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you now and forever.

C: Amen.

The minister and worshipers leave in silence.

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