The Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you
and also with you.
Brothers and sisters, welcome to this Holy Eucharist that we celebrate on this most holy night as we enter into the three days of the celebration of our Lord’s paschal victory, his death and resurrection. This year our entering in will be different yet our need to hear again the story of our salvation remains.
Let us begin our journey by acknowledging our need of God’s love and mercy as we call to mind words of our Lord Jesus who says:
“If you love me, keep my commandments. Unless I wash you, you have no part in me.”
Let us confess to almighty God our sins against his love, and ask him to cleanse us.
Before you, Jesus Christ, we admit how and where we have underestimated our influence, letting our words or silences hurt, abusing trust, betraying confidences.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
We admit how and where we have made a show of our religion, attracting more attention to us, and less to you.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
We admit to where in our lives a vague interest has become a dangerous passion, and we are not sure what to do or whether we are still in control.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ, if we have looked or longed for an easier gospel, a lighter cross, a less demanding saviour, then turn our eyes and avert our longing from what we want to choose to the one who has chosen us. Forgive our unfaithfulness, and, for our better living, give us not the remedy we desire tomorrow, but the grace you offer today. We ask this for your love’s sake.
Amen.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father.
We worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us.
You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
The Collect
Let us pray that we may love one another as Christ has loved us.
Silence is kept.
God our Father,
you have invited us to share in the supper
which your Son gave to his Church
to proclaim his death until he comes:
may he nourish us by his presence,
and unite us in his love;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word
A reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians.
Beloved: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Corinthians 11: 23 – 26
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn
We pray thee, heavenly Father, to hear us in thy love,
And pour upon thy children the unction from above;
That so in love abiding, from all defilement free,
We may in pureness offer our Eucharist to thee.
Be thou our guide and helper, O Jesu Christ, we pray;
So may we well approach thee, if thou wilt be the Way:
Thou, very truth, hast promised to help us in our strife,
Food of the weary pilgrim, eternal source of life.
And thou, creator Spirit, look on us, we are thine;
Renew in us thy graces, upon our darkness shine;
That, with thy benediction, upon our souls outpoured,
We may receive in gladness the body of the Lord.
O Trinity of Persons, O Unity most high,
On thee alone relying thy servants would draw nigh;
Unworthy in our weakness, on thee our hope is stayed,
And blessed by thy forgiveness we will not be afraid.
Gospel Reading
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
Love one another as I have loved you.
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
“Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
The Way of Love – Part One
Maundy Thursday – The showing of love
Prayers of Intercession
In the power of the Spirit let us pray to the Father through Christ the saviour of the world.
Father, on this, the night he was betrayed, your Son Jesus Christ washed his disciples’ feet. We commit ourselves to follow his example of love and service.
Lord, hear us
and humble us.
On this night, he prayed for his disciples to be one. We pray for the unity of your Church.
Lord, hear us
and unite us.
On this night, he prayed for those who were
to believe through his disciples’ message. We pray for the mission of your Church.
Lord, hear us
and renew our zeal.
On this night, he commanded his disciples to love, but suffered rejection himself. We pray for the rejected and unloved.
Lord, hear us
and fill us with your love.
On this night, he reminded his disciples that if the world hated them it hated him first. We pray for those who are persecuted for their faith.
Lord, hear us
and give us your peace.
On this night, he accepted the cup of death and looked forward to the new wine of the kingdom. We remember those who have died in the peace of Christ.
Lord, hear us
and welcome all your children into paradise.
The Liturgy of the Sacrament
The Peace
Jesus says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Preparation of the Table
The Taking of the Bread and Wine
Hymn
We hail thy presence glorious,
O Christ our great High Priest,
O’er sin and death victorious,
At thy thanksgiving feast:
As thou art interceding
For us in heav’n above,
Thy Church on earth is pleading
Thy perfect work of love.
Through thee in ev’ry nation
Thine own their hearts upraise,
Off’ring one pure oblation,
One sacrifice of praise:
With thee in blest communion
The living and the dead
Are joined in closest union,
One Body with one Head.
O living bread from heaven,
Jesu, our Saviour good,
Who thine own self hast given
To be our souls’ true food;
For us thy body broken
Hung on the cross of shame:
This bread its hallowed token
We break in thy dear name.
O stream of love unending,
Poured from the one true vine,
With our weak nature blending
The strength of life divine;
Our thankful faith confessing
In thy life-blood outpoured,
We drink this cup of blessing
And praise thy name, O Lord.
The Presentation of the Gifts
At the eucharist we are with our crucified and risen Lord.
We know that it was not only our ancestors, but we who were redeemed and brought forth from bondage to freedom,from mourning to feasting. We know that as he was with them in the upper room so our Lord is with us now.
Until the kingdom of God comes
let us celebrate this feast.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of the universe,
you bring forth bread from the earth.
Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of the universe,
you create the fruit of the vine.
Blessed be God for ever.
The Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you thanks,
Father most holy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
For on this night he girded himself with a towel
and, taking the form of a servant,
washed the feet of his disciples.
He gave us a new commandment
that we should love one another as he has loved us.
Knowing that his hour had come,
in his great love he gave this supper to his disciples
to be a memorial of his passion,
that we might proclaim his death until he comes again,
and feast with him in his kingdom.
Therefore earth unites with heaven
to sing a new song of praise;
we too join with angels and archangels
for ever praising you and saying:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness;
grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit,
and according to your holy will,
these gifts of bread and wine
may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ;
who, on this the night he was betrayed,
took bread and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper
he took the cup and gave you thanks;
he gave it to them, saying:
Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus:
Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life:
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross,
his perfect sacrifice made once
for the sins of the whole world;
rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension,
and looking for his coming in glory,
we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.
As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
we bring before you this bread and this cup
and we thank you for counting us worthy
to stand in your presence and serve you.
Send the Holy Spirit on your people here and in their homes
and gather into one in your kingdom
all who share this one bread and one cup,
so that we, in the company of Blessed Mary and all the saints,
may praise and glorify you for ever,
through Jesus Christ our Lord;
by whom, and with whom, and in whom,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Trusting in the compassion of God
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
The president breaks the consecrated bread.
Every time we eat this bread
and drink this cup
we proclaim the Lord’s death
until he comes.
The Invitation to Communion
God’s holy gifts, for God’s holy people.
Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
The consecrated elements are distributed and consumed.
Those participating symbolically with bread and wine at home are also invited to eat and drink at this point.
Prayer after Communion
Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank you that in this wonderful sacrament
you have given us the memorial of your passion:
grant us so to reverence the sacred mysteries
of your body and blood
that we may know within ourselves
and show forth in our lives
the fruits of your redemption,
for you are alive and reign,
now and for ever.
Amen.
Hymn
The service ends with this hymn during which the altar is stripped and after which we, each in our own way journey with Jesus to the garden for The Watch.
Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful,
Most sure in all his ways.
O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight,
And to the rescue came.
O wisest love! that flesh and blood,
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail.
And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence and his very self,
And essence all-divine.
O generous love! that he, who smote,
In Man for man the foe,
The double agony in Man
For man should undergo.
And in the garden secretly,
And on the cross on high,
Should teach his brethren, and inspire
To suffer and to die.
Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful,
Most sure in all his ways.