MAUNDY THURSDAY WORSHIP Grace Lutheran Church • Tucson, Arizona April 6, 2023 Maundy Thursday (from the Latin ‘mandatum’, meaning “command,” John 13:34) recalls Christ’s institution of Holy Communion at the Last Supper on the night he was betrayed. During the Passover meal, Jesus gave the disciples his body and blood together with the bread and wine. Each time we celebrate this sacrament we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
WELCOME
OPENING HYMN—Lamb of God
Christian Worship 550
Please stand
INVOCATION Minister: In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Congregation: Amen.
CONFESSION OF SIN Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this Lenten season we have heard again how our Lord walked the path of suffering which led him to the cross for our salvation. We have also heard our Lord’s call to intensify our struggle against sin, death, and the devil—all that keeps us from loving God and one another. This is the struggle to which we were committed at Baptism; God’s forgiveness and the power of his Spirit to amend our lives continue with us because of his love for us in Jesus our Savior. Within the family of the Church, God never wearies of giving peace and new life. In the absolution, we receive forgiveness as from God himself. This absolution we should not doubt but firmly believe that our sins are thus forgiven before God in heaven, for it comes to us in the name and by the command of our Lord. We who receive God’s love in Jesus Christ are called to love one another, to be servants to each other, as Jesus became our servant.
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