Verse of the week: “he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and… he bore the sin of many,” Is 53.12
Prayer of
the week: O God, holy and eternal, you call us into the
fellowship of that holy suffering by which your dear Son, our Savior, conquered
sin, death and the power of the devil.
Grant that we may trust his passion, accept the cross as his disciples,
and that your holy will be done among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das Jahr der Kirche, 2nd edition
(Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948), p. 249, revised]
Bible
reading for the day: Mark 14.17-72 (scripture – which many times
will recount a thousand years in one sentence – slows way down to tell in
detail the truth of this evening, these hours.)
And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And
as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say
to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They
began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He
said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread
into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man
goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of
Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been
born.”
22 And as they were eating, he took bread,
and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and
said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he
took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all
drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is
my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly,
I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day
when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they
went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus
said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I
will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But
after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter
said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus
said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster
crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he
said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all
said the same.
32 And they went to a place called
Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And
he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly
distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to
them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here
and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he
fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour
might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba,
Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from
me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And
he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you
asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch
and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak.”39 And again he went
away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And
again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy,
and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And
he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and
taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of
Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise,
let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
43 And immediately, while he was still
speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords
and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now
the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man.
Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And
when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And
he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him
and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by
drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off
his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you
come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day
after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 And
they all left him and fled.
51 And a young man followed him, with
nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but
he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
53 And they led Jesus to the high
priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came
together. 54 And Peter had followed him at a
distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was
sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. 55 Now
the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against
Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 For
many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not
agree. 57 And some stood up and bore false witness
against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I
will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will
build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet
even about this their testimony did not agree. 60 And
the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to
make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 61 But he
remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”62 And
Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the
right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And
the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we
need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is
your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. 65 And
some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him,
saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.
66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard,
one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and
seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were
with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it,
saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the
gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And
the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is
one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after
a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of
them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to
invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you
speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster
crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to
him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three
times.” And he broke down and wept.
Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, you give
yourself for the forgiveness of disciples who run away instead of follow you,
for sinners who deny you instead of confess you, for beloved ones who dine at
your table and betray you; that is to say: you give yourself for me. Thank
you! When I and your church betray and
fall away, when we fall asleep, when our testimony is false and empty of your
Word… retrieve us O Lord, restore us to you. You are the Christ, the Son of God
and Son of Man, our blessed and only redeemer.
In your name, Jesus, amen.
What is
the benefit of such eating and drinking (of the Lord’s supper)?
The benefit of
the sacrament is pointed out in these words: “Given and shed for you for the
forgiveness of sins.” Through these words the forgiveness of sin, life, and
salvation are given to us in the Sacrament, for where there is forgiveness of
sin, there is also life and salvation.
(from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources,
Sola Publishing, 2011)
Anthem: for a meditation on Christ’s passion,
put your ear buds in or get to a personal space and listen to Samuel Barber’s
“Angus Dei”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW743K3yDms
Benediction: O
taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in
him. (Psalm 34:8)
T: thanksgiving
