Maundy Thursday 2011

Holy Communion

Emmanuel 8pm

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Welcome to Emmanuel Church for our Maundy Thursday

liturgy with Holy Communion.

Our service this evening will focus on the person of Judas Iscariot.

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¶ The Betrayal 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. Let us offer one another a sign of peace. The Welcome

I CANNOT TELL why He, whom angels worship, Should set His love upon the sons of men, Or why, as Shepherd, He should seek the wanderers, To bring them back, they know not how or when. But this I know, that He was born of Mary, When Bethlehem's manger was His only home, And that He lived at Nazareth and laboured, And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is come.

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I cannot tell how silently He suffered, As with His peace He graced this place of tears, Or how His heart upon the cross was broken, The crown of pain to three-and-thirty years. But this I know, He heals the broken-hearted, And stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear, And lifts the burden from the heavy-laden, For yet the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is here. I cannot tell how He will win the nations, How He will claim His earthly heritage, How satisfy the needs and aspirations Of east and west, of sinner and of sage. But this I know, all flesh shall see His glory, And He shall reap the harvest He has sown, And some glad day His sun shall shine in splendour, When He the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is known. I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship, When, at his bidding, every storm is stilled, Or who can say how great the jubilation When all the hearts of men with love are filled. But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture, And myriad, myriad human voices sing, And earth to heaven, and heaven to earth, will answer: 'At last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!'

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First Reading Matthew 26:14-19 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him. On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. The Talk Part 1 In the old market square of Boston in Lincolnshire an effigy of Judas used to be placed near the stocks and the locals would hurl clods of mud until it was destroyed. If any of the effigy remained at the end of Lent it would be torn down and burned. Lenten customs like these were once common in the British Isles and are still common in other parts of the world.

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Nowadays, Judas Iscariot’s life and death is more likely to engage the mind of the historian or the psychologist than the baying of the mob. There is something terribly tragic about the story we are entering here, tonight. Judas’ betrayal of Christ was more likely a terrible misunderstanding than an outright act of spite. There is something horrifying about the story we are entering here, tonight. None of us are beyond a Judas moment. In our own way many of us have been both betrayer and betrayed. By the table here, is a pile of silver coins – like the pieces of silver given to Judas for his betrayal. Come and take one now. Take coins (music played) Look at the side with queen’s head on it. As you look at this call to mind a moment where you have felt betrayed. How did that feel? Now turn the coin over. Have you ever been the betrayer? It’s much harder to be honest about this isn’t it? What does our betrayal look like. It might be as subtle as slowly and subtly undermining someone. Hold onto these coins – you will need them later.

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MY LORD, WHAT LOVE IS THIS That pays so dearly, That I, the guilty one, May go free!

Amazing love, O what sacrifice, The Son of God given for me. My debt He pays, and my death He dies, That I might live, that I might live. (Last time only) That I might live!

And so they watched Him die, Despised, rejected; But oh, the blood He shed Flowed for me! And now, this love of Christ Shall flow like rivers; Come wash your guilt away, Live again! Graham Kendrick. Copyright © 1989 Make Way Music.

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¶ The Last Supper Second Reading Matthew 26:20-30 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so." While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

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The Talk Part 2 Nothing hurts quite like a betrayal. The closer the relationship the deeper the wound. The human heart is softened by closeness to another person. As friendship or love flourish so the heart grows softer and more vulnerable. When that open and vulnerable heart is betrayed it creates unbearable pain. Betrayal is a breach of trust. The heart reels and it can take many years before risking vulnerability again. Jesus is in a room with his disciples. It is the most intimate and important meal of their three years together. When we have been betrayed it can take years to heal the pain and we may never be able to share a meal with our betrayer, but Jesus shares bread and wine with his betrayer. His betrayer is as welcome to eat Christ’s body and blood as the other eleven. Even betrayal does not stop him extending the hand of fellowship to his betrayer. That coin in your hand. Look at it again. How often do we want to buy our way into God’s affections? Not literally of course, but buy our way into his affections with good behaviour, with being a proper Christian, by not shopping on a Sunday, by observing certain rituals, by not swearing, by being contained, or restrained. Do we really think that this will buy us a place at the meal table? Jesus shared the meal table with his betrayer, how much more does he welcome us, free of charge.

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YOU LAID ASIDE YOUR MAJESTY, Gave up everything for me, Suffered at the hands of those You had created. You took all my guilt and shame, When You died and rose again; Now today You reign, In heaven and earth exalted. I really want to worship You, my Lord, You have won my heart And I am Yours for ever and ever; I will love You. You are the only one who died for me, Gave Your life to set me free, So I lift my voice to You in adoration. Noel Richards Copyright © 1985 Thankyou Music.

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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 right to praise You, Father, Lord of all creation; in Your love You made us for Yourself. When we turned away You did not reject us, but came to meet us in Your Son. You embraced us as Your children and welcomed us to sit and eat with You. In Christ You shared our life that we might live in Him and He in us. He opened His arms of love upon the cross and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.

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On the night He was betrayed, at supper with His friends He took bread, and gave you thanks; He broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me. Father, we do this in remembrance of Him: His body is the bread of life. At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, He gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins; do this in remembrance of me. Father, we do this in remembrance of Him: His blood is shed for all. As we proclaim His death and celebrate His rising in glory,send Your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine may be to us the body and blood of Your dear Son. As we eat and drink these holy gifts make us one in Christ, our risen Lord. With Your whole Church throughout the world we offer You this sacrifice of praise and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

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Breaking of the Bread Every time we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Giving of Communion Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper. Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed. Distribution of Communion

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AMAZING GRACE! how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed! Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; ’Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures. Yes, when this heart and flesh shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil A life of joy and peace. When we’ve been there a thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun. John Newton.

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¶ The Agony of the Garden The Third Reading Matthew 26: 36-50 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want." Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again he went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand." While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him."

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At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Talk Part 3 In the end it wasn’t just Judas who betrayed him. In the garden the whole cast is finally assembled – the priests, the large crowd with swords and clubs, the disciples, and of course, Judas. The message is clear – Judas betrayed him, the disciples feel asleep, the priests were protecting their privilege, the soldiers were blindly following orders. Betrayal comes in many forms. Like the disciples it can be as simple as falling asleep, failing to see the need and closing our eyes. Like the priests, it can be as calculating as organising a secret midnight raid on Gethsemane, ruthlessly stabbing your competitor in the back to protect your own best interests. Like the soldiers it can be blindly doing what we are told or not challenging systematic wrongdoing. Like Judas, it can simply be a wild and stupid mistake, a mistaken understanding, or something we will do for thirty pieces of silver. Look again at your coin. What is your price? We’ve all got one.

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In the end the betrayal was executed with the intimacy of a kiss. This should be a warning that worship and betrayal are not mutually exclusive. Jesus is going now to the cross, he calls us to walk with him there. YOU LED ME TO THE CROSS, And I saw Your face of mercy In that place of love. You opened up my eyes To believe Your sweet salvation, Where I'd been so blind. Now that I'm living in Your all-forgiving love, My every road leads to the cross. Jesus, keep me near the cross, I won't forget the love You've shown. Saviour, teach me of the cross, I won't forget the love, I won't forget the love You've shown. And there's an empty tomb, That tells me of Your resurrection And my life in You. The stone lies rolled away, Nothing but those folded grave clothes Where Your body lay. Now that I'm living as a risen child of God, My every road leads to the cross. Matt Redman Copyright © 1999 Thankyou Music

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Prayer of Intercession Like Jesus let us pray for a few moments in the garden. Our coin reminds us of the needs of the world. For the poor, the oppressed and the despairing. Our coin reminds us that we can be part of the solution. Let us pray in silence. The Lord’s Prayer As our Saviour taught us, so we pray Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

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¶ The Repentance The Fourth Reading Matthew 27:3-10 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me." Talk Part 4 Matthew traces not just Jesus’ journey to the cross, but the agony of Judas and his demise. In the end Judas throws his thirty pieces of silver down in despair. Judas, like Peter, realises what he’s done and is grieved to his very soul. But unlike Peter there is no breakfast restoration on the shores of Lake Galilee.

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I wonder what became of Judas. I can’t believe that Jesus doesn’t have a plan of salvation for him too. If we are all like Judas in our own way, then we need him to be restored. Ruth Etchells in her poem, “The Ballad of the Judas Tree” plays with this very idea of restoration. In Hell there grew a Judas Tree Where Judas hanged and died Because he could not bear to see His master crucified Our Lord descended into Hell And found his Judas there For ever hanging on the tree Grown from his own despair So Jesus cut his Judas down And took him in his arms "It was for this I came" he said "And not to do you harm My Father gave me twelve good men And all of them I kept Though one betrayed and one denied Some fled and others slept In three days' time I must return To make the others glad But first I had to come to Hell And share the death you had My tree will grow in place of yours Its roots lie here as well There is no final victory Without this soul from Hell"

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So when we all condemned him As of every traitor worst Remember that of all his men Our Lord forgave him first In a moment I want us to part with our silver coin and to allow the love and grace of Christ to affirm our status as forgiven. Forgiven in such a way that we are unable to look down on anyone else in the church or outside the church ever again, because we, like Judas, are forgiven our betrayals. As we sing Such Love in a moment come and place your coin on this table. Prayers of Penitence Our Lord Jesus Christ 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. A period of reflection is observed.

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Kyrie Confessions Have mercy on us, O God, in your great goodness; according to the abundance of your compassion blot out our offences. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Purge us from our sin and we shall be clean; wash us and we shall be whiter than snow. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. SUCH LOVE, pure as the whitest snow; Such love, weeps for the shame I know; Such love, paying the debt I owe; O Jesus, such love. Such love, stilling my restlessness; Such love, filling my emptiness; Such love, showing me holiness; O Jesus, such love.

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Such love, springs from eternity; Such love, streaming through history; Such love, fountain of life to me; O Jesus, such love. Graham Kendrick Copyright © 1999 Make Way Music

May the Father forgive you by the death of his Son and strengthen you to live in the power of the Spirit all your days. Amen. The Dismissal “You believe at last!” Jesus answered. But a time is coming and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. And the disciples left him…and fled! The ministers and people depart in silence.