Transformation through Communion

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Luke 19:28–40 ESV

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Psalter #839

Opening Prayer

Almighty and everlasting god, in your tender love for us you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon himself our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and come to share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Opening Hymn - “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” #278

Joys and Concerns

Pastoral Prayer

What a joy it is to celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem! The disciples gathered the colt for him to ride; people shouted “Hosanna!”, waved palm branches and placed their cloaks in the path of the colt. Even when some were cautious, Jesus reminded them that the stones would sing out. For triumph was truly coming to the Holy City, triumph in a way they couldn’t imagine. So we, this day, wave our palms, sing and shout “Hosanna!”. We want Jesus to ride into all the places of tension and anger of our lives. We want Jesus to heal the hurts and establish His reign of peace forever. The parade is a good thing. It is not to be discounted as inconsequential to the events ahead. We need to shout with joy and let the shouts ring in our hearts. Bring us hope, gracious Lord, where we have allowed fear and confusion to reside. Bring us healing, where we have been wounded or have wounded others by our thoughts, words, and deeds. Bring us peace, where we have been bombarded by anger and alienation. Bring us with you, into the holy city, not made with human hands, but in your heavenly realm. AMEN.

Hymn of Praise - “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed” #294

Luke 22:1–23 ESV

1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. 3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. 7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

As we enter into Holy Week, there are many different events in the last week of Jesus’ earthly life that are foundational to our witness as Christians. We begin with Palm Sunday and the honoring of Jesus as Messiah as he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. We end with Jesus’ crucifixion by the hands of the Jewish authorities and the Roman government. All that happens in between these two events reflects what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Our passage today is one such event - the Last Supper. This event has been depicted in art and culture for centuries. When we think of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples our minds go to the image of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous fresco painting on the wall of the dining room in a former convent in Milan, Italy. But the last supper is a lasting part of the church. All that happens around that table lead to what happens immediately after and point to a greater event that will happen in the future. All of this is within the context of the Passover meal that would have been observed by many that same night in Jerusalem.

1. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of our liberation from the slavery of sin through Christ’s death on the cross. (vs. 1-13)

Zechariah 9:11 ESV

11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

2. The Lord’s Supper is the celebration of the God’s final salvation at the messianic banquet. (vs. 14-16)

Revelation 19:6–9 ESV

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

3. The Lord’s Supper establishes the new covenant as a covenant of grace. (vs. 17-23)

Jeremiah 31:31 ESV

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

Exodus 24:8 ESV

8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

The Holy Eucharist

Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another. Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

All: Glory to God. Amen.

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. From the earth you bring forth bread and create the fruit of the vine. You formed us in your image, delivered us from captivity, and made covenant to be our sovereign God. You fed us manna in the wilderness and gave grapes as evidence of the promised land.

And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

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.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. When we had turned aside from your way and abused your gifts, you gave us in him your crowning gift. Emptying himself, that our joy might be full, he fed the hungry, healed the sick, ate with the scorned and forgotten, washed his disciples’ feet, and gave a holy meal as a pledge of his abiding presence.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

Now, when we your people prepare for the yearly feast of Easter, you lead us to repentance for sin and the cleansing of our hearts, that during these forty days of Lent we may be gifted and graced to reaffirm the covenant you made with us through Christ.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.

Amen.

And now with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us by saying, ...

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, and the power,

and the glory, forever. Amen.

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. The bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

The cup over which we give thanks is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

GIVING THE BREAD AND THE CUP

Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing Hymn - “Come Ye Sinners to the Gospel Feast”

Benediction

Go now in joy! Remember the day of celebration when Jesus boldly and humbly rode into the city of fear and anger. Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Go in peace. AMEN.