Holy Thursday Service | April 14, 2022

Welcome

*Pull down the walk-in playlist music.

*Silence, or Frank playing underneath until the first song (???)

This is a gathering to reflect on the events that took place on a Thursday night and Friday morning in Jerusalem 2000 years ago.

We reflect on Jesus’s betrayal, his arrest, and his crucifixion.

More than that, we reflect on the meaning of these events.

This is intended to be a more somber, reflective and responsive service than you typically experience on a weekend at Forest Hill.

TRANSITION: Let’s begin tonight by focusing our hearts and minds on a passage of Scripture written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, which foretells the events of Holy Thursday and Good Friday in a powerful way.

Corporate Scripture Reading

Please stand, and read aloud during the portions where instructed to do so.

Isaiah 53:1-12 ESV - Call and Response [on screens]

Reader:

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

Together:

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Reader:

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

Together:

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.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

Reader:

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

Together:

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Reader:

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

Together:

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Pray, then sing

“Crowns” - Matt and Frank

“Lead Me to the Cross” - Matt and Frank

Time of Confession - Gray

Corporate Confession [on screens]

Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy, forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.

Individual Confession - Red Cards

Take a moment to reflect on the ways you have personally sinned against God. Use the next few moments to write them on the red card you received on the way in, and hold onto it until later in the service.

Open space for writing on cards. Matt will bring things back in his timing.

“Old Rugged Cross” - Matt and Frank

Matt prays. Gray moving to stage during prayer.

Homily

How is it that the crucifixion of a Jewish rabbi named Jesus of Nazareth nearly 2,000 years ago continues to inspire and challenge people globally, including those of us living in 21st century America?

The Romans crucified thousands of men, including Jewish men — rabbis and religious leaders — throughout the centuries. We know not their names nor their stories. We do not draw inspiration from their deaths. We do not reflect on what their suffering means for us, because their deaths mean nothing to us — they change nothing for us.

So why Jesus?

How is Jesus’s crucifixion and death different?

What happened on the cross of Christ that actually changes things for us today?

To answer this question, we need to go back even further — to the prophetic words of Isaiah, who wrote nearly 500 years before the birth of Jesus.

We read this passage earlier, but I want to focus and reflect on just two verses quickly tonight to help you see and understand why the cross of Jesus is not just an historical event. The cross of Jesus is a place of cosmic significance for you and for me.

Isaiah 53:5–6 (ESV) [on screens throughout homily / communion]

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.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

To understand the cross’s significance for you tonight, we need to see three things which we find in these verses:

1. Sin of Man

First we see that there is a problem of sin.

“Sin” = Missing the mark, as in archery — not hitting the bullseye.

The Bible describes mankind as having a “sin nature,” meaning that at the core of our being — in our hearts — we are sinful — we miss the mark of what it means to be human: worshiping God by obeying Him and reflecting His character with our lives.

So sin starts as a problem of the heart.

Second, we see that sin leads to law-breaking.

“Transgressions” = Breaking God’s moral law

Sins of commission = doing what you know you’re not supposed to do

Sins of omission = not doing what you know you’re supposed to do

Same idea as “trespasses”

Our sinful hearts prevent us from worshiping God by obeying Him and reflecting His character with our lives.

They then lead us to actively break the law of God as revealed in His Word, the Bible.

Third, our sinful behaviors make us guilty.

“Iniquity” = legal term, a sentence of guilt carried by someone who has broken the law and been charged guilty

In the divine courtroom, God sees our law-breaking, and calls us guilty as charged

So to summarize: Here in two verses, we see that we have sinful hearts that lead us to break God’s law and incur guilt.

We also see that, if the servant’s suffering brings “peace” then currently we can be described as being at war.

If the servant’s wounds bring “healing” then currently we are sick.

If “we are like sheep gone astray” then currently we are lost.

We see clearly the sin of man, which leads us to see, secondly, the justice of God.

2. Justice of God

Our sinful hearts lead to lawbreaking, which leads to guilt which requires punishment.

“Chastisement” = punishment as a result of guilt

There is divine punishment that is required. God must punish those who break his moral law, who fail to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love their neighbor as themself.

Why?

God is holy.

God is morally spotless in character and action, upright, pure, and untainted with evil desires, motives, thoughts, words, or acts. God is holy, and as such is the source and standard of what is right. (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology)

God is just.

God is just, meaning he judges in accordance with His holy, righteous character.

It is impossible for God to look at a sinful act and call it “good” or sweep it under the rug.

This leads us into a problem, because in our sinfulness...

We have dishonored His holiness.

We have despised His righteousness.

We have rejected His sovereignty.

Because of our sin, we deserve God’s wrath — an eternity separated from Him in a place the Bible calls Hell.

You’re probably thinking, “Man, do my shortcomings really demand God’s wrath? It’s not like I’m Hitler or Putin!”

ILLUSTRATION:

Let me explain it this way:

If you punch a wall, you’re not guilty.

If you punch your neighbor, you’re guilty and you may be charged with assault.

If you punch the President, you’re guilty of a federal crime and you’re going to prison for a long time.

The same action - punching - vastly different consequences.

Why?

It’s not just the severity of your sin which determines the consequences of it — it’s also the significance of the person sinned against.

**If you sin against an infinitely Holy God, you are infinitely guilty.

So to summarize again: We all - you, me, your mom, everyone who has ever lived — have sinful hearts, which lead us to break God’s law, making us guilty at a cosmic level, such that we deserve God’s wrath as punishment.

This is a precarious situation to find yourself in.

3. Love of God

God is not only a God of justice. He is also a God of love.

Isaiah foretold a suffering servant who would come, and although He would be perfectly righteous, would suffer in the place of the guilty.

So Jesus became our substitute:

Accused of law-breaking, even though the wrongdoing was ours.

Charged as guilty, even though the guilt was ours.

Punished with the most extreme punishment available - crucifixion.

**And this is why Jesus’s crucifixion is different from any other in the history of the world.

When Jesus died on the cross, he took not his own guilt, but ours.

He suffered in our place, on our behalf.

More than that, he absorbed the wrath of God towards us and our sin in His body.

Why do you think, on that Thursday night 2,000 years ago, Jesus was sweating blood while praying in the Garden?

We hear of other martyrs through history who have gone to their deaths with much more valiance and courage, some singing as they were burned alive or praying forgiveness for their enemies as they were skinned alive.

Were they stronger in the face of persecution than Jesus?

No — the cross is not what made Jesus sweat blood. It was the wrath of God.

“Remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will be done, but yours.” Jesus prayed.

The cup - foretold by the prophets for generations - the cup of the wrath of God.

The cup which had continued to be filled to the brim because of humanity’s sin, past, present, and future.

Jesus, on the cross, in his death, drank it to the dregs.

If you want to see how much God hates sin, look at the cross.

Look at its brutality. Look at how much he suffered. Look at the effect of just the thought of the wrath of God affected Jesus emotionally and spiritually. Look at what our sin cost Him!

But if you want to see how much God loves sinners, look at the cross.

Look at Jesus, the Suffering Servant, willfully going to that place for us. On his own accord, going to suffer in our place, so that we would be free.

Isaiah 53:5–6 (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.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

**Now, how does this practically change your life?

By faith in what Jesus did for you - recognizing that you cannot pay for your sins yourself — God charges your guilt to the cross. Christ pays it in full for you. You are free, you are forgiven! You are healed by his wounds. You are given peace. You can trust that when you confess to Him your sins, they are already forgiven.

Without faith in Jesus and His work on the cross, you are still under the weight of sin. Guilty. Sick. Lost.

Tonight, whether for the first time or the thousandth time, look at the cross. Bring him your sins, and take on His righteousness, and find peace.

Response: Communion, Cards on Nails

Set up Communion...

That Thursday night when Jesus was betrayed, he gathered with his disciples to celebrate Passover.

The Passover celebrated when God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. It harkened back to one of the first times a substitute stepped in, spilling its blood to save the people from the wrath of God.

A lamb was sacrificed in that time, and its blood was painted on the door posts of the people of Israel, so that God in His wrath would “pass over” them.

Jesus, on the where all Israel remembered this event, gathered his disciples for dinner.

There, he took bread, broke it, and said it was like His body that would be broken for them.

Then, he took the cup, blessed it, and said it would be like His blood, which would be poured out for the salvation of many.

A new exodus, freedom from slavery to sin and the Evil one, was coming.

Tonight, we gather to take communion - the bread and the cup - to look back on this new exodus — the salvation Jesus has earned for us through the cross.

As we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross through taking communion, we also have the opportunity to once again bring our sins to Him by taking the red cards you wrote on earlier and seeing them on the cross.

Instructions...

An usher will release one section at a time.

When you get to the station nearest you, you will see someone holding a nail. Place your card with your sins face down on the nail.

Then get the communion elements and take them back to your seat.

Pray or reflect silently, then I will return to lead us through taking communion.

Ushers — you can begin releasing sections.

Congregants Moving

*Frank back on stage playing underneath.

Congregants will move to put their sins on the nails and receive communion elements.

Once everyone is seated with elements, nails with cards are brought to the front of stage, officers are seated.

Taking the Elements

Move back to center stage to lead through taking communion elements.

*Screens go black - no content.

*Frank still playing underneath as we take communion.

Take the wafer...

23 ...the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:23-24)

Take the cup...

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:25)

Drama: The Cross

*Frank still playing underneath.

Hammer the nails with cards into the cross.

*Frank STOPS. SILENCE the remainder of the service.

Lift the cross into its stand, allowing it to drop with a loud THUD.

Move back to the center front of stage, with enough space to let this moment breath. Read the passage without context or set up.

Luke 23:44–46

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Closing Prayer

Sending

Instructions for Leaving...

Reminder: Easter services - 7:30am outside, 9:15 and 11am inside with kids programming.

Please leave in silence until you reach the atrium.

*Start instrumental playlist as people dismiss.