O for sinners slain,
“Father forgive”, cries the Son –
Worthy Lamb of God!
April 10, 2020
Emmanuel & St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Churches
Hymn: Oh, Perfect Life of Love (Christian Worship #138)
Gospel Affirmations (Based on Words from Scripture)
- God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.
- God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all.
- Greater love has no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends.
Prayer of Invocation
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who sent your Son to become the Savor of the world; today, in spirit we wait in the shadows of the cross as we worship together. We see ourselves in the faces of those who were around him as he was crucified. Forbid it that we should be in the company of those who mocked him and ridiculed him; challenge us that we might be more faithful witnesses to the fact that his Spirit lives and reigns within our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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The Good Friday Gospel According to St. John 19
So they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to what is called the Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him with two others, one on each side, and Jesus in the middle.19 Pilate also had a notice written and fastened on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that ‘this man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took his tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it. Instead, let’s cast lots to see who gets it.” This was so that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. So the soldiers did these things.
25 Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were standing near the cross. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother!” And from that time this disciple took her into his own home.
28 After this, knowing that everything had now been finished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was sitting there. So they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished!” Then, bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
Hymn: Were You There (Christian Worship #119)
Message: The Son of God Goes Forth to War: The Greatest Battle Ever Fought
Matthew 27:45-50
5 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “This fellow is calling for Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, and soaked it with sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and gave him a drink. 49 The rest said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you are a just God who accepts nothing less than perfection. All too often we fail to realize how much our sins offend you. We forget that the wages of sin truly is death. We forget that there is a hell. Lead us to recognize the seriousness of our sinfulness. Lead us also to admit our inability to make things right with you. Teach us to look to you as the only one who can make us just and right. Today we are reminded not only of your justice but also of your love. You did not spare your own Son but gave him as a ransom for each one of us. Comfort us with the knowledge of this great love. Give us the peace that the forgiveness of sins brings. When we feel our guilt, point us to the cross, where our guilt was washed away in Jesus’ blood.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for paying the debt that we could not pay. We thank you for coming to earth so that we could be with you forever in heaven. For being our perfect substitute, we thank you, Lord Jesus. Son of God, you offered up your body as an unblemished sacrifice for sin and commended your spirit into the hands of your Father. Teach us to cast the cares of this brief life on our heavenly Father and commit our bodies and souls to his love. Give us the courage to face death, knowing that it is the gate to our home in heaven. Hear us, Lord, as we offer our personal thanks for the forgiveness that you have given us and for the home that you have won for us.
Private Petitions
The cross was once an instrument of death. It is now a sign of life. Dear Savior, we humbly kneel at the cross in awe of your power and of your love. Amen.
© 1999 Northwestern Publishing House. Reprinted by permission.
Closing Word – Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
My groaning does nothing to save me.
2 My God, I call out by day, but you do not answer.
I call out by night, but there is no relief for me.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me. They sneer.
They shake their heads.
8 They say, “Trust in the Lord.”
“Let the Lord deliver him.
Let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”
15 My strength is dried up like broken pottery,
and my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.
They have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them.
For my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O Lord, do not be distant.
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
24 For he has not despised nor detested the affliction of the afflicted.
He has not hidden his face from him,
but when he cried out to him, he heard.
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations will bow down before you.
28 For the kingdom belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will eat and bow down.
All who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Descendants will serve him.
For generations people will be told about the Lord.
31 They will come and proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet to be born— because he has done it.
Hymn: Rest, O Christ, From All Your Labor (CWS#718)
