WATER AND BLOOD
AS WE GATHER
On this night when our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed into the hands of sinful men, we receive the blessings of forgiveness and new life as we partake of the Lord’s Supper. Looking ahead to the death of Jesus on Calvary’s cross, we remember with the apostle John that both water and blood flowed from Jesus’ side as He was pierced by the spear of a Roman soldier (see John 19:34). The flowing water reminds us of the mystery of our Baptism, as God the Father cleanses us of our sin and makes us His children. The flowing blood reminds us of the deep love of the Savior, who allowed Himself to die a horrific death so that we may experience a glorious resurrection, and it points to the Sacrament of our Lord’s body and blood. May the blessings of Jesus flow into our lives as we gather to worship Him.
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES 2 Corinthians 5:21, alt.; Isaiah 53:5
P For our sake God made Jesus to be sin who knew no sin,
C so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
P But He was wounded for our transgressions;
C He was crushed for our iniquities;
P upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
C and with His stripes we are healed.
+ PREPARATION +
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Based on Philippians 2:1–11
P Lord Jesus, search our hearts and minds that we may receive Your Word, share in Your Spirit, and be renewed in our relationships with You and with one another.
We observe a moment of silence for personal prayers of confession.
P With humble hearts, let us pray together:
C Lord Jesus, the Father’s only Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords, hear us as we pray.
P By the water and blood that flowed from Your pierced side, our redemption has been guaranteed and our salvation has been secured.
C Our rebellion against You in thought, word, and action is why You died for us—
P to forgive our sins, to redeem our lives, and to cancel the debt we owe to God.
C With hearts that are humble and lives ever grateful, help us to receive Your grace, bow before You in worship, and confess that You alone are Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
P Almighty God our heavenly Father shows His mercy to us in the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was betrayed, slandered, and sentenced to death on the cross. By the water and blood that flowed from His pierced side, Jesus pours out His cleansing forgiveness upon us all. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
+ WORD +
KYRIE
P Lord, have mercy.
C Christ, have mercy.
P Lord, have mercy.
SALUTATION
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, in Your wondrous Supper, You call us to remember Your sacrifice for our salvation.
C As we receive the mystery of Your body and blood, help us to trust in the healing grace that flows from Your pierced side;
P for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Exodus 17:1–7
P The Old Testament Reading is from Exodus, the seventeenth chapter.
1All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE 1 John 5:5–12
P The Epistle is from First John, the fifth chapter.
5Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
VERSE Joel 2:13b
Return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
HOLY GOSPEL Mark 14:12–26
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the fourteenth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
12On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, [Jesus’] disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18And 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.” 19They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21For 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.”
22And 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.” 23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25Truly, 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.”
26And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON
NICENE CREED
C I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God,
begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life T of the world to come. Amen.
OFFERING
PRAYER
P Gracious God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You that You have gathered us together on this night when Your Son instituted the Supper we are privileged to receive.
C Grant that the promised treasures of Your Word remind us of the mercy You give to us by the water and the blood.
P Lead us to see that our sins caused Jesus’ great agony in the garden, that our sins nailed Him to the cross of Calvary,
C that He was forsaken by His Father so that we might never be forsaken, and that He died so that we may live.
P Lord Jesus, grant that especially during this sacred season the treasured story of Your wondrous love for us would draw us closer to You.
C Encourage our hearts and minds as we hold fast to Your Word, knowing that all You accomplished during Holy Week was done for our salvation.
P Holy Spirit, make us one through this sacred Meal we now prepare our hearts to receive, that in the communion of saints we may be strengthened in our fellowship with Christ Jesus and with one another.
C All glory, honor, and praise be to You, with the Father and the Son, one God, now and forever. Amen.
+ SACRAMENT +
PREFACE
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Lift up your hearts.
C We lift them to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
PROPER PREFACE
P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who accomplished the salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross that, where death arose, there life also might rise again and that the serpent who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS LSB 208
C Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth adored;
Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
P We give thanks for the water and blood that flowed from His pierced side, for in this cleansing flood we are given Your remission for all our transgressions. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully eat and drink of the fruits of Christ’s cross and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that come to us in His body and blood.
Hear us as we pray in His name and as He has taught us:
LORD’S PRAYER
C 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 and ever. Amen.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My T body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My T blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
PEACE OF OUR LORD
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C Amen.
P Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
C Grant us peace
P Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
C Amen.
+ DISTRIBUTION HYMNS +
POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE
POST-COMMUNION THANKSGIVING
P Let us pray.
O God the Father, in love and mercy You sent Your only-begotten Son into the flesh. We thank You that You have given us pardon and peace in this Supper. Grant us faith always to trust that by the water and blood that flowed from Your pierced side
C You have fully and freely poured out Your forgiveness upon us all;
P through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
BENEDICTION
P The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace.
C Amen.
STRIPPING OF THE ALTAR
(As the chancel items are removed, we reflect on the sacrifice of Christ for our salvation.)
PSALM Psalm 22:1–10
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
3Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
5To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 10On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
12Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
15my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
(The congregation departs in peace and silence.)