Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s graphic depiction of Yahweh’s Suffering Servant. Indeed, he was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, and well acquainted with grief. Still, by his sufferings under Pontius Pilate and death on the Cross, he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. While it appeared he was a stricken person, smitten by God, he was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. His chastisement brought us peace and with his stripes we are healed. His death on the Cross was God’s rescue and restoration of all of Adam’s fallen race, and defeat of the power of death, hell, and the grave.

Invocation: Our Prayer of Acclamation
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who for our redemption willedst to be born and circumcised, and rejected by the Jews, betrayed with a kiss by Judas, seized, bound, and led in bonds to Annas, Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate, and before them to be mocked, smitten with palm and fist, with the scourge and the reed; to have Thy face covered and defiled with spitting; to be crowned with thorns, accused by false witnesses, condemned, and as an innocent Lamb to be led to slaughter, bearing Thine own Cross; to be pierced through with nails, to have gall and vinegar given Thee to drink, on the Cross to die the most shameful of deaths, and to be wounded with a spear; do Thou by these Thy most sacred pains deliver us from all sins and penalties, and by Thy holy Cross bring us, miserable sinners, to that place whither Thou didst bring with Thyself the crucified robber on his late repentance; Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

~ Sarum Missal; a Prayer of Innocent III (Bright, p. 44-45)

Call to Worship
Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And blessed is your Kingdom, both now and forever, amen.

Te Deum Laudamus 
You are God: we praise you; you are the Lord; we acclaim you; you are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Praise and Thanksgiving (songs and prayers)

Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

*In the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, the term catholic refers to the Church’s universality, through all ages and times, of all languages and peoples. It refers to no particular tradition or denominational expression (e.g., as in Roman Catholic).

Prayers of Confession
Let us now confess our sins to God and receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

Assurance of Pardon
Having faithfully confessed and renounced your sin, Christ also has been faithful to forgive your sins and to purify you from all unrighteousness. It is certain, that there is One who has spoken to the Father in your defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. His grace and peace are with you now. Amen.

Petitions and Supplications, Ending with The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

~ Matthew 6.9-13 (KJV)

Doxology (and/or closing song)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Benediction 
Lord Jesus, suffering servant of God, for our sake and for our salvation, you were unjustly condemned to death, mocked, scourged and crowned with thorns, pierced with nails and scorned by unbelievers. By your holy and glorious wounds, shelter us under the shadow of your cross while we await in sure and certain hope for your victory over sin and death and hell. You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

~ Roman Missal, ICEL, 1973 (Storey, p. 131)

Pray without Ceasing – Flash Prayer for the Day
In the midst of trouble and affliction, we will ever look to you, for in you alone is our strength and our hope.

Weekly Reflection on the Sovereign Love of God
Truly, the power of Christian baptism is our link with Jesus Christ, our identification with his Story, our sharing with his life, death, burial, and resurrection, and one day soon, his glory. For us, to be a Christian would mean, for the rest of our Christian lives, a union and oneness with Christ, a participation in his life. Now, his life would be our lives, and his purpose, our purpose.

~ Don L. Davis, Sacred Roots: A Primer on the Great Tradition.
Wichita: TUMI Press, 2010. Loc. 1525, Kindle.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
The One Pierced for Our Transgressions, Isaiah 52.13-53.12

Book Reading
Davis, Sacred Roots

Special Church Year Services
Holy Saturday: Saturday, April 3, 2021