Maundy Thursday Livestream: 5:00 pm. at https://www.facebook.com/MountOliveChurchBillings/ Order of Worship published here. Pastor will be available for individual or Family Holy Communion throughout the day at church from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm.

https://www.facebook.com/MountOliveChurchBillings/

Maundy Thursday Order of Worship

Invocation
Stand
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.
C: Amen

P: I will go to the altar of God,
C: to God my exceeding joy.
P: Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C: who made heaven and earth.

Sit
Confessional Address
P: During this Lenten season we have heard our Lord’s call
to intensify our struggle against sin, death, and the devil
—all that prevents us from trusting in God and loving
each other. Since it is our intention to receive the Holy
Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ on this night when He
instituted this blessed meal for our salvation, it is proper
that we complete our Lenten discipline by diligently
examining ourselves, as St. Paul urges us to do. This holy
Sacrament has been instituted for the special comfort of
those who are troubled because of their sin and who
humbly confess their sins, fear God’s wrath, and hunger
and thirst for righteousness.

But when we examine our hearts and consciences, we find
nothing in us but sin and death, from which we are
incapable of delivering ourselves. Therefore, our Lord
Jesus Christ has had mercy on us. For our benefit He
became man so that He might fulfill for us the whole will
and law of God and, to deliver us, took upon Himself our
sin and the punishment we deserve.

So that we may more confidently believe this and be
strengthened in the faith and in holy living, our Lord
Jesus Christ took bread, broke it, and gave it to His
disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is
given for you.” It is as if He said, “I became man, and all
that I do and suffer is for your good. As a pledge of this, I
give you My body to eat.”

In the same way also He took the cup, gave thanks, and
gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is
the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for
the forgiveness of sins.” Again, it is as if He said, “I have
had mercy on you by taking into Myself all your
iniquities. I give Myself into death, shedding My blood to
obtain grace and forgiveness of sins, and to comfort and
establish the new testament, which gives forgiveness and
everlasting salvation. As a pledge of this, I give you My
blood to drink.”

Therefore, whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup,
confidently believing this Word and promise of Christ,
dwells in Christ and Christ in him and has eternal life.

We should also do this in remembrance of Him, showing
His death—that He was delivered for our offenses and
raised for our justification. Giving Him our most
heartfelt thanks, we take up our cross and follow Him
and, according to His commandment, love one another as
He has loved us. For we are all one bread and one body,
even as we are all partakers of this one bread and drink
from the one cup. For just as the one cup is filled with the
wine of many grapes and one bread made from countless
grains, so also we, being many, are one body in Christ.
Because of Him, we love one another, not only in word, but in deed and in truth.

May the almighty and merciful God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, accomplish this in
us.
C: Amen.

P: Having heard the Word of God, let us confess our sins,
imploring God our Father the sake of His Son, Jesus
Christ, to grant us forgiveness.
C: Amen.

P: O almighty God, merciful Father,
C: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all
my sins and iniquities with which I have ever
offended You and justly deserved Your temporal
and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry
for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray
You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of
the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of
Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious
and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

P: God be merciful to you and strengthen your faith.
C: Amen.
P: Do you believe that the forgiveness I speak is not my
forgiveness but God’s?
C: Yes.
P: Let it be done for you as you believe.
In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ
I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.

P: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
completely, and may your whole spirit, soul and body be
kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He
who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. Go in peace.
C: Amen.

Collect of the Day
P: Let us pray:
O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a
remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so
receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that
the fruits of Your redemption may continually be
manifest in us; for You live and reign with the Father and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.

Scripture Readings: Page 190
Old Testament Reading Exodus 24:3-11

Epistle Reading Hebrews 9:11-22
(Alleluia and Verse are omitted)
Gospel Reading Matthew 26:17-30

Nicene Creed: Page 191

Hymn of the Day: “O Lord, We Praise Thee” 617
Sermon
(Offertory is omitted. Offering may be placed in the offering plate by the center doors on your way out)
Prayer of the Church
Lord’s Prayer
Reading of Psalm 22 and Stripping of the Altar
*All Leave in Silence*

Pastor McCall will conduct service on Sunday’s with just a person to record the service and himself. Each Sunday service will then be put on the Mount Olive website in full. In addition, video and audio cd’s will be available at church the immediate following Monday of each Sunday service for you to pick up during the week as you travel to and from your essential stops. Whether you listen online or pick up a cd, Pastor encourages you to set aside time each week to worship together as a family or as an individual. See Pastor McCall’s Mar 27th update with God’s Word here:

“11So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ”I Corinthians 8:11-12 
Dear beloved saints in the Lord,You are likely well aware by now of the shelter in place order given by our Governor, effective at midnight tonight, March 27th.  President Forke, myself, and my fellow pastors in the Southern Circuit have been trying to respond in a faithful and God pleasing way and as quickly as possible to the ever changing circumstances surrounding how this impacts worship and the church.  I ask all of you to pray for Pres. Forke, the pastors and churches and members of LCMS congregations here in Billings, and all the Church across the United States.  It is indeed a difficult and stressful time for our entire nation.  However, we know that we serve a faithful and loving God who promises to work all things for the good of those who love Him.  So it is with boldness and confidence that we walk by faith and not by sight into these uncertain days, being sure and certain of the love and promises of forgivness and life given to us in our Baptism by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.Several thoughts, spurred by edifying and constructive conversations with many people, especially fellow pastors, have led me to the following decisions concerning worship at Mount Olive. First, in conversation with my unchurched neighbor, who is a nurse at one of the hospitals here in Billings, I have seen genuine fear of the unknown.  She is terrified of contracting the virus and has pleaded with her neighbors to stay home and comply with this order.  I know that there are many people like her throughout Billings and throughout Montana.  As Christians we are commanded by God to guard our conduct among the Gentiles so that there can be no charge of evil against us (1 Peter 2). We also as Christians know that our Sabbath rest is in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-10) and not in the observance of a certain day or time.  My insistence on observing the Sabbath on a certain day (Romans 14) and in a certain way would, at this time, as Paul says to the Corinthians, clearly sin against my neighbor and wound her conscience as well as many others in our community.  I do not wish to do this to her or anyone.Second, President Forke, has advised all churches to comply with this shelter in place.  This is in part because this order does not single out churches, but rather almost all business and gathering places in the entire state.  So unlike the Yellowstone County order we are not being singled out in some way for persecution.  The secular authorities are doing what they feel is best for the citizens of the left hand kingdom, which is precisely what God has placed them in their offices to do (Romans 13). That being said, Mount Olive will comply with the shelter in place and cease public worship services until such time as the shelter in place is lifted.  In the mean time, I will conduct service on Sunday’s with just a person to record the service and myself.  Each Sunday service will then be put on the Mount Olive website in full.  In addition, video and audio cd’s will be available at church the immediate following Monday of each Sunday service for you to pick up during the week as you travel to and from your essential stops. Whether you listen online or pick up a cd, I encourage you to set aside time each week to worship together as a family or as an individual.  Keep up good 3rd Commandment habits.  Get dressed, remove distractions, focus on the service, follow along in your hymnal, sing the hymns.  Internet services are not ideal but they are a tool to help us through this time.  My prayer is that by Easter Sunday we will be able to worship together in God’s house and celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord.In compliance with this shelter in place order, I will also not be doing Matins and Vespers at church each day as I have been doing.  If you desire the Sacrament between now and April 10th, I ask that you contact me and I will make arrangements to meet you either at church or at your home for a brief service of Confession/Absolution with Holy Communion.  Again, I realize this is not ideal however I am trying to strike a balance between honoring with 4th Commandment while at the same time practicing good spiritual care for you all.  No request for the Sacrament will be turned down and all necessary precautions will be taken by myself to ensure I am as sanitized and safe as possible. Finally, please pray for the church, for our elected officials, for doctors and nurses, for those who are ill, for those who are unemployed, and all who are in need.  Our Lord Jesus Christ has promised to hear the prayers of those who call upon His name and we come before Him with full confidence in this.  The Lord be with you all and bless and keep you in His care.
In Christ Jesus,-Pastor McCall P.S. Please also call and pass this information along to those who may not have an email address on this list.  I have been attempting to gather more and more email addresses but I know not all members even necessarily have email.  Thank you!