Sunday mornings at 9:00 am

Bible Class 8:00-8:45 am

Sunday School 10:30 am

 
 
 
Lenten Midweek Service
 
Betraying Eyes
 
Rev. Adrian J Krebs
 
 
                O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Gradual for Lent, based on Hebrews 12:2) When the characters in the Passion narrative look at Jesus, what do they see? In most cases, people misunderstood who He is and what He was doing. In some cases, by faith, people recognized Him aright. Our Lenten series this year, based on the Gospel according to St. Mark, will examine how the various people around Jesus viewed Him—and how we should view Him. We will "fix our eyes" on what Jesus has done to save us from our sins by His holy, precious blood and innocent sufferings and death, and celebrate what God sees on account of His work: our justification for His sake. Tonight we will look through Judas's "Betraying Eyes" and learn why he did this awful deed. Yet the behind-the-scenes-reality is that Jesus was "handed over" (another way of translating the verb for "betray") by God the Father Himself, so that Jesus could die for the sin of the world.
 
Stand
 
L   O Lord, open my lips,
C   and my mouth will declare Your praise.
 
L   Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
C   make haste to help me, O Lord.
 
C   Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to You, O Christ, Lamb of our salvation.
 
+ Psalmody +
 
Psalm                                                                                                     Psalm 41; antiphon: v. 4
P   As for me, I said, "O Lord, be gracious to me;
   heal me, for I have sinned against You!"
C   Blessèd is the one who considers the poor!
   In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;
P   the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessèd in the land;
   You do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
C   The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;
   in his illness You restore him to full health.
P   As for me, I said, "O Lord, be gracious to me;
   heal me, for I have sinned against You!"
C   My enemies say of me in malice,
   "When will he die and his name perish?"
P   And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
   when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
C   All who hate me whisper together about me;
   they imagine the worst for me.
P   They say, "A deadly thing is poured out on him;
   he will not rise again from where he lies."
C   Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
   who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
P   But You, O Lord, be gracious to me,
   and raise me up, that I may repay them!
C   By this I know that You delight in me:
   my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
P   But You have upheld me because of my integrity,
   and set me in your presence forever.
C   Blessèd be the Lord, the God of Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
   and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
   is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P   As for me, I said, "O Lord, be gracious to me;
   heal me, for I have sinned against You!"
 
Sit
 
Office Hymn                                                                                             544 O Love, How Deep
 
+ Readings +
 
Reading                                                                                                                 Acts 7:48–53
L   A reading from Acts, chapter 7.
 
   ⁴⁸Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
⁴⁹"‘Heaven is my throne,
   and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
   or what is the place of my rest?
⁵⁰Did not my hand make all these things?'
   ⁵¹"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. ⁵²Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, ⁵³you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it."
 
L   O Lord, have mercy on us.
C   Thanks be to God.
 
Reading                                                                                                             2 Timothy 3:1–5
L   A reading from 2 Timothy, chapter 3.
 
   ¹But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ²For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
 
L   O Lord, have mercy on us.
C   Thanks be to God.
 
Reading                                                                                               Mark 14:10–21, 32, 41–46
L   A reading from Mark, chapter 14.
 
   ¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. ¹¹And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
   ¹²And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his 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."
   ³²And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."
   ⁴¹And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."
   ⁴³And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard." ⁴⁵And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" And he kissed him. ⁴⁶And they laid hands on him and seized him.
 
L   O Lord, have mercy on us.
C   Thanks be to God.
 
Responsory                                                                                                                  LSB 231
L   Deliver me, O Lord, my God, for You are the God of my salvation.
C   Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
L   In You, O Lord, do I put my trust, leave me not, O Lord, my God.
C   Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
L   Deliver me, O Lord, my God, for You are the God of my salvation.
C   Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
 
Sermon                                                                      "Betraying Eyes" (Mark 14:10–21, 32, 41–46)
 
 
 
Hymn                                                               Our Eyes Behold the Savior's Face (Tune of LSB 437)
1    Our eyes behold the Savior's face
And yet cannot perceive
That His perspective held our grace
Before we could believe.
 
2    Our focus flits and fails to see
The One whose steadfast gaze
Propelled Him to the darkened tree
Enveloped in death's haze.
 
3    Our sights train on the dreadful cross.
Beneath His knowing eyes,
Our sins are bare and set for loss;
He sees us as His prize.
 
4    Our vision blurs with anxious tears
As Jesus' eyelids fall
To conquer sin and all our fears
And tear in two our pall.
 
5    Our view scans for the coming Day
That evermore grows near,
When Jesus wipes our tears away
And all is crystal clear.
Text: Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission.
 
 
Offering
 
+ Prayer +
 
Stand
 
Antiphon                                                                                                                     LSB 231
L   Let my prayer rise before You as incense,
C   and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
 
Kyrie                                                                                                                           LSB 233
C   Lord, have mercy;
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy.
 
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.
 
Collects
 
L   O Lord, hear my prayer.
C   And let my cry come to You.
 
Collect of the Day
L   O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C   Amen.
 
 
Collect for Lent
L   Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C   Amen.
 
Collect for Peace
L   O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C   Amen.
 
Benedicamus                                                                                                               LSB 234
L   Let us bless the Lord.
C   Thanks be to God.
 
Benediction                                                                                                                 LSB 234
P   The grace of our Lord T Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C   Amen.
 
 
 
 
 
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.
 

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