Pastor Sullivan's Blog

In the Name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. On this evening Christ entered into His sufferings for the sins of the world. His suffering began in the Garden of Gethsemane. He tells Peter, James, and John, “ M y soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death ” ( Matthew 26:38). St. Luke records that “ His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground ” (Luke 22:44). What caused such immense sorrow? The cup which He was about to drink. He prayed “ O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will ” ( Matthew 26:39). The cup which He had to drink was the cup of God’s wrath against the sin of all mankind, for He suffered as our substitute, bearing our sins in His own body and all the wrath that we deserve on account of our sins. His sorrow continues when Judas arrives with a cohort of temple guards to arrest Him. He’s betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of His own disciples. Judas had be...

In the Name of the Father and the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. On the night in which our Lord was betrayed, before His suffering began, He gave two things to His church. The first is that which we heard about in tonight’s Gospel lesson. After finishing the Passover meal with His disciples, washes His disciple’s feet. This was not an ordinary foot washing. Ordinarily this was one of the first things that would happen before a meal. It was also typically done by a servant. It’s a humble task to wash the desert dust and grime from another’s feet. Yet Jesus takes this humble task upon Himself in order to teach His disciples two things. First, Christ wants to teach them what king of king and master He is. That Jesus would wash the feet of His disciples shows them that Jesus’ ministry is one of humble service to mankind. It is as He told them in Matthew 20:28, “ the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. ” He shows them the nature of this service by taking upon Hi...

Order of the Confessional Service - Pg. 46 Order of Holy Communion - pg. 15 Hymn # 314 Lord Jesus Christ We HumblyPray Hymn # 163 The Death of Jesus Christ Our Lord * After the Post-Communion Collect the Altar is stripped, dressed in black paraments, and everyone departs to return Friday evening to hear the Passion of of their Lord.   Introit GOD FOR- - || bid | that | I | should - | boast * Except in the cross of our | Lord - | Je- - | sus | Christ. In Him is salvation, life, and resurrec- | tion | from | the - | dead. * By Him we are redeemed and set | at - | lib- - | er- | ty. (Galatians 6:14; Liturgical text) God be merciful to | us | and | bless - | us, * And cause His face to | shine - | up- - | on | us. That Your way may | be | known | on - | earth, * Your salvation a- | mong - | all - | na- | tions. Let the peoples | praise | You, | O - | God; * Let all the | peo- - | ples - | praise | You. God, our own | God, | shall | b...