Plan for Worship this Weekend – April 29-30, 2023

This weekend is a busy one in our area due to the route of the Texas MS150 Charity Bike Ride route going through Carmine, Waldeck, Round Top, and Burton.  The bikes will be traveling in and near our towns on Sunday morning, April 30.  This could result in some traffic delays for those seeking to attend worship at either MLLC or our partner church, Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ledbetter.

You are encouraged to think ahead about your weekend schedule to make sure you can make it to worship.  Here are some things to remember:

*We always offer three worship opportunities between our two churches.

Saturday at 6 p.m. at MLLC – this is a fantastic option for those wishing to totally avoid the Sunday traffic due to the MS150 bike event.

Sunday at 8 a.m. at Waldeck – it will be a bit busier at Waldeck as the ride has a rest stop at the church back parking lot.

Sunday at 10 a.m. at MLLC – the ride goes near, but not immediately past the church

*It is important that Christians participate in worship, hear the Word, receive Holy Communion, etc. on a regular and ongoing basis.  You are lovingly encouraged to strive to do all in your power to get to worship this weekend.  It might be different or mildly inconvenient to get to worship due to the MS150 bike event, but it is the joyful and Christ centered thing to do.

*Please do not make the MS150 bike event be the reason you miss out on worship, study, and fellowship at your church this weekend.

*Strive to be kind and welcoming to the riders.  They are riding to raise funds for and awareness of the fight against multiple sclerosis, a difficult and often debilitating disease.  See this link for more about this disease – Click Here.

We look forward to seeing you at worship this weekend.  With God’s love and help, do your best to get to worship.

Easter Sunrise – Special Notice

The Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday, April 9, will now be held at the Church sanctuary.  This is due to the significant rain we have experienced in recent days.  There is a notable amount of standing water and mud at the cemetery.  It has been more than 10 years since we have had to make this shift for the Easter Sunrise service.

We look forward to seeing you at the Easter Sunrise Service at 6:45 a.m., on Sunday, April 9,  at the sanctuary of MLLC.  Tell  your friends and relatives.

We will also offer the rest of the morning schedule:

Easter Reception in the Parlor, running 9:30-10:00 a.m.

Festival Worship Service, 10:00 a.m.

Easter Egg Hunt, about 11:15 a.m.

Saturday, April 8, 2023, is the date of the Great Vigil of Easter, Holy Saturday, at MLLC.  For many in the church around the world, this is the centerpiece of their year as followers of Jesus.

Click this link to view a blog post from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) regarding this service and its connections with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Click this link to view a blog post by our own Jennifer Clark Tinker which tells about her experience and joy related to attending the Great Vigil of Easter each year.

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An Introduction to the Vigil of Easter

Like the children of Israel who watched and waited through the night for the Lord of the Exodus, we too come together this night to watch and wait for the Lord of the Resurrection. We come, as Christians have come since the first century, to keep vigil and to prepare ourselves for the arrival of the Bridegroom who is chief host and guest at the Resurrection feast to come.

First, we must break the darkness of the night.   Like the virgins in the parable, we must light our vigil lights. Our light will be a very special light, for it is the light of Christ which burns atop the Paschal candle and which dispels the darkness — of night, of sin, of death. Our light will be a constant reminder of the Resurrection victory during the coming season, at every baptism and at every funeral. But for now, it will burn in vigil as we await the Bridegroom.

When we have settled into our pews for the watch, we hear the storytellers among us sharing the stories of our faith — the stories of God’s salvation history and the covenants which he made with our people. These are our “family” stories. We listen. We sing. We watch. And we wait for the feast to come.

After hearing our stories, we make our last minute preparations to meet our Lord. All must be right for the feast. On some years those among us who have not yet joined us are brought into membership with us this night, making all who are here part of the Church family, known as the Bride of Christ.  Each year, so that the whole family is prepared, each of us reaffirms our faith through the Apostles Creed. As we interact with the water and the Lord, we hear and we feel that grace which was given to us through our baptism.

We are nearly ready. The time is close.  We prepare the room and set the table for the Feast of Victory, the First Holy Communion of this greatest festival day of all. And then at last He comes! The Resurrection victory is won! The Bridegroom has come through the darkness to claim his Bride, the Church, to be his own. This is the feast of victory!  In the end flowers and banners must adorn the space, for our time this evening and tomorrow will be a feast to remember.

Our Celebrations of the Resurrection of Jesus

The Great Vigil of Easter – 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 8 – see the introduction above. Shared with Waldeck Lutheran Church.

Easter Sunrise – 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 9, at the Carmine Cemetery. Bring a lawn or folding chair for seating.  Shared with Waldeck Lutheran Church.

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Easter Festival – Sunday April 9.  Opportunities at both MLLC and Waldeck

MLLC Schedule:

9:30-10:00 a.m. – Easter reception in the Parlor, near the sanctuary entrance and church offices.

10:00 a.m. – Festival Worship

~11:15 a.m. – Easter Egg Hunt

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Waldeck Schedule:

8:00 a.m. – Festival Worship

~9:00 a.m. – Pot-luck Easter Breakfast – bring an item to share

9:15/9:30 a.m. – After Breakfast – Easter Egg Hunt

We will gather together on Friday, April 7, at 7 p.m. to remember the events of Good Friday.  This is our annual remembrance of the dramatic sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin.

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Introduction to Good Friday

We begin our liturgy as we ended the Maundy Thursday Liturgy: in silence. What was begun then continues this day as we journey with our Savior from the Last Supper, the stripping and humiliation, to the cross and tomb. Good Friday is the second day of the Triduum, the “Three Sacred Days” of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday with its Vigil of Easter.

The Good Friday Liturgy is marked with austerity, silence and reflection. The chancel itself is bare from the Maundy Thursday stripping. There is no organ music except to accompany the hymns. Everything focuses on our adoration of the crucified Christ, reigning from the throne of the cross.

The service of Tenebrae is an ancient Holy Week devotion which began in the 7^th or 8^th century, or possibly earlier.  The name “Tenebrae” means shadows.  The service takes its name from the ceremony of extinguishing in succession all the lights in the sanctuary, casting it into total darkness which is symbolic of the disciples’ desertion of our Lord, and of his death and burial.

The purpose of the Tenebrae Service is to aid us in realizing the total impact of the darkest day in the history of the world, the day Jesus died on the cross.

The opening portion of the liturgy includes no praise. It proceeds directly to the Invocation and Prayer of the Day. It is a simplified version of our Sunday Liturgy of the Word. The chief acts are the reading of the Passion of St. John and the Bidding Prayer for the needs of our world.

Following the final hymn is a meditation on the Seven Last Words of our Lord which he spoke from the cross.  After each word is read, there will be a prayer and silent meditation.  Lights and one candle will be extinguished after each meditation until the sanctuary is in darkness.

After the lights are all extinguished, the congregation will stand as the Paschal Candle is carried from the sanctuary reminding us of the burial of Jesus.  A loud noise, made by the closing of a Bible,will remind us of the closing of the tomb.  This announces the fulfilling of the Scriptures and the completion of our Lord’s work on the cross for us.

The Paschal Candle (called the Christ Candle during Advent/Christmas) will not return until the beginning of the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.  On Good Friday we recognize that Jesus was fully dead and was placed in the borrowed tomb.

Note:  The return of the Paschal Candle moments after the loud noise is a form of the Good Friday service designed to be used in those congregations which do not have the Great Vigil of Easter.

All will leave in silence to return tomorrow as we wait in vigil and then celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection at the Great Vigil of Easter.  At the Vigil tomorrow evening we will have the first Holy Communion in celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Schedule for the rest of Holy Week:

Easter Vigil

– Saturday – 7:00 p.m. – in sanctuary

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Resurrection Sunday:

Resurrection Sunrise service at 6:45 a.m. at the Carmine Cemetery.

   (Bring your own chairs for seating at the cemetery)

Easter Reception in Parlor, near the sanctuary – 9:30-10:00 a.m.

Festival Resurrection Service at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary

Egg hunt for the children ~11:15 a.m

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Also available at our partner church, Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church near Ledbetter:

Festival Worship at 8:00 a.m.

Easter Pot-luck brunch at 9:00 a.m.

Egg Hunt at ~9:15-9:30 a.m.

Introduction to Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday Worship Services for 2023

April 6, 2023

5:45 p.m. at Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church, 6915 Waldeck Church Lane, Ledbetter, TX 78946, about 6.5 miles south of Ledbetter.

7:30 p.m. at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine MLLC

The Maundy Thursday service is one of endings and beginnings. What was begun on Ash Wednesday is brought to a close here today. What begins today does not end until the resurrection of Easter. It is the ancient Triduum, “The Three Sacred Days,” which lead us to Easter: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

The theme is love, our Savior’s love for us, expressed in the washing of the disciples’ feet, in giving himself in bread and wine, and in dying upon the cross. An invitation to confession is given. The focus is on forgiveness. On Ash Wednesday, we began Lent with a major act of confession and ashes, but we did not receive forgiveness in the absolution. That forgiveness comes now, “in the name and by the command of our Lord,” at the service celebrating Christ’s love. The peace is shared after absolution and seals that forgiveness in a loving embrace, as if embraced by Christ himself.

The lessons of love are read. A new command derives from it: “Love one another.” A new command derives from it: “Love one another.” The name, “Maundy,” comes from the first word of the Latin form of John 13:34: “mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos ut et vos diligatis invicem,” (“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”).  At Martin Luther in Carmine we will offer the washing of feet (and hands, for those who prefer it) as part of worship on this holy day.

The prayers are said. The table is made ready. The time of the Lord’s Supper arrives, and our Lord is revealed in bread and wine as once he, “revealed himself to his disciples.” It is a solemn moment, but we cannot linger here. Nor could the Lord. His betrayal was imminent.

Before we know it, the markings of betrayal are seen before us. The symbol of Christ in our midst, the altar, is stripped bare. Christ is stripped of his power and glory. Good Friday is inescapable. The powers of darkness work upon him.

In silence, we depart without benediction. The Three Sacred Days continue with the Good Friday service.  This will be held at 7 p.m. at Martin Luther in Carmine.

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Here is the schedule for the rest of Holy Week after Maundy Thursday:

Good Friday Tenebrae Service – April 7, 2023

Worship at MLLC at 7:00 p.m. – a joint event for both churches (Waldeck and MLLC)

We will be remembering the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading of the St. John Passion account.  The Seven Last Words of Christ.

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The Great Vigil of Easter – Saturday, April 8, 2023

Worship at MLLC at 7:00 p.m. – a joint event for both churches (Waldeck and MLLC)

Service of Light, Sharing Old Testament Stories, Remembrance of Baptism, First Holy Communion in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is the first of our three worship services celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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The Resurrection of Our Lord – Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023

6:45 a.m. – Sunrise Service at Carmine Cemetery – a joint event for both churches (Waldeck and MLLC)

Bring a lawn or folding chair for seating at the cemetery.  A shorter service, no communion.

9:30 a.m. – Easter Reception in Parlor/Narthex

10:00 a.m. – Festival Worship Service with Holy Communion

After worship – Easter Egg Hunt for the children

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For those who are interested, the schedule for Easter Sunday for our partner church in Waldeck:

Festival Worship at 8:00 a.m. in the outdoor pavilion.

Easter Breakfast at 9:00 a.m. in the Annex

Easter Egg Hunt at about 9:15/9:30 a.m.  Listen for announcements of the time.

You Are Invited to Holy Week 2023

Here are the various events and worship services for our annual celebration of Holy Week.

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Palm Sunday Weekend – April 1-2

Worship on Saturday at Carmine at 6:00 p.m.

Worship on Sunday at Waldeck at 8:00 a.m. – includes the procession of Palms with the whole congregation.

Worship  on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. – includes the Procession of Palms led by the children of the church.

The Holy Triduum – the Three Holy Day (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)

Maundy Thursday – April 6

Click this link for an introduction to Maundy Thursday.

Remembering the Last Supper.

Holy Communion at both churches.

Foot and Hand Washing in Carmine.

Worship at Waldeck:  5:45 p.m.

Worship at Carmine:  7:30 p.m.

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Good Friday – April 7

Remembering the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

Reading of the Passion Account from John.

Worship at Carmine:  7:00 p.m.

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Saturday – The Resurrection of Our Lord – The Great Vigil of Easter – April 8

The most ancient special service of the Church.  Service of Light.  Sharing of Old Testament Stories.  Remembrance of Baptism. Initial Holy Communion of the Resurrection Day.

Worship at Carmine at 7:00 p.m.  (note that we will not have worship at 6 p.m. that night)

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The Resurrection of our Lord. – Easter Sunday – April 9

Sunrise Service at the Carmine Cemetery:  6:45 a.m.  Bring a lawn chair or folding chair for seating on the cemetery lawn.

Easter Reception in Parlor at Carmine: 9:30 – 10:00 a.m.  Enjoy the fellowship and some delicious food together.

Festival Service with Holy Communion at Carmine: 10:00 a.m.

Egg Hunt to follow worship.

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For those who are interested: Resurrection Sunday in Waldeck

Festival Service at Waldeck with Holy Communion:  8:00 a.m.

Pot-luck Easter Breakfast after worship ~9:00 a.m.

Egg Hunt to follow worship.