Tag Archives: cross

Good Friday – April 14

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements and tagged with , , ,

 

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We will gather together on Friday, April 14, at 7 p.m. at MLLC to remember the events of Good Friday.  This is our annual remembrance of the dramatic sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin.

 

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 of the Altar”. 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 7th or 8th 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.

 

Schedule for the rest of Holy Week:

Easter Vigil – Saturday – 7:00 p.m. – in sanctuary – a joint service for both MLLC and Waldeck.

 

Resurrection Sunday:

Resurrection Sunrise service at 6:45 a.m. at the Carmine Cemetery – a joint service for both MLLC and Waldeck

 (Bring your own chairs for seating at the cemetery)

 

Waldeck Festival Service – 8:00 a.m., followed by a Pot-luck Easter Breakfast.  Also and Easter Egg hunt will happen around 9:30 a.m.

 

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

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

 

Lent Wednesdays 2016

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements, Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , ,

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You are invited to gather with God’s people for our Lenten Wednesday services.

Wednesdays in Lent

February 17, 24, March 2, 9 and 16
Fellowship Meal 6:00 p.m. each week
Evening Prayer 7:00 p.m. each week
Both the meal and worship will be in the Fellowship Hall.

Our Lenten Theme is “Reflections Around the Cross”. We are participating in a Pulpit Exchange with area Lutheran clergy. Each one will bring a message from a Biblical character who reflects on Jesus’ death on the cross. Each week we will also read a portion of Jesus’ Passion from the Gospel of Luke. We will use our usual service of Evening Prayer.

February 17 Pastor Candy O’Meara, portraying the Roman Centurion
February 24 Pastor Marcia Kifer, portraying Mary, the mother of our Lord
March 2 Pastor Willie Rotter, portraying Caiaphas, the High Priest
March 9 Pastor John David Nedbalek, portraying Satan
March 16 Pastor Glenn Hohlt, portraying Nicodemus

Later, on Good Friday, Pastor David Tinker will be portraying the Apostle John.

 

See this link for additional information:  https://mllccarmine.com/

 

Getting Ready for Ash Wednesday

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Ash_Wednesday with ashes

 

Adapted by Pr. David Tinker, from an original article by Pr. Thomas L. Weitzel

The Ash Wednesday service at Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine will be on Wednesday, February 18, at 7:00 p.m.

 

This day is something of a slap in the face, especially when one hears the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  The original name – “Day of Ashes” – was a reference to the ancient Christian practice of sprinkling or rubbing ashes on the head or forehead as a sign of one’s mortality.  The same ancient gesture appears in the baptismal liturgy: a cross is traced with oil on the forehead of the person being baptized.  In this simple gesture the person is claimed by Christ.

 

There can be no more solemn and appropriate action on this day than to distribute ashes to all who gather for the beginning of the Lenten season.  Here the young and old, men and women, rich and poor, learned and simple.  Here the cross is the sign of salvation that all believers share.  It is the sign of death and resurrection.

 

What is Ash Wednesday?

On Ash Wednesday, the community of faith comes face to face with two realities.  First, we confront our own mortality.  None of us lives in this life forever. Secondly, all of us are sinners and need to confess our sin to God.  These two themes (death and sin) are brought together in light of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ.  As the Apostle John says in 1 John 1:9b, “…(God) who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  The confession of sin on Sundays reminds us, “In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins.”  The Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) confession also included, “To those who believe in Jesus Christ he gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit.”

 

What are the ashes for?

The “ashes” of Ash Wednesday are rooted in the ancient worship of both the Jewish and Christian communities.  They are a sign of mortality and penance.  Even though we have used the imposition of ashes in our Ash Wednesday worship for many years, they still may seem new or uncomfortable to us.  What we should remember about the ashes is they are a visible sign of our cleansing and rebirth, a recognition of our daily dependence on God for life and a promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

 

Should I receive the ashes?

The ashes are not compulsory by any means.  You may choose, if you wish, to remain in your seat during the imposition of ashes.  But remember that they are a powerful way and a visible way to participate in the call to repentance and reconciliation.  If you choose to participate, come forward at the appropriate time in the liturgy with others desiring the ashes.  The pastor will did his thumb in the ashes and trace the sign of the cross on your forehead.  Afterwards, return to your seat and the liturgy will continue.

 

Pr. Thomas L. Weitzel’s excellent liturgy site is:  http://liturgybytlw.com/

The Luther Rose Symbol

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements, Pastor's Ponderings and tagged with , , , , ,

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We recently added a new page on this church web page about the Luther Rose.

This is an important symbol used in the Lutheran Church to express and teach our faith.

If you have been to the Martin Luther Lutheran Church building you will recognize the window depicted above.  It is the most visible our our wonderful stained glass windows at MLLC.

Check out this link to the special page about the Luther Rose