GOOD FRIDAY VIGIL April 2, 2021

Following the lead of the Gospels themselves, this vigil provides a crucial link between the revelation of God in Christ and the creation of the church with God’s past revelation of Himself and the creation of His people Israel. This important emphasis on the continuity of the church with the ’s witness to God also helps define the nature of the church and its mission in the world, thoroughly grounding it in the ongoing work of God in history. The vigil is meant to keep company with Christ during the long hours from the service on until we celebrate together Christ’s resurrection. You may spend your time in quiet reflection, prayer, reading from devotional and prayer books, reading the Bible, following this prayer guide or even just resting. Take time to listen to God. INVOCATION In the Name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Matthew 28:19 Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God, our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Christ to grant us forgiveness. Amen Hebrews 10:22 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:8 I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:5 THE CONFESSION OF SIN

2 O almighty God, merciful Father, I confess that I have sinned against You this day. Some of my sin I know—the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed— but some is known only to You. In the Name of Jesus Christ I ask forgiveness. Deliver and restore me that I may rest in peace. THE ABSOLUTION In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:6; Philippians 1:6 PSALM Psalm 66 Shout happily to God, all the earth! Make music to praise the glory of His name. Make His praise glorious. Say to God, "How awe-inspiring are Your deeds! Your power is so great that Your enemies will cringe in front of You. The whole earth will worship You. It will make music to praise You. It will make music to praise Your name." Come and see what God has done—His awe-inspiring deeds for Adam's descendants. He turned the sea into dry land. They crossed the river on foot. We rejoiced because of what He did there. He rules forever with his might. His eyes watch the nations. Rebels will not be able to oppose Him. Thank our God, you nations. Make the sound of His praise heard. He has kept us alive and has not allowed us to fall. You have tested us, O God. You have refined us in 3 the same way silver is refined. You have trapped us in a net. You have laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads. We went through fire and water, but then You brought us out and refreshed us. I will come into Your temple with burnt offerings. I will keep my vows to You, the vows made by my lips and spoken by my own mouth when I was in trouble. I will offer you a sacrifice of fattened livestock for burnt offerings with the smoke from rams. I will offer cattle and goats. Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for me. With my mouth I cried out to Him. High praise was on my tongue. If I had thought about doing anything sinful, the Lord would not have listened to me. But God has heard me. He has paid attention to my prayer. Thanks be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or taken away His mercy from me. ADMONITION TO PRAY COMMANDED BY GOD Be alert at all times. Pray so that you have the power to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand in front of the Son of Man. Luke 21:36 ENCOURAGED BY GOD Before they call, I will answer. While they're still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24 INSTRUCTED BY GOD Don't be in a hurry to talk. Don't be eager to speak in the presence of God. Since God is in heaven and you are on earth, limit the number of your words. Ecclesiastes 5:2

4 OFFERED BY GOD’S SON For through Him we both have access by One Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:18 IN THE NAME OF JESUS When that day comes, you will ask for what you want in My Name. I'm telling you that I won't have to ask the Father for you. The Father loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. John 16:26-27 POSTURE BEFORE GOD Come, let's worship and bow down. Let's kneel in front of the LORD, our maker. Psalm 95:6 ANSWERED BY GOD Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing Me. I've known that You always hear Me. However, I've said this so that the crowd standing around Me will believe that you sent Me." John 11:41b-42 THANKFULNESS (for His grace and mercy) The people were overjoyed that the leaders gave so generously and wholeheartedly to the LORD. King David was also overjoyed, and he praised the LORD while the whole assembly watched. David said, "May You be praised, LORD God of Israel, our Father forever and ever. Greatness, power, splendor, glory, and majesty are Yours, LORD, because everything in heaven and on earth is Yours. The kingdom is Yours, LORD, and You are honored as head of all things. Riches and honor are in front of You. You rule everything. You hold power and strength in Your hands, and You can make anyone great and strong. Our God, we thank You and praise Your wonderful name. 5 But who am I and who are my people that You enable us to give so generously? Everything comes from You. We give You only what has come from Your hands. I Chronicles 29:9-14 OUR SPIRITUAL PROVISION Deepening the spiritual walk of our membership:  That we may accept the challenge of walking with You  That we will spend more time reading, meditating on, & memorizing the Word of God  May God grant us a closer walk with Him through prayer and reading of His Word The spiritual integrity of every member:  May God grant us a more earnest burden for the lost  May God grant us a renewed vision of our prayer ministry  That we increase our Scripture memorization OUR COMPASSION FOR OTHERS God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the Holy Spirit will comfort and direct:  Widows and widowers  Those in sickness, grief, loneliness and pain  Those who are lost and in need of Your grace  Those who claim Your Name, but do not follow You and do not gather in Your Name Lord, continue to use those who have grown older in

6 your service that their service will not diminish and they do not become weary, but rather:  Increase their zeal for being about Your work  Turn them into prayer warriors for You and Your people  Lift them up and bring others to help bear their burdens  Bring the young into our fold so that they may be encouraged and grow in the wisdom of our aged TRUTHFULNESS (for our sin and forgiveness) The LORD is not too weak to save or His ear too deaf to hear. But your wrongs have separated you from your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face so that He doesn't hear you. Your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers are stained with sin. You speak lies, and you mutter wicked things. No one calls for justice, and no one pleads his case truthfully. People trust pointless arguments and speak lies. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil. They hatch viper eggs and weave spiderwebs. Those who eat their eggs will die. When an egg is crushed, a poisonous snake is hatched. Their webs can't be used for clothes, nor can they cover themselves with their works. Their works are evil. Their hands have committed acts of violence. Their feet run to do evil. They hurry to shed innocent blood. Their plans are evil. Ruin and destruction are on their highways. They don't know the way of peace. There's no justice on their highways. They've made their paths crooked.

7 Whoever walks on them will never know peace. That is why justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn't reach us. We hope for light, but we walk in darkness. We hope for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope like blind men along a wall. We grope like people without eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. We are like dead people among healthy people. We all growl like bears. We coo like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none. We hope for salvation, but it's far from us. You are aware of our many rebellious acts. Our sins testify against us. Our rebellious acts are with us. We know our wrongdoings. We have rebelled and denied the LORD. We have turned away from our God. We have spoken about oppression and revolt. We have conceived and uttered lies in our hearts. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away. Truth has fallen in the street, and honesty can't come in. Truth is missing. Those who turn away from evil make themselves victims. The LORD sees it, and He's angry because there's no justice. He sees that there's no one to help. He's astounded that there's no one to intercede. So with His own power He wins a victory. His righteousness supports Him. He puts on righteousness like a coat of armor and a helmet of salvation on His head. He wears clothes of vengeance. He wraps himself with fury as a coat. He will pay them back according to their deeds. He will pay back His opponents with wrath and punish his enemies. He will pay back the people who live on the coastlands. The people of the west will fear the name of the LORD. Those in the east will fear His glory.

8 He will come like a rushing stream. The wind of the LORD pushes Him. "Then a Savior will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from rebellion," declares the LORD. "This is My promise to them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and My words that I put in your mouth will not leave you. They will be with your children and your grandchildren permanently," says the LORD. Isaiah 59:1-21 OUR WITNESS IN ACTION  An increase in personal witnessing among our members  The salvation of souls from Scriptures distributed  Those won to Christ will grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus  Scripture distributions in prisons and jails that many will be saved  That those in despair, perhaps contemplating suicide, shall be reached with the Gospel and the Word of God while there is yet time  That the Lord will use each member and their family in this ministry to His honor and glory  A mighty revival of the Holy Spirit to sweep over our nation  Church congregations, pastors, missionaries, and Bible teachers, that they may remain true to the message of salvation through the blood of Christ  Salvation of medical personnel who are instruments of God in healing

9  Salvation of teachers and others who work with our young that they might be mighty testaments of faith OUR COMPASSION FOR OTHERS  May God comfort and heal our sick and bereaved members  Overcoming the spirit of lethargy that we be not lacking in zeal, but “fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” Romans 12:11  For God’s guidance, open doors, and willing helpers in His work  Traveling mercies for our members over this season TIMELESSNESS (in our evangelism) On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city. Its walls and fortifications provide safety. Open the gates, and let the righteous nation come in, the nation that remains faithful. With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust You. Trust the LORD always, because the LORD, the LORD alone, is an everlasting rock. He has brought down those who live high in the towering city. He levels it. He levels it to the ground and throws it into the dust. Feet trample it, the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor. The path of the righteous is level. O Upright One, you make the road of the righteous smooth. Certainly, we wait with hope for You, O LORD, as we follow the path of Your guiding principles. We want to remember You and Your name.

10 With my soul I long for You at night. Yes, with my spirit I eagerly look for You. When your guiding principles are on earth, those who live in the world learn to do what is right. Although the wicked are shown pity, they do not learn to do what is right. They do what is wrong in the upright land and do not see the majesty of the LORD. O LORD, Your power is visible, but they do not see it. They will see how devoted Your people are, and they will be put to shame. Your burning anger will destroy Your enemies. O LORD, You will establish peace for us, since You have done everything for us. O LORD, our God, You are not the only master to rule us, but we acknowledge only You. The wicked are dead. They are no longer alive. The spirits of the dead won't rise. You have punished them, destroyed them, and wiped out all memory of them. You have expanded the nation, O LORD. You have expanded the nation. You are honored. You have extended all the land's boundaries. O LORD, the people have come to You in trouble. They were humbled by oppression, by your discipline upon them. O LORD, when we are with You, we are like pregnant women ready to give birth. They writhe and cry out in their labor pains. We were pregnant; we writhed with labor pains only to give birth to the wind. We weren't able to bring salvation to the land, and no new people were born on earth. Your dead will live. Their corpses will rise. Those who lie dead in the dust will wake up and shout for joy, because Your dew is a

11 refreshing dew, and the earth will revive the spirits of the dead. Isaiah 26:1-19 OUR MINISTRY FOR THIS COMING YEAR  More funds to supply more Scriptures and missionaries for the World and for the United States  Our church newsletter and the LCMS & CPH publications  New Members, transfers, and baptisms  Adult, women’s, men’s, high school, young couples, junior high, junior and primary children’s Bible studies  ESL, Caring Hands Food Pantry and other outreaches into the community  Council and its committees, the choir, ushers, acolytes, Elders, lectors, Bible study leaders, altar guild, organist, choir director, counters, and others that serve that everything will be done to Christ’s honor and glory OUR FRUIT THIS COMING YEAR  Service and military chaplains who minister to our young men and women in harm’s way  Open doors to our youth and college programs and salvation for those who are received into our care  Comfort for those who struggle under the burdens of life  Members, those close to us and all who are placed in jails and prisons for God’s comfort and His Word to them 12  For the fulfillment of Isaiah 55:11“ My word, which comes from my mouth, is like the rain and snow. It will not come back to me without results. It will accomplish whatever I want and achieve whatever I send it to do.” ADDITIONAL PRAYER ITEMS You may wish to pray for a number of people by name. The following list will help jog your memory.  Family: Spouse, each of your children, grandchildren, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews, cousins, etc.  Work: Those who work with you, those for whom you are responsible, those to whom you report, those in other departments.  Schools: Our member’s children; their special educational, social, but especially spiritual needs. Our high schools and colleges; their students, faculty, facilities, programs. The public schools—elementary, high school, colleges and universities.  Church: The ministry staff, members of the Church council, Youth Board, Christian Education Board, Evangelism Board, Elder Board, Finance Board, Trustee’s Board, School Board, our janitor, our Sunday school program, our ushers, our Bible studies, our choir, our organists, our tech and music ministry, our prayer chain, our youth groups, and any other programs and groups in our church.  Nation: Our president, Congress, and all others charged with some area of administering our national

13 government. Our state governor and legislature. Our city and county government.  Pandemic: Pray that lives will be saved, people will stay healthy, and less infection rates. In addition, please pray for the emotional well being of people— especially children, teenagers, the elderly, and singles. Finally, pray for the things to open up wisely and solidly. Silent Meditation THE LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13 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. CLOSING Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and delivered into the hands of sinful men and to suffer death on the cross; through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen Almighty and everlasting God, who willed that Your Son should bear for us the pains of the cross and so remove from us the power of the adversary, help us so to remember and give thanks for our Lord’s Passion that we may receive remission of sin and redemption from

14 everlasting death; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. NUNC DIMITTIS (Song of Simeon) Luke 2:29–32 Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping that awake we may watch with Christ and asleep we may rest in peace. Lord, now let Your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation which You have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal You to the nations and the glory to Your people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the T Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever more. Amen. Blest Be the Tie That Binds Blest be the tie that binds Our Hearts in Christian love! The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that above. When we asunder part It gives us inward pain; But we shall still be joined in heart, And hope to meet again. MEDITATION After you have finished your prayers, spend some time reading one of the Bible translations or other books of devotion and comfort provided for you.  Read the , which are arranged by couplets, each pair together and then pause to dwell on it for a few minutes. 15  Consider all of the things in your life that went well since Easter last year, and the many things that could have harmed you that did not happen.  Commit to putting your time and talents to assist your family, the church and your community.  Thank God for the faith He has given you and the gift of His Son that saves and make you one of His own. WORSHIP SCHEDULE 8:00 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary limited live music, no congregational singing, Lord’s Supper will be offered as you leave the Sanctuary 9:30 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary & Live Stream limited live music, no congregational singing, Lord’s Supper will be offered as you leave the Sanctuary 9:30 a.m. Sunday School in the Fellowship Hall 11:00 a.m. Live Stream Worship with Music

Curbside Communion 3rd Sunday of the month from 12-12:30 p.m.

Sign-up required for all in Sanctuary Worship April 11 and later at Hephatha.churchreserve.com All other on campus events at TimeToSignUp.com/hephathalutheran Hephatha.net © 714-637-0887 © [email protected]

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