Presiding Minister: Revd George Mwaura

Gathering Music

Opening Acclamation

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

Amen

Opening Prayer

Servant Christ, on this holy night you stooped to serve and to give yourself away.
Free us from pride and fear, that we may receive your love and offer it to the world,
guided by your Spirit present with us today.

Amen

Hymn: A new commandment I give unto you

A new commandment I give unto you,
that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you love one another as I have loved you.

By this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another.
By this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

I am the true vine, my Father is the gardener.
Abide in me: I will be with you.
I am the true vine, my Father is the gardener.
Abide in me: I will be with you.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.
True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

Anonymous, based on John 13: 34–35)
CCL31580

1 Corinthians 11: 23–26

Read by Kate Abrahams

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

NIV®

[Silence]

John 13: 1–17

Evangelist [Colin Ballard]

¹ Now before the Festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that the hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. During supper ³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had put all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God; ⁴ got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped round him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,

Peter [Krou Assoua]

‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’

Evangelist

⁷ Jesus replied,

Jesus [Bob Collard]

‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’

Evangelist

⁸ Peter said to him,

Peter

‘You will never wash my feet.’

Evangelist

Jesus answered,

Jesus

‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’

Evangelist

⁹ Simon Peter said to him,

Peter

‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’

Evangelist

¹⁰ Jesus said to him,

Jesus

‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet; but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.’

Evangelist

¹¹ For he knew who was to betray him, for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

¹² After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them.

Jesus

‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.’

[Silence]

Prayer of Response

Lord Jesus, you knew your hour had come, yet you chose love to the very end.
Write your commandment upon our hearts, that our lives may become acts of humble service.

Amen

Hymn: Brother, sister, let me serve you

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace tou long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

Richard Gillard (b. 1953)
CCL31580

Prayer over the Water

God of tenderness, bless this water, that it may be for us a sign of your cleansing love.
As we wash and are washed, remove from us all that hinders love and restore in us the joy of serving.

Amen

[Participants wash hands and the Minister dries them in silence.]

Prayer after Washing

Kneeling Christ, you have shown us the shape of love.
Let our hands be gentle, our words be kind,
and our lives poured out for the sake of others.

Amen

Reflections

[Silence]

Intercessions

Led by Joy Enenche

Lord Jesus, on this night you knelt to wash your disciples’ feet and commanded us to love one another.
Renew your Church throughout the world, that we may serve with humility, seek unity,
and reflect your self-giving love.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of peace, in a world wounded by war, division, and fear,
we pray for all places torn by conflict and injustice.
Guide the leaders of nations with wisdom and compassion
and turn hearts from violence to reconciliation.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Compassionate Lord, who shared bread with friends and faced betrayal and suffering,
be close to all who are hungry, displaced, ill, or afraid.
Strengthen those who care for the vulnerable and bring comfort to those in pain.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Servant King, teach us to follow your example of humble love.
Bless our homes, our church and city, and our neighbours,
that we may be signs of your grace in the places where we live and work.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we walk with you through the shadow of the cross,
keep us faithful in prayer and watchfulness.
Lead us through the sorrow of Good Friday to the joy of your resurrection.
Faithful God, you have heard the prayers we offer this night.
Grant us grace to love as Christ has loved us and to serve as he served,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen

Sharing Peace

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with you,
and also with you.

Let us share the peace of Christ with one another and wave to those watching on the live stream.

Hymn: Let us break bread together on our knees

Let us break bread together on our knees.
Let us break bread together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.

Let us drink wine together on our knees.
Let us drink wine together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.

Let us praise God together on our knees.
Let us praise God together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.

Traditional
CCL31580

The Great Thanksgiving

What we do here today:
we do in imitation of what Christ first did.

To his followers in every age, Jesus gave an example and command
rooted in the experience he shared with his disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem.
So now we do as Jesus did. We take this bread and this wine,
produce of the earth and fruit of human labour.

In these, Jesus has promised to be present.
Through these, Christ can make us whole.

Church, the Lord be with you,
and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Holy God, source of life and love, we thank you for creating us and calling us to be your people.
We praise you for Jesus Christ, who loved his own to the end,
who took the form of a servant, and gave himself for the life of the world.
Therefore, with all your people we praise your holy name saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

And now, lest we believe that our praise alone fulfils your purpose,
we fall silent and remember him who came because words weren’t enough.
Setting our wisdom, our will, our words aside, emptying our hearts,
and bringing nothing in our hands, we yearn for the healing, the holding,
the accepting, the forgiving which Christ alone can offer.

[Silence]

On the night he was betrayed, which we observe tonight, Jesus was having a meal with his friends
when he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying:
Take, eat – this is my body that will be broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way after supper he took the cup and after giving you thanks again as we now do, he said:
Take and drink from it all of you, this cup is the new covenant between you and my father
sealed in my blood that will be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins:
do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Merciful God, send now, in kindness, your Holy Spirit to settle on this bread and wine
and fill them with the fullness of Jesus.
And let that same Spirit rest on us, converting us from the patterns of this passing world,
until we conform to the shape of him whose food we now share.

Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen

Breaking of the Bread

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ,
though we are many of us, we are one body.

This is the Lord’s table. All who seek his mercy and love are welcome.

Meal is shared

Prayer after Communion

Gracious Jesus, you have fed us with your life.
Send us now to love and serve, to forgive and to welcome, as you have welcomed us.

Amen

Hymn: Love divine, all loves excelling

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
never more thy temples leave.
There we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above;
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation:
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Mark 14: 26–52

²⁶ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus predicts Peter’s denial

²⁷ ‘You will all fall away,’ Jesus told them, ‘for it is written:

‘“I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.”^[d]

²⁸ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.’

²⁹ Peter declared, ‘Even if all fall away, I will not.’

³⁰ ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘today – yes, tonight – before the cock crows twice^[e] you yourself will disown me three times.’

³¹ But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the others said the same.

Gethsemane

³² They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ ³³ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴ ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’

³⁵ Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ ‘Abba,^[f] Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’

³⁷ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Simon,’ he said to Peter, ‘are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? ³⁸ Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’

³⁹ Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. ⁴⁰ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹ Returning the third time, he said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!’

Jesus arrested

⁴³ Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.’ ⁴⁵ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him. ⁴⁶ The men seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷ Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸ ‘Am I leading a rebellion,’ said Jesus, ‘that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.’ ⁵⁰ Then everyone deserted him and fled.

⁵¹ A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, ⁵² he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

NIV®

[Service concludes in silence.]

The candle is carried to the Chapel for the Watch.

All depart in silence or remain to pray.