Feast of the Holy Cross (September 17th)

The Greeting and Welcome
The congregation stands and faces the entrance of the sanctuary. We begin with a procession – the cross leading the way – an image of our new life in Jesus Christ and our journey to Paradise. Some bow as the cross passes, honoring the mystery of salvation.
Invocation Opening Versicles
En el nombre del Padre, y del X Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo.
All Amen.

O Lord, open my lips,
All and my mouth will declare Your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
All make haste to help me, O Lord. Praise to You, O Christ, Lamb of our salvation.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
All By your holy cross you have redeemed the world

Holy, Holy, Holy (507)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Confession and Forgiveness
Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
All Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.
All Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.
Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
All Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.
Silence is Kept
Christ himself carried up our sins in his body to the tree, so that, free from sins, we might live
for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed. Let us confess our sins:
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All Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have
sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we
have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our
neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive
us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to
the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all
your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I forgive you all
your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All Amen.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
All By your holy cross you have redeemed the world

The Kyrie

The Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Let us pray.
All Loving God, who in the passion of your Son made an instrument of death to be for us the
means of life: grant us so to glory in the cross that we may gladly suffer for his sake; who
is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
All By your holy cross you have redeemed the world

The Scripture Readings

Numbers 21:4-9
They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the
people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said,
“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There
is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among
them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said,
“We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the
snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a
snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made
a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and
looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the
intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher
of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of
the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him,
God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling
block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser
than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.

The Gospel Procession
The Holy Gospel is read in the midst of the people as a reminder of God coming to us in Jesus Christ. As the Gospel is announced some make a small cross on their forehead, lips, and chest – a prayer that the Word would dwell in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts.

Lift High the Cross (837)
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred name.
Come, Christians, follow where our Captain trod, Our king victorious, Christ, the Son of God.
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred name.
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.
All Glory to You, O Lord.

John 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, O Christ.

Lift High the Cross (837)
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred name.
O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, As Thou hast promised, draw us all to Thee.
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred name.

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The Apostle’s Creed
All I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into
heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection X of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

In the Cross of Christ I Glory (427)
In the cross of Christ I glory, Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time.
All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o’ertake me, Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me; Lo, it glows with peace and joy.
When the sun of bliss is beaming Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming Adds more luster to the day.

Sermon

The Offering

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow (805)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Prayer Before Reception of Holy Communion
O Lord, I believe and profess that you are truly Christ,
The Son of the living God, who came into the world
To save sinners of whom I am the first.
Accept me as a partaker of your mystical supper, O Lord,
For I will not reveal your mystery to your enemies,
Nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, But like the thief I profess to you:
Remember me, O Lord, when you come in your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master, when you come in your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One, when you come in your kingdom.
May the partaking of your Holy mysteries, O Lord,
Be not for my judgment or condemnation,
But for the healing of my soul and body.
O Lord, I believe and profess, that this,
Which I am about to receive,
Is truly your most precious Body, and your life-giving Blood,
Given for me for remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen

Service of the Sacrament
The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
All We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is indeed right and good, our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give you thanks,
holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Today we celebrate
with songs of praise the cross, the victory-sign of Christ. Once through the fruit of the
forbidden tree we fell, now through this tree our Savior cancels all our sin. An instrument of
shameful death has become for Christ a throne of glory. The power of the life-giving cross
reveals the judgement that has come upon the world and the triumph of Christ crucified. And
so, with choirs of angels and with all the heavenly host, we proclaim your glory and join their
unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Sabaoth adored;
Heaven and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.
Sing hosana in the highest, sing hosana to the Lord;
Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You
created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior.
With repentant joy, we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice
of His body and His blood on the cross. Gathered in the name and the remembrance of
Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit.
Grant us to faithfully eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us to in His own testament.
Gather us together from the ends of the earth to celebrate, with all the faithful, the marriage
feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Receive our prayers; deliver and
preserve us. To You alone be all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever.
All Amen.

The Consecration

The Acclamation and Invitation
As often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
All Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Behold the Lamb of God, behold Jesus, who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are
those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.
La paz del Señor sea con ustedes.
All Y Tambien contigo

Sharing of the Peace
Greet each other in the name of Christ by saying ‘the Peace of the Lord be with you’ as a sign of forgiveness &
reconciliation in preparation for reception of the Blessed Sacrament.

Lamb of God
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.

Distribution

Eucharistic Dismissal

Thank The Lord
Thank the Lord and sing His praise; Tell everyone what He has done.
Let everyone who seeks the Lord, Rejoice, and proudly bear His name.
He recalls His promises, and leads His people forth in joy
With shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.

Post-Communion Prayer
We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary
gift, and we implore You, that of Your mercy, You would strengthen us in faith toward You
and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who
lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Announcements

The Blessing

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (549)
All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem And crown Him Lord of all.
Crown Him, ye martyrs of our God Who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s rod And crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s rod And crown Him Lord of all.
Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him who saves you by His grace And crown Him Lord of all.
Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget The wormwood and the gall,
Go, spread your trophies at His feet And crown Him Lord of all.
Go, spread your trophies at His feet And crown Him Lord of all.
Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe And crown Him Lord of all.
To Him all majesty ascribe And crown Him Lord of all.