WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2026
MIDWEEK LENTEN SERVICE
CHRIST THE KING LUTHERAN CHURCH
CHURCH: 410-356-3400 CELL: 410-707-7663
Church email: ctklclcms@yahoo.com
Church Web Site: ctklchurch.org
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WORD OF WELCOME
OPENING HYMN: 575 “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”
THE INVOCATION AND OPENING SENTENCES
P. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C. Amen.
P. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
C. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
P. The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,
C. but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
THE PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Heavenly Father, Pilate and Herod, blinded by pragmatism and politics, could not see that your Son Jesus is truly Christ, the King, Savior of sinners. Grant that in the midst of all our pressing responsibilities and loyalties, we do not overlook Jesus and fail to see him as our
Savior. Rather, we pray, give us believing hearts that trust fully in his name. In his dear name we pray. Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
P. Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in love.
C. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
P. Confident that our God is gracious and forgiving, let us confess our sins.
O Lord, I have worried about your provision for me. I have been greedy for material things. I have sought power and glory at the expense of others. I have ignored your Word, though I know what it says. I have avoided the hard road of righteousness and taken the easy road of sin.
P. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, “If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven.” Assured by his word and promise, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C. Amen.
PSALM RESPONSE: Psalm 85
P. You showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
C. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.
P. You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.
C. Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
P. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
C. Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
P. Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
P. he promises peace to his people, his saints — but let them not return to folly.
C. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
P. Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
C. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
P. The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
C. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
THE FIRST LESSON: Jeremiah 10:6-10
No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple — all made by skilled workers. But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.
THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 23:1-12
Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.”
So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends — before this they had been enemies.
THE CREED
I believe in God the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He died and was buried. He descended into hell, and the third day he rose again. He entered into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Almighty Father. He will come again 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 of the body, and the life eternal. Amen.
HYMN: 456 “Were You There”
THE DEVOTION: “Made For Mission”
THE OFFERING
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD
P. O Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times when we, like Herod, only want you to wow us with some trick or miracle or sign. Help us to remember that the reason you came was not to wow us but to save us. Give us vision to see that what you accomplished on the cross was the most spectacular act you could ever perform to win forgiveness and eternal life for us. Innocent Lord, who suffered for us,
C. Hear our prayer.
P. O Friend of all, through the events of your trials, Herod and Pilate became unlikely friends. Open our eyes to opportunities you present to us to begin relationships with people we may not have considered getting to know before. Forge bonds among us that are grounded in our mutual beliefs in you, and deepen the relationships that you have already established among us by the power of your love within us. Innocent Lord, who suffered for us,
C. Hear our prayer.
P. While Herod considered himself a king, you showed him and the world that you are our true King. Help us to worship you with reverence this Lent and Holy Week and to honor your reign among us by living in line with your will and your ways. Innocent Lord, who suffered for us,
Hear our prayer.
P. Lord of all, let us never cling too tightly to the things of this world and become penniless, like Herod. Help us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. Give us the ability to see that our physical possessions are nothing compared to the riches of your kingdom yet to come. Innocent Lord, who suffered for us,
C. Hear our prayer.
P. Ever-giving Jesus, just as you gave of yourself on the cross to save us, help us to give of ourselves to others in selfless acts of service. Let us never be too proud to reach out to others. Let us never make excuses for why we can’t be a blessing to others. Help us to honestly admit when we have not lived up to our potential. And let us live in humility, knowing that only you deserve the glory for what you have so graciously allowed to happen through us. Innocent Lord, who suffered for us,
C. Hear our prayer.
P. For these and all other things we have on our hearts, we ask for your grace, confident that you were tried and crucified to save sinners. In your name we pray.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
THE BENEDICTION
Fight the good fight of faith.
C. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
C. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the spirit.
P. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
C. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: 433 “Glory Be To Jesus”
