Charles Town Presbyterian Church

Our traditional Maundy Thursday service uses low-lighting to symbolize the decent into darkness, representing Jesus’ death – the darkness before the light….In anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection in the following days… in anticipation of Easter Day.

Below, please find this virtual service’s program and all are welcome to share in a virtual communion with your bread and cup.

Charles Town Presbyterian Church
Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020

Welcome and Opening Prayer

Scripture Reading                            Exodus 12:1-7, 12-14

Song                                                        “Lamb of God”                                                       No.518

Your only Son, no sin to hide, but you have sent him from your side
to walk upon this guilty sod, and to become the Lamb of God.
(Refrain) O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in his precious blood, my Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Your gift of love, we crucified; we laughed and scorned him as he died;
The humble King we named a fraud and sacrificed the Lamb of God.
(Refrain) I was so lost, I should have died, but you have brought me to your side
To be led by your staff and rod, and to be called a lamb of God. (Refrain)

Scripture Reading                                John 13:1-16

Hymn                                   “Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love”                       No. 203

Scripture                                            Matthew 26:17-30

Message                                               “At the Table”

Prayer of Confession (in unison)

Holy and gracious God, our sin is too heavy to bear.
Trusting in your mercy, we lay before you the truth of who we are.
We confess our failure to love as Christ loved…
We confess our covetousness and greed…
We confess our weakness before temptation…
We confess our frailty before the challenges of this world…
Merciful God, forgive us. Heal us, and make us whole, for the sake of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we humbly pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

            Friends, hear the good news of the gospel.
            In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

*Hymn                             “Longing For Light, We Wait in Darkness”                        No. 314

Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people, light for the world to see.

(Refrain) Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.

Longing for peace, our world is troubled. Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word a lone has power to save us. Make us your living voice. (Refrain)

Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others, shared until all are fed. (Refrain)

Longing for shelter, many are homeless, longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others, walls made of living stone. (Refrain)

Many the gifts, many the people, many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another, making your kingdom come. (Refrain)

Presentation of Gifts with Prayer of Thanksgiving

Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

            Great Prayer of Thanksgiving…
              The Lord be with you;
              And also with you.
              Lift up your hearts.
              We lift them up to the Lord.
              Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
              It is right to give our thanks and praise…

Scripture Reading                                 Revelation 21:1-4

*Hymn                                                   “Were You There”                                               No. 228

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

*Benediction

Online Giving. For several months we have made available online giving as a tool to help people bring their offering before God.  This past week, we set up our online giving through the Presbyterian Foundation.  The exciting part about working with the foundation is that they have mobile app connected to our account.  The app is called Give Plus and you can find it at the Google Play Store or Apple app store.  The great part about the Give Plus app is that you can set up for weekly, monthly or one time giving!  If you have any questions, please contact the church office.

On Good Friday, people are welcome to check out this video, produced by members of the presbytery. 

Alas, we continue in our corona-driven isolation and social distancing. I cannot ever remember a time in my life when I did not engage in Holy Week activities at church. My whole life, the time between Palm Sunday and Easter was a time for more prayer, more self-reflection, and more church. My family always attended worship on Maundy Thursday and whatever service we had on Good Friday (it was never the same year to year).

This year, the threat of the coronavirus (and executive action of our governor) prohibits us from meeting for any of the usual ways we like to celebrate Holy Week. And while this may seem like a real downer, all is not lost. We have had great response to our virtual worship broadcasts. Please be patient with us, we know there are some technical issues, and we are addressing those. This coming week, we plan to worship on Palm Sunday and then on Easter Sunday at 10:30am both mornings. On Maunday Thursday, we will post a video at 7pm. We are recording it earlier in the week and later at night so that it captures a more dramatic experience for Maundy Thursday.

Since the corona isolation began, I have been posting daily devotionals and prayer. A simple message with scripture and prayer. This week, because it is Holy Week, I want us all to be able to read and ponder the verses together. So here are my readings this week:

Our Facebook page is accessible through this link. I hope you are able to join us in the days ahead. I know this is not the kind of Holy Week and Easter we want, but it is the one we have. The gospel is still real, relevant, it is still good news. Let us, therefore, not let our current moment steer us away from that which is eternal.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Virtual Worship

Because of the coronavirus, most churches have been forced to either shut down or attempt a digital presence on the internet, usually through Facebook, YouTube, or some of live streaming option. Let me say this: I really don’t like virtual worship. Don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful to have social media and other digital tools at my disposal. Can you imagine going through this with no way to connect with others?

But therein lies my issue. The Church, the people of Christ, are connected to one another. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul refers to the Church as the “Body of Christ.” By that, he means that the Church is a living, active, growing organism.

My hope is that when life returns to “normal,” we never again forsake the opportunity to worship. We miss each other. We are family, and our weekly worship was the time we had to connect with one another and Christ. Virtual worship, while a welcome tool at the moment, just isn’t the same. It’s nice to share prayer concerns through email and other messaging tools, but it’s not quite the same as being present together and hearing the emotional content of that prayer concern. We can sing songs and hymns of praise during our self-quarantine (as well we should!), but it is not the same as singing in worship.

I think you get my point.

For now, we will continue to worship virtually, we will continue to connect the best way we can, but when it is safe to worship en masse again, we will worship with the greatest energy and joy we can muster. Yes, it looks as if we are not going to be able to gather for Holy Week worship, and this disappoints me. So, when we next gather, even it if is Mother’s Day , we will celebrate the passion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus!

Let us use this moment to remember what it means to be the Body of Christ, the “called out ones,” the Gathered before God!

Blessings,

Pastor John

What if it’s longer that two weeks?

That seems to be the big question around Covid-19. Things seem to be changing every day, don’t they? Last Thursday, when I finished writing my newsletter article, there were only a quarter of the cases and fatalities than we have now. This virus moves quickly and somewhat “silently” – those infected carry it with them some time before symptoms emerge, and that means every person they are around during that time will be at risk of the virus. This is why schools have closed, restaurants are take-out only, and we worship virtually. I expect that we will be closed longer than two Sundays, and I say that so that we are prepared. None of us is pleased that we may be celebrating Palm Sunday and Easter far differently than we imagined. That decision has not been made yet, but I do want you to be mentally prepared if we have to make that announcement.

My highest priority, as pastor, is the spiritual welfare of the congregation. To that end, I want to make sure you know of two virtual opportunities. Every day (except Sunday), around 11:00am, I am attempting to stream a short three to five-minute Bible reading and prayer. I started that this past week, and the response has been unbelievable. I am doing that through the church Facebook page. On Sundays we worship at 10:30, and we will do so virtually (same link).

I also want to encourage you to sign up for our virtual prayer meeting. While we are facing this pandemic, we must turn to Christ. Why not sign up for times to pray throughout the weeks ahead? Please visit this page for sign up information.

And as we have noted so many times, we rely on the generosity of this congregation, and we are hopeful that we will see little, if any interruption in our giving. It’s impossible to collect the offering while maintaining social distance, but people can still give online or through the mail.

This is an historic moment for the world. We will get through this, and I am certain that as we do so, we will find Christ faithful!

Peace,

Pastor John

UPDATE: March 16, 2020 – with the recent recommendations surrounding coronavirus COVID-19, for the health of those who participate in the various community groups, Charles Town Presbyterian Church is closing the building to all groups and ministries. The ONLY exceptions to this are the essential ministries Meals on Wheels and the Homeless Dinner coalition. We prayerfully ask that all other groups also consider practicing social distancing where possible.

The governing body of Charles Town Presbyterian Church will continue to assess the situation in order to determine when we’ll reopen. Please direct any questions to our church office.

UPDATE – Pastor John is keeping us connected in this March 16th video:

On March 15, 2020, CTPC did a live broadcast of Worship services! As we navigate this difficult situation, we all will be praying for relief for those directly or indirectly affected.

Friends, I am interrupting my planned newsletter topics to address the coronavirus. By now, you’ve heard that this novel disease is a global pandemic, with the number of cases growing daily. As of this past Thursday when I wrote this, Jefferson County had no known cases. I expect that change any minute.

There have been so many cancellations at this point that it’s honestly hard to keep up with all the different organizations who are self-sequestering. I know it may seem like an overreaction, but there is actually some sense to this. Covid-19 is a social virus. To catch it, a person has to be in contact with or in the vicinity of someone who has it. Since the virus can live outside the body for days, in some cases, limiting exposure is key to avoiding it and slowing its progress. When we are able to slow the progress and limit the number of people who get sick, that has the effect of NOT overwhelming hospitals and other medical providers. But if we continue with business as usual, we risk overwhelming the system, which will, in turn, cause even more people to be sick (see the image below). This is called “flattening the curve.”

To that end, every social organization has some responsibility to act in the best interest of others. So far, we are not considering cancelling any event or worship service. I consider that a kind of “last option.” For now, we encourage the following:

Use Your Discretion. If you’re nervous about going out, don’t feel obligated to come to worship or any other church activity. If you’re worshiping under compulsion and all you can focus on is everything BUT worship, it would be better to stay at home. If you don’t want to miss the message but feel more comfortable staying home, you can listen here.

Wash Your Hands. We’re clear on this by now, right?

We are suspending communion. In recent days, you may have heard me say that I’ve never heard of anyone getting sick from the Lord’s Supper. I still believe that. However, there are people who are really anxious about this pandemic. And though I had hoped to celebrate communion every service during Lent, and while I still believe that no one would get sick from the sacrament, I do not wish for any worshiper to have the physical intimacy of the Lord’s Table be a hindrance to their worship. When the threat of Coronavirus has diminished, we will resume a regular observance.

Observe Social Distancing. Social distancing is exactly like it sounds. If you are not staying home, avoid physical contact with others. People who know more than I on this matter recommend a six-foot distance between people. That’s hard to maintain, especially when we are “family,” like church. At a minimum, don’t hug or shake hands.

If you are sick, stay home. Any of us who has compromised immunity for any reason has a significantly higher risk of contracting coronavirus, the flu, and other illnesses.

Continue to Trust the Lord. God is bigger than this pandemic. And while the immediate threat is very real and very frightening, we must continue to trust in the God who has saved us. I offer these comforting words from Psalm 46:1-5

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

Of course, if it seems prudent to cancel services, or if government leaders mandate such an action, we will abide by such wisdom. But until such a time, as long as I am able, I will be present to lead worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30. If anything should change, we will notify the congregation as quickly as possible.

Blessings,

Pastor John