Special Holiday

St. Mark Passion

Charles Wood (1866–1926)

Luke Norvell, tenor (Evangelist)
Richard Lindsey, baritone (Jesus, Peter)
Aaron Patterson, organ
Tenth Church Choir
Colin Howland, conductor

Hymn

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle, sing the last, the dread affray;
O’er the cross, the victor’s trophy, sound the high triumphal lay,
How, a victim’s death enduring, earth’s Redeemer won the day.

God, man’s Maker, sorely grieving that the ﬁrst man, Adam, fell,
When he ate the fruit of sorrow, whose reward was death and hell;
Marked e’en then this wood, the ruin of the ancient wood to quell.

Thus the scheme of our salvation was of old in order laid,
That the manifold deceiver’s art by art might be outweighed,
And the lure the foe put forward into means of healing made.

To the Trinity be glory everlasting, as is meet;
Equal to the Father, equal to the Son, and Paraclete:
Trinal Unity, whose praises all created things repeat. Amen.

First Gospel
Mark 14:12, 16–26

And the ﬁrst day of unleavened bread, his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and they made ready the Passover. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Hymn

The Heavenly Word proceeding forth, yet leaving not the Father’s side,
Accomplishing His work on earth has reached at length life’s eventide.

By false disciple to be given to foemen for His life athirst,
Himself, the very Bread of heaven, He gave to His disciples ﬁrst.

He gave Himself in either kind, His precious ﬂesh, His precious blood;
In Love’s own fullness thus designed of the whole man to be the food.

O Saving Victim, opening wide the gate of heaven for men below,
Our foes press on from every side, Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow. Amen.

Second Gospel
Mark 14:32–46, 50

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and ﬁndeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the ﬂesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him. And they all forsook him, and ﬂed.

Hymn

Lord, when we bow before Thy throne, and our confessions pour,
Teach us to feel the sins we own, and hate what we deplore.

When we disclose our wants in prayer, may we our wills resign,
And not a thought our bosoms share, which is not wholly Thine.

May faith each weak petition ﬁll, and waft it to the skies,
And teach our hearts ‘tis goodness still that grants it or denies.

Third Gospel
Mark 14:53–55, 60–72

And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the ﬁre. And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

Hymn

My God, I love Thee; not because I hope for heaven thereby,
Nor yet because who love Thee not are lost eternally.
Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me upon the cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails and spear, and manifold disgrace,

And griefs and torments numberless, and sweat of agony;
Yea, death itself; and all for me who wast Thine enemy.
Then why, most loving Jesus Christ, should I not love Thee well,
Not for the sake of winning heaven, or of escaping hell;

Not from the hope of gaining aught, not seeking a reward;
But as Thyself hast loved me, O ever-loving Lord?
So do I love Thee, and will love, who such a love hast showed,
Only because Thou art my King, because Thou art my God.

Fourth Gospel
Mark 15.1–9, 11–20

And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be cruciﬁed. And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

Hymn

Faithful cross! above all other, one and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom, none in fruit thy peer may be;
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron! Sweetest Weight is hung on thee.

Fifth Gospel
Mark 15:22–25, 26–27, 29–37

And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had cruciﬁed him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they cruciﬁed him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were cruciﬁed with him reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and ﬁlled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

Confession and Prayer for Pardon

All: We confess to God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in the sight of the whole company of heaven that we have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through our fault, our own fault, our own most grievous fault. Wherefore we pray God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to have mercy upon us. May the Almighty God have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Minister: O Savior of the world, who by Thy cross and precious blood hath redeemed us;

People: Save us and help us, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord.

Minister: Let us pray. Almighty God, we beseech Thee graciously to behold this Thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up in to the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross, who now liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Hymn

Bend thy boughs, O Tree of Glory! Thy relaxing sinews bend;
For awhile the ancient rigor that thy birth bestowed suspend;
And the King of heavenly beauty on thy bosom gently tend!