Maundy Thursday: Where Your Treasure Is: In the Upper Room

Thursday, April 2, 2026
7:00 PM 8:00 PM 19:00 20:00

Union Presbyterian Church 200 E Main St Endicott, NY, 13760 United States (map)

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It has been a week of celebration and fear, of gathering together and betrayal. On this night, Jesus gathers with his nearest and dearest for the Passover meal. While at table, he takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and shares it with his friends, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.” He does similarly with the wine. It is the institution on one of the only two sacraments all Christians can agree upon: The Lord’s Supper.

Join us on this holy evening, when we, too, will hear the words of Jesus, and gather around his table to receive the bread of heaven and the cup of salvation. You can join us in our beautiful sanctuary at 200 East Main Street in Endicott, NY. Or, you can join us online by clicking on the livestream, right here, at 7:00 PM. All are welcome to the table.

Maundy Thursday: In the Upper Room

Psalm 136:1-16; Matthew 26:17-31

April 2, 2026 

Union Presbyterian Church, Endicott, NY

Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow 

Liturgist: Joan Kellam Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube

Prelude

“Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love,” Robert J. Powell

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Call to Worship

Jesus said, I give you a new commandment,

that you shall love one another.

Just as Christ has loved us, let us love one another.

Beloved people of God:

This is the day

when Christ, our Passover Lamb,

surrendered himself to those who would kill him,

revealing God’s extravagant love for the world.

Just as Christ has loved us, let us love one another.

This is the day

when Christ, our Teacher and Lord,

knelt down to wash his disciples’ feet,

showing us how to love and serve one another.

Just as Christ has loved us, let us love one another.

This is the day

when Christ, the bread of heaven,

shared a holy meal with his followers,

offering a feast of abundant life and grace for all.

Just as Christ has loved us, let us love one another.

Hymn # 396

“Brethren, We Have Met to Worship”

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Brethren, we have met to worship
And adore the Lord our God.
Will you pray with all your power
While we try to preach the word?
All is vain unless the Spirit
Of the holy One comes down.
Brethren, pray, and holy manna
Will be showered all around.

Sisters, will you come and help us?
Moses’ sister aided him.
Will you help the trembling mourners
Who are struggling hard with sin?
Tell them all about the Savior.
Tell them that he will be found.
Sisters, pray, and holy manna
Will be showered all around.

Is there here a trembling jailer,
Seeking grace and filled with fears?
Is there here a weeping Mary
Pouring forth a flood of tears?
Brethren, join your cries to help them;
Sisters, let your prayers abound!
Pray, O pray, that holy manna
Will be scattered all around.

Let us love our God supremely;
Let us love each other, too.
Let us love and pray for sinners
Till our God makes all things new.
Christ will call us home to heaven;
At his table we’ll sit down.
Christ will gird himself and serve us
With sweet manna all around.

Call to New Life

Because we have faith in the love of God in Jesus Christ, we dare to approach God with confidence. Let us open our hearts and lives to God’s healing.

Prayer for Wholeness and Peace

Abundant God, we say that we believe in your provision, yet we ought too often operate from a spirit of lack. We lean on meritocracy, who is worthy or has earned what they get, rather than trusting that you have created enough for all of us. We demand equality rather than equity because we don't want anyone to have more than us, even if their need is greater.

(A time of silent prayer)

And we pray,

Forgive us, God. Stir up within us the joy of sufficiency and the delight that comes in witnessing an empty plate and a smile because all have had their fill. We love you, great creator! We are grateful for your calling us to live generously.

Words of Assurance

The mercy of God is from everlasting to everlasting.

I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

Sharing of the Peace

Since God has forgiven and healed us in Christ,

let us forgive and be at peace with one another.

The peace of God be with you this night:

And also with you.

Let us share a sign of peace.

Scripture Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 NRSVUE

A reading from the Psalter, Psalm 116, selected verses

I love the Lord because he has heard
    my voice and my supplications.

Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

What shall I return to the Lord
    for all his bounty to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord;

I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful ones.

O Lord, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
    You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
    and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Time for Young Disciples

Music: “When Twilight Comes” (Hymn #195)

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Anthem Choir

“Remember Me,” Deborah Govenor

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

In the night in which our Savior was betrayed,

He broke the bread and to His friends He said:

“Take and eat, this is my body given for you;

Take and drink, this blood of mine is shed for you.

Do this always to remember me, remember me.”

In the night in which our Savior was denied,

He bowed His head, and to the Father cried:

“If it be your will, let this cup pass from me;

If it be your will, spare me this agony,

In my darkest hour will you remember me, remember me?”

In the night in which my deepest doubts are known,

You come to me and I am not alone.

When I taste your blood and body given for me,

When I hear your prayer in dark Gethsemane,

Then I know you will remember me, remember me.

O Lord, remember me, remember me.

Scripture Matthew 26:17-31 Rev. Pat Raube

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and say, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did just as Jesus instructed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve, and while they ate, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became deeply grieved and each one began to say to him, “Not me, is it Rabbi?” He responded and said, “The one who dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. Indeed, the Son of Woman goes away as it is written of him, but woe to the person by whom the Son of Woman is betrayed! It would have been better for that person not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, responded and said, “It wasn’t me was it, Rabbi?” He replied, “You said it.”

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and blessing it, he broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. I tell you all, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you all in the realm of my Abba.”

And when they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become scandalized to the point of desertion because of me this night; for it is written,

‘For I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Response: Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:

Thanks be to God.

Meditation

Hymn # 207 (verses 1–4)

“Sharing Paschal Bread and Wine,” Mary Louise Bringle, Sally Ann Morris

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Sharing Paschal bread and wine

As the daylight ebbs away,

Friends at table join to dine.

One of them will soon betray.

Shadows lengthen into night.

In a grove of olive trees

Underneath a darkening sky,

Jesus warns as he foresees:

Peter also will deny.

Shadows lengthen into night.

In the garden, still and deep,

Those he asked to watch and pray,

Heavy-lidded, fall asleep,

Weary from the anxious day.

Shadows lengthen into night.

Deeper in the garden’s chill,

Jesus kneels to pray alone,

Wrestling with God’s holy will,

Crying out, “Let it be done!”

Shadows lengthen into night.

The Prayers of the People

Loving God on this holy night we pray:

For all who are hungry, for food or for righteousness or for both.

For all who are thirsty, for clean, clear water, or for the living water, or for both.

For all who are outcast.

For all who know what it is to be hated.

For all who know what it is to be feared.

For all who know what betrayal is.

For all who have wept and prayed to you for relief.

For all who have run away in fear.

For all who have been put in chains and led to a place they did not want to go.

For all who have known imprisonment.

For all who need encouragement.

For all who give encouragement.

For all who stand with the lonely and ostracized.

For all who put their hope in you.

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Invitation

Jesus invites us to this holy meal with a spirit of abundance and hospitality. He doesn’t want anyone going away unsatisfied, still feeling a gnawing emptiness. Jesus wants us to have our fill. It was out of this generous love that Jesus gathered with his followers on that Passover night long ago.

Imagine that there were more than the twelve in the room that night. Imagine it filled with women and children and others seeking to know more about Jesus. Even those who didn’t believe, hanging around, lurking. Jesus, being who he was, would not have excluded anyone, not even his own betrayer. Jesus, knowing God’s promise, knew there would be more than enough for all.

Imagine the bread being passed not only around the table, but also to those standing up against the wall, sitting on the floor, gathered in the doorway. The cup quenching every thirst. No questions asked.

Imagine, and let us pray:

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts!

We lift them up to God.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give both thanks and praise.

Holiest of hosts, we give you thanks for your love and grace,

greater than we can hope for or imagine.

We thank you for your just and generous spirit

as we seek to embody it on this day as your church, your people.

We gather in thanksgiving, God of provision and justice.

We gather in continual praise and worship,

We gather in joy and deliciousness, and we tell the old, old story,

But first, we sing your praises.

Sanctus

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” Marty Haugen

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Holy, holy, holy Lord, 

God of power, God of might, 

Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Blessed is He who comes  

In the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest, 

Hosanna in the highest. 

The Story of the Last Supper

On the night he was betrayed by one of his own,

before facing unlawful arrest and torture,

before being executed by the state,

Jesus gathered with his disciples and the many that had followed him.

He took the bread, and though his heart was breaking,

he gave thanks to God.

He broke the bread and told them,

This is my body given for you, because I love you.

By the breaking of this bread,

may you find wholeness, healing, and fullness of life.

As often as you eat of this bread, re-member me.

Don’t hold back. Tell the story.

Share my love. Feed my people. Be healed.

Then after supper, Jesus took the cup and said,

This is the cup of the new covenant.

A new promise, poured out freely for the forgiveness of sins,

and the restoring of our relationship with all creation.

As often as you drink this cup, re-member me.

Feel God’s love course through your body

and allow it to flow out from you into a world

thirsty for love, kindness, forgiveness, and transformation.

Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Christ is the bread of life.

When we eat this bread and drink this cup,

we proclaim the saving death of our risen Lord

until he comes in glory.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Spirit of God, we are grateful for these elements, bread and cup,

signs of your love, justice, and grace.

As we partake in this feast today,

may we be transformed into this very love, justice, and grace made flesh

for the good of all creation.

Keep us ever thankful for your bountiful, steadfast care for us all.

THE SHARING OF THE MEAL

Beloved, God invites you all by name.

We are all welcome to come and feast at Jesus’ table

and to share in the joy of a common meal promising to fill us to overflowing.

Come and be transformed by the bread of new life and the cup of the covenant.

There is enough for us all, and more.

Come, all things are ready.

Music during Communion: “Bread of Life from Heaven” (Hymn #497)

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING (Unison)

God of grace, we give you thanks for the feast of redemption we have shared in the body and blood of our savior. As you have nourished us with love, let our lives proclaim your great love for the world; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn # 204

“Stay With Me,” Jacques Berthier

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Stay with me, remain here with me;

Watch and pray. Watch and pray.

The Stripping of the Church

Scripture Isaiah 53:1-12 NRSVUE Kathy Sullivan

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah, beginning at chapter 53, verse 1: the Song of the Suffering Servant.

Who has believed what we have heard?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others;
    a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him of no account.

Surely he has borne our infirmities
    and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
    struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
    crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
    and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
    Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked
    and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
    he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
    Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
    The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

Elders remove the appointments of the sanctuary during the reading of the Isaiah passage:

i.          Remove cup serving tray for Communion

ii.         Remove cup serving tray for Communion

iii.        Remove chalice and pitcher

iv.        Remove plates of bread

v Removes plastic cover on table, carries it out

vi Removes and folds tablecloth from Communion Table; carries it out

Purple drape carried out

vii After Isaiah 53 is finished, closes and removes Bible

viii       Christ Candle (extinguish with snuffer, place snuffer below pulpit); carry Christ Candle out

Departure The congregation leaves in silence. 

Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.

Scripture Translations are from A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year A, by Wilda C. Gafney, unless otherwise noted.

Prayer for Wholeness and Peace and Communion Service by the Rev. Marilyn Pagan-Banks

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Maundy Thursday: Where Your Treasure Is: In the Upper Room