John 12:23-50
Call to Worship: Isaiah 52:13; 53:4-5, 11 (adapted from the ESV & NLT)
Leader: Behold, God’s servant will act wisely;
he will be high and lifted up,
and will be exalted.
Congregation: Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
Leader: But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All: When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
God’s righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all our sins.
Scripture Reading: Philippians 2: 5-11 (NLT)
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a servant
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.