Transfiguration of Our Lord

Transcription

1 Transfiguration of Our Lord March 2, :30 a.m. Welcome to Gustavus Adolphus! All Are Welcome Here! Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church proclaims that the Gospel is God s gift to all people, to be shared unconditionally. We rejoice in the manner in which diversity has enriched, nurtured and challenged the life and ministry we share in Christ. We know that the world is often an unloving place and that the experience of alienation is all too common. Because Christ reconciles us, we welcome people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, physical and mental abilities, educational levels, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We strive to be an evermore welcoming community. Following the example of Christ, we extend a most heartfelt welcome to all. We at Gustavus Adolphus love to have children attend our worship services. That is why we don t have Sunday school during church! Children are always welcome to sit with their families close to the front of the sanctuary so they are able to see the altar and the action up close. It is always OK to leave during a service to comfort your child. There is a comfortable room downstairs immediately below the narthex for you to take your child. GA is a diverse community of faith. We celebrate that diversity in our worship, using a variety of traditional, contemporary, and multicultural styles. You are invited to join us for refreshments after worship in the narthex as we welcome a group of new members into our congregation today. Please join us again. We worship each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. We ask everyone to power off their cell phones as they will sometimes interfere with our sound system.

2 + Please stand as you are able. GAT HERING PRELUDE Setting by Max Drischner O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright! + PROCESSIONAL HYMN ELW HYMN 834 Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise + GREETING P The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C And also with you. + CANTICLE OF PRAISE ELW page 148 Glory to God in the Highest + PRAYER OF THE DAY WORD Worship Notes: Numbers marked with the word page in small case are found in the front portion of ELW (the red hardcover hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship) at the bottom left and right corners of the page. Numbers marked with the word HYMN in caps are found in the back portion of ELW in the upper left and right corners of the page. FIRST READING Exodus 24: The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." 13 So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 To the elders he had said, "Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them." 15Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. L Word of God. Word of life. C Thanks be to God. 2

3 SECOND READING 2 Peter 1: For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. L Word of God. Word of life. C Thanks be to God. + GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Introduction to the Day Today's festival is a bridge between the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle that comes to a close today and the Lent-Easter cycle that begins in several days. On the mount of transfiguration Jesus is revealed as God's beloved Son, echoing the words at his baptism. This vision of glory sustains us as Jesus faces his impending death in Jerusalem. We turn this week to Ash Wednesday and our yearly baptismal journey from Lent to Easter. Along with many churches we will put aside the alleluia at the conclusion of today's liturgy. This word of joy will be omitted during the penitential season of Lent and will be spoken and sung again at Easter. + GOSPEL Matthew 17:1 9 P The Holy Gospel according to Matthew, the 17th chapter. C Glory to you, O Lord. Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." P The Gospel of the Lord. C Praise to you, O Christ. 3

4 SERMON Pastor Marggi Pleiss-Sippola + HYMN OF THE DAY ELW HYMN 308 O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright! (Please stand at the conclusion of the introduction) 4 Continuing Prayer Concerns Jaime Anderson; Sundra Arvidson; Paul Banitt; Jane Bjorge; Jean Boyce; Gail Bradford; June Bulau; Charline & Jerry Burns; Kris Campbell; Mike Diem; Emily Dorumsgaard; Lucia Dorumsgaard; Ron Dorumsgaard; Vi Dorumsgaard; Julie Draskovic; David Evans; Katie Falang; Ed Femrite; Ted Femrite; Renae Frasee; Kara Fraser; Kimberly Garner; Rose Marie Habstritt; Betty Honl; Beth Huble; Olive Kohlan; Brian & Eileen Kopp; Matthew Kroschel; Irene Mattson; Lloyd Marengo; June Mondeng; James Ott; Tom Parker; Cathy Pearl; Kayleen Pederson; Millie Peterson; Karl Pope; Evie Ramin; Jim Rorwick; Carol Ryan; Marlene Schimmel; Imogene Schopf; Arden & Joyce Swanson; Vi Tefft; Ardyce Titus; Alvina Vaughn; Marion White; Andrew; Jesse and family; Sveah; members who are homebound or in nursing homes. We extend Christian sympathy to the family and friends of Wesley Johnson. Our continual prayers are offered for peace. We pray for the all of the world s governments, leaders, and peoples, especially for those who work toward peace. To have someone s name added to or removed from this list, contact Pastor Marggi or Phil Holzman. RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS Thomas Becknell Sydney Bickett Diana Bravo Nicholas Buck Jon & Lauren Hadden and Howard Christine Howard Carol Lakatua Chad McCallum & Jen Pinsch Lou & Becky Milanovich Haley Phillips Gary & Donna Sarppo and Jazmine + PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION A Guided by the light of Christ, who has been made known to the nations, we offer our prayers for the church, the world, and all people in need. Petitions follow. Each petition ends A Lord, in your mercy, C hear our prayer. P Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. C Amen. + PEACE P The peace of Christ be with you always. C And also with you. CHILDREN S SERMON MEAL OFFERING (An offering is gathered for the mission of the church, including the care of those in need.) OFFERTORY ANTHEM Christus Paradox You, Lord, are both Lamb and Shepherd. You, Lord, are both prince and slave. You, peacemaker and sword-bringer of the way you took and gave. You the everlasting instant; You, whom we both scorn and crave. Pastor Marggi Senior Choir Alfred Fedak

5 Clothed in light upon the mountain, stripped of might upon the cross, shining in eternal glory, beggar d by a soldier s toss, You, the everlasting instant; You who are both gift and cost. You, who walk each day beside us, sit in power at God s side. You, who preach a way that s narrow, have a love that reaches wide. You, the everlasting instant; You, who are our pilgrim guide. Worthy is our earthly Jesus! Worthy is our cosmic Christ! Worthy your defeat and vict ry. Worthy still your peace and strife. You, the everlasting instant; You, who are our death and life. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, You, who are our death and our life. - Sylvia Dunstan + OFFERTORY Thankful Hearts and Voices Raise Notes on today s choir anthem In this exceedingly thoughtful text, Dunstan reflects for us some of the rich variety of Christological titles, metaphors, and descriptions to be found within the Scriptures. The writers of Scripture tried to express Jesus Christ s uniqueness with everything they had, with what Martin Hengel once called a multiplicity of approximations. What s interesting here is that Dunstan also gives us paradoxes generated by the sheer abnormality of evil and the fact that prima facie evil is needed to defeat actual evil: hence Christ makes peace by bloodshed; he gains victory by a magnificent defeat. In a distinct but related set of paradoxes that conclude each stanza, Dunstan cites our own ambivalence toward Christ: we scorn and crave him; we want him and we don t; he is God s gift, but we have to count the cost of following him. Finally in the last line of the hymn this ambivalence meets paradox: God slays in order to save. From notes by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. of Calvin College. + GREAT THANKSGIVING 5

6 Preface It is indeed right, our duty and our joy...join their unending hymn Please join us for The Lord s Supper All are invited to join us in the Lord s Supper. We believe that Christ is present in the bread and wine and that we receive God s grace and forgiveness through this meal. Those adults and children not communing with us are invited to come forward to receive a blessing. Please receive a wafer and dip it into the larger chalice containing wine or into the smaller chalice containing grape juice. We use only gluten-free bread. + THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION + THE LORD S PRAYER C 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. INVITATION AND DISTRIBUTION COMMUNION SONG ELW page 154 Lamb of God COMMUNION SONG ELW HYMN 838 Beautiful Savior Andy Sobiech, pianist 6

7 + PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION A Lord, it is good for us to be here, for we have tasted your glory in this holy meal. Continue your goodness as we go out from here. Open our eyes to see your face shining in every person, and send us to be your servants in every place, for you are the life and light of all, both now and forever. C Amen. + BLESSING SENDING + SENDING SONG ELW HYMN 318 Alleluia, Song of Gladness + DISMISSAL A Go in peace. Christ is your light. C Thanks be to God. Flowers The flowers are given by Gary & Sundra Arvidson in memory of loved ones. POSTLUDE Oh, Wondrous Image, Vision Fair David Johnson Our Lenten journey begins this Wednesday, March 5. Join us for Ash Wednesday services at 10:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. Lunch will be served after the morning service. A soup supper will be served at 6:00 p.m. Liturgical Materials from Sundaysand Seasons.com. Copyright 2014 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Liturgies reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License # Hymns and Songs printed by permission of CCLI # and One License.net license #A New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 7

8 Our Core Values at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church love joy hope compassion spirituality forgiveness acceptance respect Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN Website: Church Phone: If you reach the voic system, dial a staff member s extension or remain on the line to leave a general message. Church Staff The Rev. Dr. Marggi Pleiss-Sippola, Pastor (Ext. 10) pastormarggi@gachurchmpls.org Phil Holzman, Associate in Ministry (Ext. 11) Worship & Music, Children s Ministries, Parish Administration philh@gachurchmpls.org Diane Ott-Hager, Lay Minister (Ext. 12) dianeh@gachurchmpls.org Nicholas Tangen, Minister of Welcome & Community (Ext. 13) nickt@gachurchmpls.org God s Mission for Gustavus Adolphus Church To build community where God is at the center. Paul Frank, Finance Manager (Ext.14) paulf@gachurchmpls.org Joel Lurvey, Contemporary Choir Director joel.lurvey@gmail.com 8 Serving in Worship Today Ministers The Baptized people of GA Church Presiding Minister Pastor Marggi Pleiss-Sippola Assisting Minister Gary Anderson Minister of Worship & Music Phil Holzman, Associate in Ministry Lector Hannah Rosebrock Crucifer Tanner Hall Greeters Mary & Terry Carlstrom Coffee Servers Heather Frank, Tanner Hall, Sarah Olson, Kristin & Nick Tangen Bus Driver Jon Stoewer Ushers Gary Arvidson, Eric Prawalsky, Beverly Moody, Paul Sandell, June Schafer