The Third Sunday in Lent March 4, :00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M.

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1 A Prayer Upon Entering Church Almighty God, in your grace and mercy guard my heart so that it may be kept in Christ; beating for him alone. Purge me of my idolatry and aid me in the way of forgiveness, that the devil may not have a foothold through pride, hate or bitterness. Set my heart on things on things above, O Lord, and increase my longing for heaven so that this world may have no power over me. Amen. The Third Sunday in Lent March 4, :00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Welcome to the Lord s Day. Cracking whips and flipping tables?! Talk about zeal! It s unusual that we see Jesus act in such a way, but far worse does evil have in store for it these days. For Christ is Risen! The Gospel is on the loose and the sword of the Spirit is cutting away at the layers of lies the devil would seek to keep hidden. But when the Word is unleashed no longer confined by death the truth that it brings might shake us a bit.

2 Sharing God s Blessings Today Flowers do not adorn the chancel during the penitential season of Lent. The sponsor charts for 2018 for Broadcasts and Flowers are available for you to sign up. There are many open dates for you to sponsor. The charts are by the stairs by the northwest entry. A Welcome for Those With Young Children This house is your children s home, too. Relax and enjoy your time here: Jesus knows that children tend to wiggle and squawk, so please don t feel embarrassed by it. Your children are welcome at Zion. To make it a bit easier on your family, please consider sitting towards the front where your children can easily see the worship leaders, hear the words, note the colors, wonder about some of the images up there, and embrace the action at the altar. As we go along, softly explain the liturgy to your children, encouraging them to chime in with their parts: Amen! Lord have mercy! And also with you! I believe! Our Father! All of that belongs to them, too. Be sure to sing and pray your parts as you stand and kneel and sit. Your children learn by following your lead. If you and your child must leave, please hurry back. There is a nursery downstairs for those who would like to use it, but like Jesus, we want your children in the liturgy, not out. Let the little children come unto me. (Luke 18:16). If you need help, just ask. There are lots of folks here who will lend a hand. Announcements Parish announcements may be found in the weekly newsletter, For You, provided by the ushers after worship. 2

3 PRELUDE May God Bestow on Us His Grace J. G. Walther & Benjamin M. Culli RINGING OF THE BELLS Please stand and turn to face the baptistery. INVOCATION P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen Faith in the gospel has to be renewed each day. Yesterday s faith tends to slip into mere theory. The voice of the law sounds again. Each day we must hear anew that Christ is the end of the law and the gift of new life. ~Gerhard O. Forde, 1972 CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION P: Father of mercies and God of all consolation, come to the aid of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may attend to your Word, confess our sins, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. C: Amen P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Please kneel. Silence for reflection. 3

4 In Rev 19:20-21 we read that those who worshiped the beast were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone, and the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from His mouth. This sword does not enter His mouth but issues from it, signifying that he will reign with the sword of His mouth. ~ Martin Luther, 1538 A.D. P: O almighty God, merciful Father, C: I, a troubled and penitent sinner, confess to you all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended you and justly deserved your punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray you, of your boundless mercy, and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being. P: Upon this your confession, I, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God to all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen Please stand. INTROIT L: For zeal for your house has con sumed me,* and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fall en on me. C: Deliver me from sinking in the mire;* let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. L: Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swal low me up,* or the pit close its mouth over me. C: Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;* according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 4

5 C: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,* and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning,* is now, and will be forever. Amen L: For zeal for your house has con sumed me,* and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fall en on me. KYRIE P: In peace, let us pray to the Lord. P: For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord. P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the holy Church, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord. P: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord. It is a divine work to raise from the dead and restore life. No one but God has the power to do this. The devil, to be sure, can murder; so can man but man cannot resurrect and quicken. That is the work of no one but God. He raises the dead, gives life to the dead, and calls into existence the things that do not exist (Rom 4:17). The devil can destroy what has been made, but he cannot rebuild it. ~ Martin Luther, 1538 A.D. 5

6 The temptation is for man to refuse his creaturehood, to refuse his humanity, to refuse to take care of the earth and to become a God. That, as St. Augustine rightly saw, is the essence of sin: pride. Sin is located not primarily in the body, but rather is in our spiritual pretensions and ambitions.onl y when [we] are cured of [our] supernatural ambitions do [we] begin to see the natural. [We] receive creation back as a gift, and [we] can rejoice in it. ~ Gerhard O. Forde, 1972 A.D. P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord. PRAYER OF THE DAY P: Let us pray... O God, whose glory it is to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your word; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen Please be seated. OLD TESTAMENT Exodus 20:1-17 1And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is 6

7 in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 13 You shall not murder. 14 You shall not commit adultery. 15 You shall not steal. 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 You shall not covet your neighbor s house; you shall not covet your neighbor s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor s. L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. PSALM 19 L: The heavens declare the glo ry of God,* and the firmament shows his handiwork. One day tells its tale to another,* and one night imparts knowledge to another. C: Although they have no words or language,* and their voices are not heard, their sound has gone out in to all lands,* and their message to the ends of the world. L: In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;* it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber; it rejoices like a champion to run its course. It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens and runs about to the end of it again;* nothing is hidden from its burning heat. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity...there is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their own to his hurt.this also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? ~ Ecclesiastes 5:

8 C: The law of the LORD is perfect and re vives the soul;* the testimony of the LORD is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent. The statutes of the Lord are just and re joice the heart;* the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes. L: The fear of the LORD is clean and en dures forever;* the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold,* sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb. C: By them also is your ser vant enlightened,* and in keeping them there is great reward. Who can tell how often he offends?* Cleanse me from my secret faults. L: Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me;* then shall I be whole and sound, and innocent of a great offense. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,* O LORD, my strength and my redeemer. All: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,* and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning,* is now, and will be forever. Amen 8

9 EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 1: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Please stand. 9 We don t really even have a basis for making an absolute separation between evil and good. Many things we think are good turn out to be evil in the end and vice versa. But this confusion of good and evil, this impenetrable hiddenness drives us to that one place where the hiddenness is broken through: the cross. Because of the cross we say, I believe in a good God, creator of a good earth. There God has come down to earth and revealed his will for us. ~ Gerhard O. Forde, 1972 A.D.

10 VERSE Today, in the New Testament, God has established another temple for His residence: the precious humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. There and nowhere else, God wants to be found.for Christ is the proper mercy seat (Rom 3:25), with whom sheer mercy, love, and kindness are found. [And] if Christ is sitting at the right hand of His Father, why then, should we seek Him in Rome...you will not find God there; you will find the devil... GOSPEL P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 2nd chapter. C: Glory to you, O Lord. 13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, Take these things away; do not make my Father s house a house of trade. 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for your house will consume me. 18 So the Jews said to him, What sign do you show us for doing these things? 19 Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 The Jews then said, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. P: The Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to you, O Christ. 10

11 APOSTLES CREED P: Let us confess the faith with one heart: C: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen Please be seated. SUNDAY SCHOOL (9:00 a.m.) During the singing of the hymn, children of preschool age through grade 4 may leave for Sunday School classes downstairs in the church hall. Please reclaim your children at 10:25 a.m. after their music time in the balcony. HYMN OF THE DAY May God Bestow on Us His Grace green hymnal #335 SERMON Deliver Us, Part III: Money Talks For God will not let Himself be found in a place of our own choice and choosing.all those who seek God elsewhere than in Christ, will find not God and will perish; for there is no help apart from Christ. Hence it is immeasurably comforting that the Lord calls His body a temple of God, where henceforth God has His constant abode. ~ Martin Luther, 1538 A.D. Please kneel. 11

12 PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs. P:... let us pray to the Lord, C: Lord, have mercy. I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I place in God s hands, that I still possess. ~ Martin Luther P: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. C: Amen Please be seated. OFFERING While the offerings are received, please pass in your row the Friendship Register, and add your name(s). If you are a guest or visitor, please include your address. VOLUNTARY May God Bestow on Us His Grace Paul Bouman Please stand. OFFERTORY 12

13 OFFERTORY PRAYER P: Let us pray. Blessed are you, Lord of heaven and earth, who by your tender love gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption. May we who now receive his body and blood be filled with the strength to take up our cross and follow him. C: Amen THE GREAT THANKSGIVING P: The Lord be with you. P: Lift up your hearts. P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. 13

14 P: It is indeed right and salutary... we praise your name and join their unending hymn: SANCTUS ( Holy ) A sacrament is particular. It has your name on it. Your body is washed with water; the hand is placed on your head; the bread is placed on your lips and the wine poured into your mouth. The sacraments are God s way of saying: Here, the promise is for you. ~ Gerhard O. Forde, 1972 A.D. WORDS OF INSTITUTION P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup after the supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink of it, in remembrance of me. 14

15 THE LORD S PRAYER P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray: 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 ACCLAMATION P: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. AGNUS DEI ( Lamb of God ) This is my body broken for you, This is my blood shed for you. It is as if to say, Here! Can t you see what it s all about? Come down out of the clouds; come down to earth, to the stuff of the earth! Come have communion with men, real men! ~ Gerhard O. Forde, 1972 A.D. Please be seated. 15

16 The congregation is ushered forward for Communion. If you cannot use the steps to the altar, you may either ask an usher to have Communion brought to you, or you may go to the altar in the side (west) chapel. Those not communing may cross their arms over their chest for a blessing. Holy Communion is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which He joyfully gives to His Church to eat and to drink. This gift bestows tremendous benefits. His body and blood forgives ours sins, strengthens our faith, binds us to the Lord, and unites us with each other. In this is life and salvation. The Lord therefore invites to His altar baptized Christians who trust that they will receive in Holy Communion all that He promises there: His body and blood, the forgiveness of sins, union with Christ and His Church, life, and salvation. Know that He gives it to you with great joy. COMMUNION HYMNS When I Survey the Wondrous Cross green hymnal #482 Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow 16

17 Please stand after all have received the sacrament. POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE The only way to combat the devil, in Luther s view, the only way to put down and conquer within us that pull either to give in to the world or to desert it, is through the faith and hope inspired by the promise of that world to come. ~ Gerhard O. Forde, 1972 A.D. POST-COMMUNION PRAYER P: Almighty God, you gave your Son both as a sacrifice for sin and a model of the godly life. Enable us to receive him always with thanksgiving, and to conform our lives to his; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. C: Amen 17

18 A Prayer as You Go O Lord, you are my rock and my fortress. Defend me with the light of your Christ, and dispel from me all wickedness, that my heart would sing to you only: you, my deliverer, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. May the sword of your servants mouth cast away all evil that seeks my life, and may the faith which comes from its hearing, find me forever in Christ. Amen. BENEDICTION P: Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. SILENT PRAYER POSTLUDE When I Survey the Wondrous Cross + Soli Deo Gloria + To God alone be glory Serving at Worship Preaching: Vicar Joseph Pinzl Presiding: The Rev. Dr. Steven K. Gjerde Organist: Kantor Irene Beethe Radio Announcer: (9:00) Dick Ames Lector: (9:00) Robert Hochberger (11:00) Carl Boettcher Acolyte: (9:00) Zack Madden (11:00) Mitchell Steinke Elder: (9:00) Scott Schubring (11:00) Adam Holzschuh Ushers: (9:00) Adele Blair; Donald Budnik; Fred Fenhaus; Robb Halverson (11:00) Al Lippert; Wayne Reuter; Herbert Zahrt Communion Assistants: (9:00) Ruth Hochberger; Rob Kittel; Joe Pinzl (11:00) Donna Nuernberg; Joe Pinzl; Cheryl Plautz Altar Guild: Dianne Ames; Donna Nuernberg Jeffrey Blersch 18

19 Acknowledgements The liturgy is reprinted from the Lutheran Book of Worship, Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress license #SB Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Introit from Propers of the Day : 2007 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Used by permission LSBLiturgyLicense.net # Create in Me, O Christ, thou Lamb of God, and On My Heart Imprint Your Image are public domain. Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow is public domain. 19

20 Zion Lutheran Church Sixth and Grant Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin Those who trust in the Lord shall be like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. (Psalm 125:1) Church Telephone: Senior Pastor Steven K. Gjerde Visitation Pastor Theodore B. Gulhaugen Pastoral Assistant Joseph C. Pinzl Kantor Irene Beethe Parish Nurse Lenore Grosinske Office Manager Pam Gabriel Secretary Anna Mae Zeinemann Custodian Michael Renken To contact us by To visit our webpage: Host of the Wausau Lutheran Hour Sundays, 9:00 am, WSAU Radio 550AM (or click Listen Live at Member Congregation of Lutheran Core 20