REPENT! TURN TO JESUS!

Transcription

1 REPENT! TURN TO JESUS! Ash Wednesday

2 HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH Telephone: (502) Shenandoah Dr. Website: Louisville, Kentucky Steven Lange, Pastor March 1, 2017 WELCOME to all our guests. It truly is a pleasure to have you with us today. In order to make your visit as enjoyable as possible, please allow us to answer some common questions about our church and our worship services. Our restrooms are located off the church entryway on either side of the drinking fountain. Baby changing stations are available in both restrooms. We encourage children of all ages to participate in our worship services. So, please don t be afraid to bring them into the service. However, we also realize that children can become restless. We have a nursery room with toys, books, chairs, and other items that you can use to help calm your child. Our ushers will be glad to direct you there at any time. Our entire worship service is printed in this booklet. The order of service that we use is a version of the historic liturgy that the Christian Church has used for centuries. Explanations of the various portions of the service are included in footnotes within the service. If at any time during the service you have a question, please feel free to ask someone sitting near you for help. We are more than happy to assist you in any way we can. Headsets are available for those who desire assistance hearing the service. Please speak to an usher to obtain a headset if you would like to use one during the service. Before you leave today, please sign our guest register. It is located on the lectern in the church entryway. If you have any other questions, please feel free to speak to our pastor. Our ushers and greeters also stand ready to assist you. God bless your visit. We hope to see you again soon. Acknowledgements Worship materials contained in this service folder are reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net A and CCLI License # Scripture passages marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved. Scripture passages marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Cover artwork by Ian M. Welch. Copyright 2014 Ian M. Welch. All Rights Reserved. Divine Service I: Texts revised from The Lutheran Hymnal, Music: Copyright 2002 Kermit Moldenhauer. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Rite for Ash Wednesday: Copyright 2004 Northwestern Publishing House. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Psalm 51a from Christian Worship: Supplement: Copyright 2005 Ronald Shilling. Reprinted by permission All rights reserved. 2

3 A NOTE TO ALL OUR GUESTS During this service, we will celebrate the Lord s Supper. Since this sacrament is the Lord s Supper and not ours, we are careful to follow our Lord s instructions. In particular, we take to heart these important truths: 1. In the Lord s Supper, Jesus truly gives us his body and blood together with the bread and the wine. Jesus says, Take and eat; this is my body Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood (Matthew 26:26-28). 2. In the Lord s Supper, we express a unity of faith with one another. Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf (1 Corinthians 10:17). 3. Our Lord urges us to practice this unity with great love and care. Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself (1 Corinthians 11:27,29). Because we take these truths seriously, we invite all communicant members of our congregation or of a sister congregation in the Wisconsin Synod (WELS) or the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) to commune with us today. However, we ask that those who are not members of a sister congregation refrain from taking the Lord s Supper with us at this time. In doing this, we are not judging anyone s faith. Out of love for our Lord and all people, we simply desire to discuss the Bible s teachings with our guests before communing together. We want all who commune to receive the Lord s Supper for their benefit and in a way that follows our Lord s instructions. If you have any questions about this or any other teaching of the Bible or if you would like information about how to join our congregation please feel free to speak to our pastor. 3

4 DIVINE SERVICE I PREPARATION Personal Prayers for Worship are found on pages in the front part of the hymnal. A Personal Preparation for Holy Communion is found on page 156 in the front part of the hymnal. Out of courtesy to your fellow worshipers, please silence all electronic devices before the service. Remain seated PSALM 51 Setting from Christian Worship: Supplement 4

5 Silence for meditation INSTRUCTION FOR THE BEGINNING OF LENT M: Brothers and sisters in Christ, God created us to know joy in communion with him, to love all humanity, and to live in harmony with all creation. But sin separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, and so we do not enjoy the life our Creator intended for us. By our sin we grieve our Father, who does not desire us to come under his judgment but to turn to him and live. Therefore, God in his mercy has sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take our place under the law, to suffer for us, and to die the death we deserve. God made Jesus, who had no sin, to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. During the 40 days of Lent, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. The time of Lent reminds us that to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, we must also know the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and neighbor. I invite you, therefore, to confess your sins, ask our Father for forgiveness, and commit yourselves to this struggle. Let us be silent. Let us be still. Let us pause now for a time of reflection and self-examination. Silence for reflection and self-examination 5

6 CONFESSION OF SINS M: Most holy and merciful Father, C: We confess to you and to one another that we have sinned by our own fault, by our own grievous fault in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. M: We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven. C: Have mercy on us, Lord. M: We have been deaf to your call to serve as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved the Holy Spirit. C: Have mercy on us, Lord. M: We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness. The pride, hypocrisy, and impatience in our lives C: We confess to you, O Lord. M: Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, our manipulation of other people C: We confess to you, O Lord. M: Our anger when our selfish aims are denied and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves C: We confess to you, O Lord. M: Our love of worldly goods and comforts and our dishonesty in daily life and work C: We confess to you, O Lord. M: Our negligence in worship and prayer and our failure to show the faith that is in us C: We confess to you, O Lord. M: Forgive us, Lord, for the wrongs we have done. For our blindness to human need and suffering and our indifference to injustice and cruelty, C: Forgive us, O Lord. 6

7 M: For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward others, and for our prejudice and contempt for those who differ from us, C: Forgive us, O Lord. M: For what we think or say or do that is at variance with your will, C: Forgive us, O Lord. M: Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us. C: Hear us, Lord, for your mercy is great. ABSOLUTION M: Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not desire the death of sinners but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. Therefore, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. During these days of Lent, let us implore God to give us renewal and his Holy Spirit. May we continue to abide in the true faith and at the last be received by him through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. C: Amen. PRAYER OF THE DAY M: The Lord be with you. C: (spoken) And also with you. M: Let us pray. Almighty and merciful God, you never despise what you have made and always forgive those who turn to you. Create in us such new and contrite hearts that we may truly repent of our sins and obtain your full and gracious pardon; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: (spoken) Amen. Please be seated. 7

8 The Word FIRST LESSON Isaiah 59:12-20 The Lord himself brings forgiveness to those who repent of their sins. 12 For our transgressions have multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: 13 transgression and deception against the LORD, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. 14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. The LORD saw that there was no justice, and He was offended. 16 He saw that there was no man He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness supported Him. 17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak. 18 So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and He will repay the coastlands. 19 They will fear the name of Yahweh in the west and His glory in the east; for He will come like a rushing stream driven by the wind of the LORD. 20 The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression. This is the LORD s declaration. (HCSB) 8

9 SECOND LESSON 2 Corinthians 7:8-13a Godly sorrow over sin brings blessings. 8 For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it even though I did regret it since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a little while. 9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn t experience any loss from us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death. 11 For consider how much diligence this very thing this grieving as God wills has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God. 13 For this reason we have been comforted. (HCSB) VERSE OF THE DAY Joel 2:13 Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Please stand. 1 GOSPEL Luke 18:9-14 The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: 10 Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: God, I thank You that I m not like other people greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get. 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, God, turn Your wrath from me a sinner! 14 I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (HCSB) Please be seated. 1 Out of respect for the words of Jesus, we stand for the reading of the Gospel. 9

10 HYMN OF THE DAY With Broken Heart and Contrite Sigh CW 303 SERMON Please stand. 10

11 APOSTLES' CREED 2 I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Please be seated. OFFERING 3 Please stand. 2 This ancient statement of our Biblical beliefs summarizes what Christ s apostles taught about our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 3 In response to God s love, we bring him our offerings. 11

12 PRAYER OF THE CHURCH 4 M: Almighty and most merciful God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, as we enter this Lenten season, we pray that You would grant us repentant hearts that are turned toward You. We know that we have often wandered from Your ways and transgressed Your Law. We know that we deserve nothing from You but death and punishment. We thank You for the grace and mercy that You promise to all who return to You. C: We thank You for sending Your Spirit into our hearts to create in us new and contrite hearts that look to Christ alone for our salvation. M: In this holy season of Christ s Passion, we pray that You would fix our eyes on Jesus, who went to His cross for us and was made sin for us, so that in Him we might become righteous. Grant to Your Church pastors who preach this message of the cross throughout this season and always. C: Bless all who hear the preaching of the cross, that they may be strengthened in their faith and purified in their consciences, knowing that all of our sins have been put to death with Christ. M: There is nothing, O Lord, that surpasses the great generosity that You have shown toward us by giving up Your only Son on our behalf. Bless us as we ponder this great gift, and through it, inspire us to be generous toward others. Where we have been granted abundance, give us hearts that desire to share Your bounty. C: Look with mercy upon all who are poor, hungry, homeless, unemployed and in any need of body and life, and grant them Your help. M: Gracious God, as You renew us and refresh us by the grace You show to us in Jesus, grant us to abound in good works to Your glory and for the benefit of our neighbor. C: Fashion us into Your humble instruments who walk in the works that You have prepared for us, always keeping us mindful that it is Your work and not our own, that we might not become puffed up with pride and the desire to be noticed. M: Comfort Your people, dear Lord, in their many and various afflictions. Relieve the sick, the suffering, the addicted, the troubled and the dying. Give to them healing, peace and recovery as You so will. C: Keep us mindful that by Christ s wounds we are healed, both in this life and, ultimately, in the resurrection on the Last Day. 4 We go to God with our prayers and requests, confident that he will hear and answer us in the way he knows is best. 12

13 M: There is no greater worship than to receive the very gifts that You give to us for our salvation and eternal life, merciful Father. As we begin the Lenten fast this day, bless all who feast upon the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in His Supper. C: Through this sacrament, strengthen our love for You and for one another, that we may go forth to live lives of faith and service in Your holy name. Special prayers and intercessions may follow. M: Hear us, Lord, as we bring you our private petitions. Silent prayer. M: We pray all these things in the name of our crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. LORD S PRAYER 5 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. 5 We pray the prayer that Jesus taught us. 13

14 The Sacrament 6 M: The Lord be with you. C: (spoken) And also with you. M: Lift up your hearts. C: (spoken) We lift them up to the Lord. M: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: (spoken) It is good and right so to do. M: It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who brought the gift of salvation to all people by his death on the tree of the cross, so that the devil, who overcame us by a tree, would in turn by a tree be overcome. Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY 7 6 Having been fed by Jesus Word, we prepare to feast on his true body and blood in the sacrament of Holy Communion. 7 This song incorporates the song of the seraphim in Isaiah 6:3, the words of heavenly worship found in Revelation 4:8, and the words of praise that the people shouted to Jesus on Palm Sunday (see Mark 11:9,10). 14

15 WORDS OF INSTITUTION M: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat. This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. The peace of the Lord be with you always. C: (spoken) Amen. LAMB OF GOD 8 8 In this ancient song of the church, we poor sinners come to Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, pleading for his mercy and peace. 15

16 PRAYER OF PREPARATION 9 C: Lord God, you do not desire the death of a sinner, but that he turn from his evil way and live. I come to you, although I have sinned and deserve only your anger and punishment. But I flee to your mercy in Christ Jesus, my Savior, who gave his body and blood to pay for all my sins. Grant that in such faith I may worthily go to your table and receive the very body and blood that your Son has given for my salvation. Hear me for Jesus sake. Amen. Please be seated. DISTRIBUTION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER Guests, please read and take note of the explanation of our communion practice on page 3 in this worship folder. If you have any questions about this or any other Bible teaching, please feel free to speak to the pastor after the service. We thank you for your help. 9 Jesus wants us to be properly prepared to receive his Holy Supper. Therefore, all those intending to commune today join in praying a prayer of preparation. 16

17 DISTRIBUTION HYMN Jesus Sinners Does Receive CW

18 DISTRIBUTION HYMN Come to Calvary s Holy Mountain CW 106, st. 1-3 Please stand. 18

19 SONG OF SIMEON 10 M: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. C: (spoken) And his mercy endures forever. M: O God the Father, source of all goodness, in your loving kindness you sent your Son to share our humanity. We thank you that through him you have given us pardon and peace in this sacrament. We also pray that you will not forsake us but will rule our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit so that we willingly serve you day after day, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: (spoken) Amen. 10 As Simeon departed in peace after seeing the baby Jesus, so we depart in peace after receiving Jesus body and blood. See Luke 2:

20 BLESSING 11 M: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. C: (spoken) Amen. CLOSING HYMN Come to Calvary s Holy Mountain CW 106, st We close our worship service with the blessing of our Triune God, the same blessing he gave to his Old Testament people thousands of years ago. 20