What is Your Cornerstone?

What is Your Cornerstone? 5th Sunday in Lent March 16 & 17, 2013

Ebenezer Lutheran Church Port Hudson The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 9100 Highway YY Leslie, Missouri Parsonage 573-459-6432 Church 573-459-6431 Rev. William F. Zastrow, Pastor Mary Sprick, Secretary ebenezerlutheran@hotmail.com ebenezerlutheranchurch.wordpress.com AS WE GATHER: The cornerstone of a building is its most important stone. It's the stone by which the rest of the structure is aligned and on which the entire edifice depends. Without a reliable cornerstone, there is disaster. In today's Gospel reading, Jesus harkens back to Psalm 118:22, saying of Himself, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." What is your cornerstone? What is it that determines how your life and priorities are aligned? If it is anything other than Christ Jesus, then your life risks being askew. As we gather today, seek to have as your cornerstone the one who comes to us in Word and Sacrament, the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus our Savior. "Christ is our cornerstone, On Him alone we build; With His true saints alone The courts of heav'n are filled. On His great love Our hopes we place Of present grace And joys above." LW 290 PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP: Lord God, our Redeemer, You delivered Your people Israel from bondage and captivity. Grant that we may also look to You in faith as our deliverer from sin, death, and the devil, that we, Your people, may honor and proclaim Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; through Jesus Christ, Your 2

Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. THE DIVINE SERVICE OPENING HYMN Christ Is Our Cornerstone" LW 290 Cong: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. CONFESSION OF SINS Cong: Cong: Cong. Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Our Help is in the name of the Lord. Who made heaven and earth. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord. And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. O almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor miserable sinner, confess to you all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended you and justly deserved your punishment now and forever. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, 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. 3

Cong: 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 Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. INTROIT Psalm 3:3-6; antiphon: 3: People: People: All: Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be on Your people! But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the LORD, and He answered me from His holy hill. I lay ' down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Glory be the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. THE KYRIE (All) Lord have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord have mercy upon us. 4

HYMN On My Heart Imprint Thine Image LW 100 On my heart imprint Thine image, Blessed Jesus, King of Grace, That life's riches, cares, and pleasures Have no power Thee to efface. This the superscription be: Jesus, crucified for me, Is my life, my hope's Foundation, And my Glory and Salvation COLLECT The Lord be with you. People: And with Your Spirit. People: Let us pray. Almighty God, by Your great goodness, mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 43:16-21 (Behold, I am doing a new thing...) People: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. HYMN "Lamb of God, Oh, Speak for Me" (sung to LW 109) Lamb of God, oh, speak for me; Cover my transgressions. 5

Let Your holy blood set free Me from my oppression. Lead me forth to paths untrod As a loving Father. I am now a child of God Seeking where You gather. Once a chosen, happy child Living life in blessing--- Now, I'm wayward and defiled, Hunger always pressing. Lead me back into Your arms. Rescue me, my Savior! Bring me from the captor's harm Back into Your favor. Satan daily vies for me; Greedily he chases. Death's cold threats I plainly see Writ on hollowed faces. Sin and trials won't relent, But You will deliver Me from hell and punishment. I am Yours forever! Text: Lisa M. Clark. Copyright (c) 2012 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Tune: JESU KREUZ, LEIDEN UND PEIN EPISTLE Philippians 3:(4b-7) 8-14 (The righteousness of God that depends on faith...) People: This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. CHOIR Christ the Life of All the Living 6

VERSE Luke 20:17b All: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. HOLY GOSPEL Luke 20:9-20 (The Parable of the Wicked Tenants) People: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twentieth chapter. Glory be to You, O Lord. (The Gospel is read.) People: This is the Gospel of the Lord. Glory be to You, O Christ. CONFESSION OF FAITH All: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He 7

will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life + of the world to come. Amen. HYMN OF THE DAY "My Song Is Love Unknown" LW 91 SERMON SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION CONTINUES ON PAGE 143 COMMUNION HYMNS: Soul Adorn Yourself with Gladness LW 239 Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord LW 240 Your Table I Approach LW 249 From Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series C, Part 2. Copyright 2012 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. The Lutheran Hymnal page 5. Used by permission. IN OUR PRAYERS: OUR MISSION AND MINISTRY Lord, we thank You that You have taught us what You would have us believe and do. Help us by Your Holy Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ to hold fast thereby we may be made strong in faith and perfect in holiness, and be comforted in life and death. Great Physician, we pray for the sick, the 8

injured, and those who suffer in any way, especially Robert Joseph, Pastor s father-in-law, who is currently hospitalized at St. Vincent s Hospital in Billings, Montana, Judy Hubenthal, Gene Thurman, who is now under Hospice care, and Wilma Helling. We also give thanks for Tom Leffingwell, the son-in-law of Tom and Pat Anderson, who did not have to have a by-pass or a stint inserted in his heart and is doing better. We also remember the many shut-ins in our congregation Lucille Brune, Adeline Keune, Edna Deppermann, Mathilde Ohse, Ardell Wagner, Yvonne Gleitz, Ed Gardner, Delores Roehrs, Hulda Althage, Beth Pelster and all those we remember in our hearts. O faithful Lord, bless Your Church and all servants of Your Church, that Your good and gracious will may be done among us and through us and that many would be called to life in Your Son, Jesus Christ. We especially remember our Missionaries, Mike and Cindy Rodewald and John Strasen in Africa, and Robin McCoy in Thailand. O faithful Lord, raise up good and faithful leaders in this nation and over all the world, that people may live without fear or violence and know the comfort of peace between all nations. We also pray for our many men and women of our Armed Forces stationed around the world and here at home; and the people who respond to emergencies our law enforcement people, and the firefighters who help protect us. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ To our members and guests who are here with us today. We are very glad you are here for our worship services. May the Lord refresh you with peace and love during our worship services. Please join us here at Ebenezer again 9

soon. Please sign the guest register near the front door with your name, address, and Church affiliation. The beautiful flowers on our altar during this month are given by Mrs. Gail Meyer, in loving memory of her husband Robert Meyer. Our sixth Wednesday of Lent Worship services will be this coming Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 at 10:00 AM and 7:30 PM. The theme for this Wednesday worship will be (Un)finished Business Fellowship with the Father: The Lord in Prayer. A Note of Appreciation A big Thank You to Phil Hubenthal for helping with cleaning the Church now during Judy s recovery. Easter Egg Hunt - Our annual Easter Egg Hunt will be following the 10 AM service on Easter Sunday. Donations of pre-decorated hard boiled eggs or plastic eggs would be greatly appreciated. If you choose to send plastic eggs and will fill them with candy, please avoid chocolate inside the eggs. If the weather is warm, the chocolate melts! Please bring them on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday morning to the kitchen. The hunt is open to children from birth to age 7 or second grade.. Recycle Update Recycle for missions has added another $35.35 to the recycle aluminum total. We now have a total of $3,961.40 for recycle aluminum and a grand total for all recycling of $7,544.53. The check from Central Paper Stock for the last dumpster of paper has not been received as of this writing. Thanks to all for your support of recycling for our missionaries. 10

Lenten Thursday Bible Studies Pastor is inviting everyone to give up some of your valuable time to study God s Word in a study Death Then What? The classes will be held thru March 21. The times will be at 10:00 AM and again at 7:00 PM in our Church fellowship hall. Please come. Thrivent Members We thank you for your support and would encourage you to continue to designate your Thrivent Choice to Ebenezer. Last year your giving resulted in $11,000 + to Ebenezer. How to direct Thrivent Choice Dollars Online: Step 1 Visit Thrivent.com/thriventchoice. Step 2 Click on log in at the top right of your screen and enter your MyThrivent user ID and password. (If you haven t registered on Thrivent.com, click on register to register.) Step 3 Look for your designated Choice Dollars on the right side of the screen. Step 4 Click on Direct Choice Dollars in the Thrivent Choice box on you re My Thrivent page. Step 5 Search the catalog of organizations to find the organization you want to select. Step 6 Click on Direct Choice Dollars Now to direct your designated Choice Dollars to benefit that organization. By phone: Step 1 Call 1-800-847-4836 and when prompted, say Thrivent Choice. Step 2 - When prompted, say Choice Dollars. Step 3 Say or enter your Social Security number. Step 4 - Press 1 to direct Choice Dollars or press 2 to hear the Thrivent Choice program terms and conditions. Step 5 - A representative will then work with you to direct Choice Dollars. 11

We thank you for your kind gift and time! Guatemala Mission Trip June 22 July 1, 2013 Our mission team for the eyeglass trip in June is nearly complete. God has blessed us with 11 people, 4 from this area, and others from around the country. We ask for your continued prayers on our training and preparations. Monetary contributions to help defray expenses are greatly appreciated. Send to Washington Circuit Mission Society, c/o Immanuel Lutheran Church, 214 W. 5 th St., Washington, MO 63090. Thank you for your prayers and support. Dan and Kathy Walther Immanuel, Washington Easter Breakfast The Education Committee and our Thrivent Group will host an Easter Breakfast after the sunrise service on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. Plan to join us for rolls, donuts, ham, breakfast casseroles, juice, coffee, and milk. Please note: The offering proceeds will go to help the Debbie Pelster family with medical expenses and other necessities after the death of her husband Kristofor. Hope to see you there!! Journey to the Cross Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Hermann, Mo will once again present its annual Journey to the Cross. This is a walking tour through Jerusalem to visit the home of Mary and Martha, partake of a seder meal, shout HOSANNA! on the Palm Sunday triumphant entry into Jerusalem complete with donkey, be with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, experience the agony of His death on the cross, and of course, celebrate the resurrection. The journey is a graphic and moving reminder of the Holy Week that follows. It is designed to give sensory responses to further enrich the experience tastes, smell, sound and feel. The journey is offered to all people and will take about 45 minutes. It will be on March 23re beginning at 12

10:00 AM and going until 3:00 PM. All are welcome to participate in this heart moving event. The church is located at 1952 Highway 100 about a mile west of Hermann. For more information, visit the church s website at http://sothhermann.com or call the church at 573-486-3335. Those Serving Today Organist Saturday Laura Nichols Organist Sunday Ruth Marschel Head Usher Saturday Tracey Bade Head Usher Sunday Wilbert Baumann Altar Guild Judy Hubenthal and Wanda Gilbert Choir Christ the Life of All the Living. Choir Director Kathy Scheer Acolytes Justine Huellinghoff and Andrew Inman Bell Ringer Corey Adams Our Offerings in Response to Christ s Grace Offerings March 9 & 10, 2013 Weekly envelopes $1,274.00 Plate 24.00 Sunday School 25.00 Lenten offerings 15.00 Portals of Prayer 6.00 Gerald Groce Memorials 75.00 $1,419.00 Attendance: Saturday Evening Service 21 Sunday Service 72 93 13

Wednesday Lenten Worship Lenten Offerings $254.00 Plate 8.00 Gerald Groce Memorial 25.00 Easter lily 8.00 $295.00 Wednesday Morning worship attendance 12 Evening worship attendance 31 43 Sunday School Attendance 10 Children 18 Adults 28 This Week at Ebenezer Tuesday Evangelism Committee 7:00 PM Wednesday -- Lenten Worship 10:00 AM & 7:30 PM Confirmation 6:30 PM Choir 7:00 PM Thursday -- Bible Study 10:00 AM & 7:00 PM Friday -- Adult Class 4:30 6:00 PM Saturday -- Worship 5:00 PM If anyone would like to place flowers on the altar in memory of a loved one or to celebrate something special, please see Mary Sprick. 14

Please see the March newsletter for more information! Please remember that our ongoing collection for the Leslie Food Pantry is on the table at the back of our Church. There are copies of the latest newsletter from the Rodewald family on the table near our entrance. Our Portals of Prayer booklets for April thru June are on the table near our Church entrance. Please see the insert in the bulletin today regarding Easter Lilies for our Church. 15