OUR SAVIOUR S Lutheran Church March 5, 2017
First Sunday in Lent Today s gospel tells of Jesus temptation in the desert. His forty-day fast becomes the basis of our Lenten pilgrimage. In the early church Lent was a time of intense preparation for those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. This catechetical focus on the meaning of faith is at the heart of our Lenten journey to the baptismal waters of Easter. Hungry for God s mercy, we receive the bread of life to nourish us for the days ahead. Gathering music Welcome Gathering The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God. *Confession and Forgiveness During the season of Lent we are called to return to God with all our heart. Let us confess our sin and seek reconciliation with God and neighbor. Silence for reflection and self-examination 3
Merciful God, forgive us. Our will is bound to sin, and we constantly wrestle with the temptation to stray from your ways. We have spoken when we should have kept quiet. Silence We were silent when we should have said something. Silence. We acted when we knew better. Silence We were still when we know we should have moved. Silence For the wrong we have done, for the good we have failed to do, have mercy on us, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Sovereign. People of God, look to the + Son, given to heal you and set you free because God loved the world so much. Take hold of life eternal life! Amen. *Opening Hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling #631 *Greeting The grace of our Savior Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. 4
*Prayer of the Day Let us pray. Holy God, our strength, the struggle between good and evil rages within and around us, and the devil and all the forces that defy you tempt us with empty promises. Keep us steadfast in your word, and when we fall, raise us again and restore us through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Sovereign, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Word God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song. - Quiet reflection First Reading Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And God commanded the man, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that God had made. The serpent said to the woman, Did God say, You shall not eat from any tree in the garden? The woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die. But the serpent said to the woman, You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 5
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. Psalm 32 Refrain All Second Reading Romans 5:12-19 Just as sin came into the world through one human being, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come. 6
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the trespass of one human, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one human, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the sin of one human being. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the trespass of one, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one, Jesus Christ. Therefore just as the trespass of one person led to condemnation for all, so the act of righteousness of one person leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the disobedience of one the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. *Gospel Acclamation The holy gospel according to Matthew, the 4 th chapter. Glory to you, O God. 7
*Gospel Reading Matthew 4:1-11 Spark Story Bible pages Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. But Jesus answered, It is written, One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. Jesus said to the devil, Again it is written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test. Again, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and said to him, All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan! for it is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve only God. Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. This is the Good News. Praise to you, O Christ. Sermon 8
*Hymn of the Day Lead Me, Guide Me #768 *Prayers of the People (Each petition will conclude with the words, we pray, and the congregation responds in song) Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. Meal God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ. *Peace The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you. (The people greet each other: Peace be with you. ) 9
Gathering our Gifts All present, even those who contribute through automatic payments, are invited to lay hands upon the collection plate symbolizing their contributions. *Offertory Create In Me A Clean Heart #185 *Offering Prayer Let us pray. Merciful God, receive the sacrifice of our praise and thanksgiving and the offering of our lives, that following in the way of the cross, we may know the joy of the resurrection; through Christ our Savior. Amen. *The Great Thanksgiving The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give God thanks and praise. It is indeed right, our duty and our joy... we praise your name and join their unending hymn: *Sanctus 10
*Eucharistic Proclamation and Prayer with you and the Holy Spirit, be all glory and honor, now and forever. Amen. *Lord s Prayer Our Mother, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. 11
Distribution All are welcome at the table. After you have received the bread, you may dip it into one of the cups: the dark liquid is wine, the light liquid is grape juice. Or, you may eat the bread and then drink from the last cup which is a common cup of wine. Those who do not yet commune may come forward for a blessing. God Extends an Invitation #486 1 Spanish; 2 - English Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song #808 By Your Hand You Feed Your People #469 *Blessing The body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in God's grace. Amen. *Prayer *Post Communion Canticle 12
Announcements *Blessing Sending God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world. *Sending Song "Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer #618 *Dismissal Marked with the cross of Christ, go forth to love and serve. Thanks be to God! Postlude Ministers: Presiding: Preaching: Assisting: Reader: Accompanist: Ushers: Today s Worship The Members of Our Saviour s Lutheran Church Martha Schwehn Bardwell Laurie Eaton Dorea Ruggles Dan Swenson-Klatt Catherine Preus Tal Anderson, Steve Lindley, Alfred Flomo and Matt and Nat Schroeder We thank the members of the Altar Guild for their service! Portions of the liturgy and clip art are taken from Sundays and Seasons.com 2016 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission under license # 45191. Acclamation Marty Haugen 1990 and Sanctus Marty Haugen 1984 GIA Publications, Inc. In the Lord I ll Be Ever Thankful 1986, 1991 Les Presses de Taizé admin.gia Publications, Inc. Used by permission under OneLicense.net # A-704050. 13
Announcements Next Sunday: Daylight Savings Time Begins. Next Sunday: Bake Sale. On Sunday, March 12, support our high schoolers heading off on the Youth Sexuality Retreat later this month! We are raising money to cover the costs of 2 nights at Camp Friendship in Annandale for youth and chaperones. Our very own Zac Baker and Rachel Johnson are leading this retreat. Come and buy some goodies! Extra funds raised will go towards youth summer trips. Lenten Adult Forums: Christian Writings from Prison. As part of our Lenten theme of "Real Good News Breaks in Broken Places," our adult forum series focuses on Christian writings from prison. We will hear the testimony of Christians who have done time in different times and places. This morning, Gary Simpson led us in a discussion of Martin Luther King s powerful letters. Join us on Sunday mornings we get started right at 9:15. March 12 Dietrich Bonhoeffer (led by Gary Simpson) March 19 Perpetua and Felicitas, early Christian martyrs (led by Chris Scharen) March 26 TBA April 2 Apostle Paul (led by Pastor Martha) April 9 Martin Luther (led by Gary Simpson) March Mission of the Month CES & MN FoodShare. Sunday school students will be handing out grocery bags today after the service. Take one and fill it with non-perishables for the CES food shelf. This year the FoodShare theme is SQUASH HUNGER! Fight hunger with generosity (food and funds). Thanks for your support! Unwarranted Deportation. Help to prevent the unwarranted deportation of our immigrant neighbors. The Isaiah Sanctuary project is training and deploying volunteer Rapid Response teams to witness and gather facts about immigration arrests in the Twin Cities. The goal: to ensure that those arrests are public and that people detained have access to timely legal defense. Two opportunities: 14
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 2730 E. 31 st St. will host a training on Saturday, March 11, from 9:00 to 11:00am. Calvary Lutheran Church at 39 th and Chicago will host a training on Sunday, March 12, 1-3 p.m. (not March 5 as earlier announced). What s in the Coat Room? Have you lost something at church, or left a dish or plate, or maybe Godly Play artwork? Take a look in the coat room and on the shelves to see what you may have left behind. A table will be in the Narthex with other items gathering in the office or kitchen. You just might find something that is yours! Direct Thrivent Choice Dollars by March 31. Eligible Thrivent Financial Members -- don t miss this opportunity to direct your dollars to help Our Saviour s Lutheran Church or Our Saviour s Community Services. Go to Thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more or call 800-847-4836 and say Thrivent Choice after the prompt. Our Saviour s has used money from this program to help pay for the recent photo directories and for the Bread Oven. This Week at Our Saviour s Sun Mar 5 9:00am Education for all ages 10:00am Hospitality (HC) 10:30am Worship (S) After Worship Executive Committee (CR) 4:30pm 7:30pm Living Q Prep/Clean Up (HC, K) 5:30pm 7:30pm Living Questions (whole church) Mon Mar 6 6:00pm 8:45pm (Tentative) Private rehearsal (S) Tue Mar 7 12:30pm Staff Meeting (CR) 7:00pm 8:30pm Church Council (CR) Wed Mar 8 10:15am Bible Study (CR) Noon 1:00pm Prep for Quilting (HC) 1:00 5:30pm Neighborhood Quilting (HC) 15
Wednesday Connections (K, HC, S) 5:30pm 6:30pm Community Meal (HC) 6:30pm 7:30pm Evening Prayer (S) 6:30pm 7:30pm Godly Play (GP) 7:30pm 8:30pm Choir Rehearsal (S) Thu Mar 9 7:00am 9:00am Women's Brkfst @ Birchwood 9:30 11:00am ESL Social (HC) 11:30am 2:30pm OSCS All Staff Lunch (HC, K) Fri Mar 10 Sun Mar 12 Office Closed Daylight Savings Begins 9:00am Education for all ages adults: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (led by Gary Simpson) 10:00am Hospitality (HC) 10:30am Worship (S) After Worship Bake Sale (HC) 4:30pm 7:30pm Living Q Prep/Clean Up (HC, K) 5:30pm 7:30pm Living Questions (whole church)