Worship Service: March 5, 2023

Second Sunday in Lent

Prelude

“God So Loved the World”
John Stainer

Gathering

Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness

Please stand as you are able. The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

P:  In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C:  Amen.

P:  Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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 or sit as you are able.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

P:  Most merciful God,

C:  we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

The minister stands and addresses the congregation.

P:  Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to die for us and, for his sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C:  Amen.

Please stand as you are able.

Opening Hymn #697 (blue hymnal)

“Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters”

1  Wash, O God, our sons and daughters,
Where your cleansing waters flow.
Number them among your people;
Bless as Christ blessed long ago.
Weave them garments bright and sparkling;
Compass them with love and light.
Fill, anoint them; send your Spirit,
Holy dove and heart’s delight.

2  We who bring them long for nurture;
By your milk may we be fed.
Let us join your feast, partaking
Cup of blessing, living bread.
God, renew us, guide our footsteps;
Free from sin and all its snares.
One with Christ in living, dying,
By your Spirit, children, heirs.

3  Oh, how deep your holy wisdom!
Unimagined, all your ways!
To your name be glory, honor!
With our lives we worship, praise!
We your people stand before you,
Water-washed and Spirit born.
By your grace, our lives we offer.
Recreate us; God, transform!

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.

Kyrie

♫ LBW Setting II
(green hymnal. p. 78)

L:  In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

C:  Lord, have mercy.

L:  For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

C:  Lord, have mercy.

L:  For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

C:  Lord, have mercy.

L:  For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

C:  Lord, have mercy.

L:  Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

C:  Amen.

Hymn of Praise

♫ LBW Setting II
(green hymnal, p. 79)

L:  Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father:
We worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God:
You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

♫ LBW Setting II
(green hymnal. p. 82)

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  And also with you.

P:  Let us pray.
O God, our leader and guide, in the waters of baptism you bring us to new birth to live as your children. Strengthen our faith in your promises, that by your Spirit we may lift up your life to all the world through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C:  Amen.

The Word

Blessing of the Lector

P:  Let us pray.
Oh, that today we would hear God’s voice. May we hear your voice today, Lord, as Sherry reads to us the scriptures. Let not our hearts be hardened, but open to the word of life.

C:  Amen.

Please be seated.

First Reading: Genesis 12:1-4a

The LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4a So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

  The word of the Lord.

C:  Thanks be to God.

Psalmody

“I to the Hills Will Lift My Eyes” (Psalm 121)

1  I to the hills will lift my eyes;
from whence shall come my aid?
My help is from the Lord alone,
who heaven and earth has made.

2  God will not let your foot be moved;
your guardian never sleeps;
God’s watchful and unslumbering care
protects and safely keeps.

3  Your faithful keeper is the Lord,
your shelter and your shade.
‘Neath sun or moon, by day or night,
you shall not be afraid.

4  From evil God will keep you safe,
provide for all you need.
Your going out, your coming in,
God will forever lead.

Second Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

  The word of the Lord.

C:  Thanks be to God.

Please stand as you are able.

Gospel Acclamation

♫ LBW Setting I
(green hymnal, p. 63)

Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Gospel: John 3:1-21

♫ LBW Setting I
(green hymnal, p. 63)

P:  The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 3rd chapter.

C:  Glory to you, O Lord.

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

P:  The Gospel of the Lord.

C:  Praise to you, O Christ.

Please be seated.

Children’s Sermon

Sermon

Silence for reflection and meditation.

Hymn of the Day

“God Loved the World So that He Gave”

1  God loved the world so that he gave
his only Son the lost to save
that all who would in him believe
should everlasting life receive.

2  Christ is the solid rock of faith,
who was made flesh and suffered death.
All who confide in him alone
are built on this chief cornerstone.

3  God would not have the sinner die;
his Son with saving grace is nigh.
His Spirit in the Word declares
that we in Christ are heaven’s heirs.

4  Be of good cheer, for God’s own Son
forgives the sins that you have done.
You’re justified by Jesus’ blood;
baptized, you are a child of God.

5  If you are sick, if death is near,
this truth your troubled heart can cheer:
Christ Jesus saves my soul from death;
this is the anchor of my faith!

6  Glory to God the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To you, O blessèd Trinity,
be praise now and eternally!

Please stand as you are able.

The Nicene Creed

A:  Let us confess our common faith with all Christians throughout time and place, using the words of the Nicene Creed.

We believe in one God,
 the Father, the Almighty,
  maker of heaven and earth,
  of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
 the only Son of God,
 eternally begotten of the Father,
 God from God, Light from Light,
 true God from true God,
 begotten, not made,
 of one Being with the Father.
 Through him all things were made.
 For us and for our salvation
  he came down from heaven;
  by the power of the Holy Spirit
   he became incarnate from the virgin Mary,
   and was made man.
 For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
  he suffered death and was buried.
  On the third day he rose again
   in accordance with the Scriptures;
  he ascended into heaven
   and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
 He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
  and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
 who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
 With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
 He has spoken through the prophets.
 We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
 We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
 We look for the resurrection of the dead,
  and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Please kneel or sit as you are able.

The Prayers

A:  Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

After each petition:

A:  Lord, in your mercy,

C:  Hear our prayer.

After the last petition:

A:  Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

C:  Amen.

Please stand as you are able.

Peace

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C:  And also with you.

The ministers and congregation may greet one another with a gesture of peace.

Invitation to Offering

A:  The Lord watches over you and neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121). We can give our offering freely and without fear of the future because we know that the Lord will preserve us from all evil and will keep our life from this time forever more.

Please be seated.

Offertory: Special Music

“Spiritborne”
Handt Hanson

Please stand as you are able.

Offertory Prayer

A:  Let us pray.

C:  Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Meal

Dialogue

♫ LBW Setting II
(green hymnal, p. 88)

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  And also with you.

P:  Lift up your hearts.

C:  We lift them to the Lord.

P:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C:  It is right to give our thanks and praise.

P:  It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, through Christ our Lord. You bid your people cleanse their hearts and prepare with joy for the paschal feast. Renew our zeal in faith and life, and bring us to the fullness of grace that belongs to the children of God. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Sanctus

♫ LBW Setting II
(green hymnal, p. 89)

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
Lord God of pow’r and might:
Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

P:  In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

  Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

The Lord’s Prayer

P:  Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:

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.

Please be seated.

Agnus Dei

♫ LBW Setting II
(green hymnal, p. 92)

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
grant us peace, grant us peace.

Communion

P:  The Body of Christ, broken for you.

  The Blood of Christ, shed for you.

Those who wish to commune at the altar rail may either bring forward their individual Communion kit, or receive the wafer and wine/grape juice by intinction (dipping) from the Communion Ministers, when they are directed forward by the usher. Those who wish to commune in their seat with their individual Communion kit may remain seated.

Communion Hymn

“Waterlife”

1  Before I can remember
the covenant was sealed
with Father, Son, and Spirit,
in water was revealed.
The cleansing was for certain,
with water and the Word;
gentle words were spoken,
in heaven they were heard.

Refrain
They were singing waterlife,
beginning life,
waterlife all my life,
waterlife, Spirit life, waterlife.

2  A simple sweet beginning,
a loving place to start:
Christ began the singing
that swells within my heart.
his love became my calling,
his life my ministry.
His name is my adoption
into his family. Refrain

3  My hope and expectation
for true community
begins with resurrection,
his death and life in me.
His Spirit fills the Body:
his church through water sees
promise for tomorrow,
his waterlife in me. Refrain

Table Blessing

P:  The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.

C:  Amen.

Post-Communion Canticle

♫ LBW Setting I
(green hymnal, p. 73)

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of ev’ry people:
A light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.
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.

Post-Communion Prayer

A:  Let us pray.
We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life; and we pray that in your mercy you would strengthen us, through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

C:  Amen.

Sending

Announcements for God’s Mission in the World

Please stand as you are able.

Blessing

♫ LBW Setting II
(green hymnal, p. 94)

P:  Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.

C:  Amen.

Closing Hymn #194 (green hymnal)

“All Who Believe and Are Baptized”

1  All who believe and are baptized
shall see the Lord’s salvation;
baptized into the death of Christ,
they are a new creation;
through Christ’s redemption they will stand
among the glorious heav’nly band
of ev’ry tribe and nation.

2  With one accord, O God, we pray,
grant us your Holy Spirit;
help us in our infirmity
through Jesus’ blood and merit;
grant us to grow in grace each day
by holy baptism, that we may
eternal life inherit.

Dismissal

A:  Go in peace. Serve the Lord.

C:  Thanks be to God.

Postlude

“We Who Believe & Are Baptized”
Handt Hanson


Worship Leaders

The Rev. Emily Beckering, Pastor
Kris Keith, Music Director
Kate Wollenburg, Organist
Carroll Mayhugh, Assisting Minister
Sherry Bronner, Reader

Upcoming Events

Sunday, March 5: Second Sunday in Lent

9 am Sunday School / Adult Forum
10:30 am Worship (in-person / livestreamed)
After worship: Evangelism Committee
2 pm The Chosen Bible study

Tuesday, March 7

5:30 pm Confirmation Class

Wednesday, March 8

6 pm Lenten Soup/Salad Potluck
7 pm Lenten Evening Worship: Holden Evening Prayer

Thursday, March 9

10:30 am Bible study (in-person / Zoom)
6 pm Scouts BSA

Sunday, March 12: Third Sunday in Lent

**No Sunday School / Adult Forum**
10:30 am Worship (in-person / livestreamed)
2 pm The Chosen Bible study

Tuesday, March 14

6:30 pm Venture Scouts

Wednesday, March 15

6 pm Lenten Soup/Salad Potluck
7 pm Lenten Evening Worship: Compline

Thursday, March 16

10:30 am Bible study (in-person / Zoom)

Copyright Notices

Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters: Text by Ruth Duck © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House, admin. Music Services, Brentwood, TN. Arr. © 1985 Augsburg Fortress.

God Loved the World So That He Gave: Arr. © 1941 Concordia Publishing House.

Spiritborne: Text and music by Handt Hanson © 1985 Changing Church Forum, Inc.

Waterlife: Text and music by Handt Hanson © 1991 Prince of Peace Publishing, Changing Church, Inc.

We Who Believe & Are Baptized: Text and music by Handt Hanson © 1991 Changing Church Inc.

Hymns/anthems: Music reprinted and streamed by permission under ONE LICENSE #A‐726103 and CCLI Licenses #21045423 and #21045416. All rights reserved.

Liturgical texts and service music: From SundaysandSeasons.com. Copyright © 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS010308.