Worship Service: March 8, 2023

Lenten Evening Worship: Holden Evening Prayer

Prelude

Service of Light

Please stand as you are able.

Procession

L: Jesus Christ is the Light of the world,

C: the light no darkness can overcome.

L: Stay with us now, for it is evening,

C: and the day is almost over.

Hand candles are lighted.

L: Let your light scatter the darkness,

C: and shine within your people here.

Evening Hymn

1 Joyous light of heav’nly glory,
loving glow of God’s own face,
you who sing creation’s story,
shine on ev’ry land and race.
Now as evening falls around us,
we shall raise our songs to you.
God of daybreak, God of shadows,
come and light our hearts anew.

2 In the stars that grace the darkness,
in the blazing sun of dawn,
in the light of peace and wisdom,
we can hear your quiet song.
Love that fills the night with wonder,
love that warms the weary soul,
love that bursts all chains asunder,
set us free and make us whole.

3 You who made the heaven’s splendor,
ev’ry dancing star of night,
make us shine with gentle justice,
let us each reflect your light.
Mighty God of all creation,
gentle Christ who lights our way,
loving Spirit of salvation,
lead us on to endless day.

Evening Thanksgiving

L: May God be with you all.

C: And also with you.

L: Let us sing our thanks to God.

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

L: Blessed are you, Creator of the universe, from old you have led your people by night and day. May the light of your Christ make our darkness bright, for your Word and your presence are the light of our pathways, and you are the light and life of all creation.

C: Amen.

Please be seated and extinguish hand candles.

Psalmody

Psalm 141

Refrain
Let my prayer rise up like incense before you,
the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you.

O God, I call to you, come to me now;
oh, hear my voice when I cry to you. Refrain

Keep watch within me, God;
deep in my heart may the light of your love
be burning bright. Refrain

All praise to the God of all–Creator of life;
all praise be to Christ and the Spirit of love. Refrain

Silence for meditation

R: May our prayers come before you, O God, as incense, and may your presence surround and fill us, so that in union with all creation, we might sing your praise and your love in our lives.

C: Amen.

Lessons

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

¹What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? ²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” ⁴Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. ⁵But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
¹³For 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. ¹⁴If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
¹⁶For 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, ¹⁷as 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: John 3:1-21

¹Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He 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.” ³Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴Nicodemus 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?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸The 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.” ⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus 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. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that 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. ¹⁸Those 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. ¹⁹And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. ²¹But 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.”

The word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Silence for meditation

R: The Light shines in the darkness;

C: And the darkness has not overcome it.

The Annunciation and Magnificat

L: An angel went from God to a town called Nazareth to a woman whose name was Mary. The angel said to her, “Rejoice, O highly favored, for God is with you. You shall bear a child, and his name shall be Jesus, the Chosen One of God Most High.” And Mary said, “I am the servant of my God, I live to do your will.”

1 My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, and my spirit rejoices in you,
You have looked with love on your servant here, and blessed me all my life through.
Great and mighty are you, O Holy One, strong is your kindness evermore.
How you favor the weak and lowly one, humbling the proud of heart.

2 You have cast the mighty down from their thrones, and uplifted the humble of heart.
You have filled the hungry with wondrous things, and left the wealthy no part.
Great and mighty are you, O Faithful One, strong is your justice, strong your love,
As you promised to Sarah and Abraham, kindness forevermore.

3 My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, and my spirit rejoices in you.
You have looked with love on your servant here, and blessed me all my life through.