The Bulletin is at: 02-23-2020 – Bulletin
The Service in PDF format is at: 02-23-2020 – Service
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THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD
February 23, 2020
THEME: Today is a special opportunity to consider the brightness of Jesus. As Jesus went up on the Mount of Transfiguration, his brightness shined upon the disciples. Jesus’ transfiguration reminds us of the blessing we hear every week at the end of worship in the Benediction for the Lord’s face to shine upon us. God’s face certainly shines on us today, and we look forward to the day when Jesus comes again in glory to permanently shine His face upon us. We celebrate these truths as we welcome back a familiar face—Pastor Norm Metzler—to share a special message with us.
CHORAL OPENING: “There Is Power in Jesus’ Name”
By: Pepper Choplin
There is power, power, pow’r in Jesus’ name. (x3)
Let all heav’n and earth proclaim,
“There is pow’r in Jesus’ name, Jesus’ name.”
There is power, power, pow’r in Jesus’ name. (x3)
Let all heav’n and earth proclaim,
“There is pow’r in Jesus’ name, Jesus’ name.”
All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name, let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him, crown him,
crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him, crown him,
crown him Lord of all.
There is Power, there is power, there is power.
(There is power, there’s power)
We crown him Lord of all,
(in the name of Jesus.)
crown him Lord of all.
(Now crown him, crown him Lord of all,)
Let all heav’n and earth proclaim,
“There is pow’r in Jesus’, there’s pow’r in Jesus’,
pow’r in Jesus’ name, there is power, crown him, for there is power!”
OPENING BLESSING
L: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS
L: Today we celebrate the transfiguration of Jesus. We hear the voice of our heavenly Father saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” Yet, as we follow Jesus, we have often failed to listen to His words. We have chosen to listen to the voice of the world rather than the voice of our transfigured Lord. So now, we come before our heavenly Father to ask for His forgiveness.
~Silence for reflection~
L: Most merciful God,
C: We confess that we have not listened to You or Your Son. We have ignored His voice and plugged our ears to His words of mercy. Forgive our sins and open our ears to Your voice once again.
L: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen. God’s face has shined upon us.
PRAISE SONG: Shine, Jesus, Shine Led by: Praise Team
Lord, the Light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us.
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Refrain: Shine, Jesus, shine,
Fill this land with the Father’s glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze,
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river flow,
Flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Refrain: Shine, Jesus, shine,
Fill this land with the Father’s glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze,
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river flow,
Flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror’d here may our lives tell Your story,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Refrain: Shine, Jesus, shine,
Fill this land with the Father’s glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze,
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river flow,
Flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light.
L: Let us pray.
L: Heavenly Father, in the transfiguration of Your Son You have shined grace and glory upon the world, and by Your own testimony we hear that Jesus is indeed Your beloved Son. Help us to heed Your voice and bask in the light of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, our transfigured Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
SCRIPTURE LESSON: Old Testament Exodus 24:8-18
Moses goes up to Mount Sinai.
And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.” Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
SCRIPTURE LESSON: The Epistle 2 Peter 1:16-21
Peter recounts seeing Jesus’ transfiguration and hearing God’s voice.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John.
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
L: This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to You O Christ
SERMON HYMN: “To God Be the Glory” TOSB 241
To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.
Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.
Pastor Norm Metzler
“A Glimpse of the Glory”
Matthew 17:5
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again,
He ascended into heaven,
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Christian Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body
And the life everlasting. Amen.
OFFERINGS GATHERED
We give our offerings as a sign of our lives given to the Lord in humble service.
L: Let us pray together in Christ Jesus for all people according to their needs.
L: God of love, living on our own terms, our lives have become unmanageable. Grant that by Your Word and Spirit we continually be transformed, trusting in Jesus who was transfigured in the sight of Peter, James, and John. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: God of love, the people, systems, and institutions of this world are crying out under the weight of feeling unloved. Jesus has come that all people come to know and believe how much You love all of us—from the least to the greatest. Grant that our elected and appointed officials be persuaded by Your love to govern wisely that all people on earth dwell in peace. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: God of love, Your people are torn to pieces by many dangers, toils, and snares. Our attentions are divided, and our words and actions are motivated by the cares, griefs, and pains of our lives. We cause one another much pain and so get in the way of Your love for all people in Christ Jesus flowing through us to all people in our communities and societies. Grant that we turn to You embracing our identity as vessels of Your mercy in a way that overflows to the people around us. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: God of love, there are many who are weak and sick among us and in our circles of family and friends. Remember for good all people who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit, [especially . . .]. Grant them both inward and outward healing according to Your will, helping them to trust Your goodness in all things. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: Into Your hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C: Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER: Echo Version
(First the Leader then Congregation follows – words on projection)
L: Today marks the end of the Epiphany season, and in a few days we begin Lent on Ash Wednesday. It is traditional to mute our joy during Lent by not singing Alleluias. We say our “farewell to Alleluia” as we sing the final hymn.
Lord, let Your light
Light of Your face
Shine on us
Lord, let Your light
Light of Your face
Shine on us
That we may be saved
That we may have life
To find our way in the darkest night
Let Your light shine on us
Lord, let Your grace
Grace from Your hand
Fall on us
Lord, let Your grace
Grace from Your hand
Fall on us
That we may be saved
That we may have life
To find our way in the darkest night
Let Your grace fall on us
Lord, let Your love
Love with no end
Come over us
Lord, let Your love
Love with no end
Come over us
That we may be saved
That we may have life
To find our way in the darkest night
Let Your love fall on us.
EXTENDING PEACE Camp Lutherwood
L: Go in peace! Serve the Lord!
C: Thanks be to God!