The Bulletin is at: 02-25-2018 – Bulletin
The Service in PDF format is at: 02-25-2018 – Service
or the service is as follows:
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
February 25, 2018
THEME: When it comes to human love, it’s fair to say that it comes in different degrees. For instance, even with just a little love for someone, you might be willing to help carry some groceries or get their mail while they’re out of town. But if you have a greater love for someone, you might be open to caring for them when they’re sick or helping them move into a new home. The greatest demonstration of love, however, is to lay down your life for someone else. There’s no greater sacrifice one can make for another. And yet, that’s exactly what Jesus did for us, even though so often we are unloving and unlovable people. “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
RINGING OF THE BELL
After the ringing of the bell, we take a few moments in silence to prepare our hearts and minds for today’s worship.
A WORD ABOUT OUR WORSHIP TODAY Psalm 84:10; 25:4; John 17:17
P: Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
C: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
P: Make me to know Your ways, O Lord.
C: Teach me Your paths.
P: Sanctify us in Your truth.
C: Your Word is truth.
CONFESSING TO GOD
P: We are gathered here today to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and sing His praises. Let us first begin by thinking about our unworthiness and how we have fallen short in thought, word, and deed. During this moment of silence, we reflect upon our need for God’s forgiveness and help.
Silent Reflection
P: We confess…
C: Lord, we have not placed our relationship with You as the main priority in our life. We have been distracted with the busyness of life. And then when times have gotten difficult, we have failed to remember how You will care for us. We confess that we have not loved You above all things. But we seek a change and that is why we are here today. Forgive us, renew us, so that we might delight in You.
P: Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” This was a challenge by Jesus to us. Yet, this is also good news. Jesus did deny himself setting aside his desires. Jesus did take up his cross and die for us. Because of Jesus’ work, I announce God grace to you today. Your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
OPENING HYMN “More Precious than Silver”
Lord, You are more precious than silver,
Lord, You are more costly than gold;
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
and nothing I desire compares with You.
Lord, You are more precious than silver,
Lord, You are more costly than gold;
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
and nothing I desire compares with You.
P: We pray….
C: Heavenly Father, it is your glory always to have mercy. Bring back all who have strayed from your ways; lead them again to embrace in faith the truth of your Word; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
HEARING FROM GOD’S WORD
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15 -16
God renames Abram and Sarai.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
New Testament Reading: Romans 5:1-11
We were reconciled to God.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
CHOIR ANTHEM: “What a Friend!” By Nancy Price & Don Besig
When you feel discouraged, when you’re lost and alone,
Ask the Lord to help you. He will claim you as His own. If you need to find an answer, He will hear your silent prayer. Anywhere life leads you, you will find Him always there.
When your life seems empty, let Him take your hand. He will not forsake you, He will help you understand. With a heart that’s always open, with a love that has no end. He will stand beside us. He’s our Master and our Friend.
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.
What a friend we have in Jesus. He is always at our side. Oh, what joy and peace it brings us knowing He will be our guide. Follow ev’rywhere He leads you: He will never let you stray. What a friend we have in Jesus. Give your heart to Him today.
Jesus challenges us to have on our mind the things of God.
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
SERMON SONG: “Let us Ever Walk With Jesus”
Let us ever walk with Jesus, follow his example pure,
Through a world that would deceive us and to sin our spirit lure,
Onward in his footsteps treading, Pilgrims here, our home above,
Full of faith and hope and love, let us do our Father’s biding.
Let us ever walk with Jesus and with patience bear our cross,
Joy will follow all our sadness; where he is there is no loss,
Though today we so no laughter, we shall reap celestial joy:
All discomforts that annoy shall give way to mirth here after.
Let us also live with Jesus. He has risen from the dead
That to life we may awaken, Jesus since you are our head,
We are own living members; where you live, there we shall be
In your presence constantly, living there with you forever.
C: 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 into hell.
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 holy Christian Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting. Amen.
OFFERING
We give our offerings as a sign of our lives offered to God.
COMMISSIONING OF PEACE LUTHERAN COUNCIL
P: In peace let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: 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.
P: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For those who are ailing (names…) and those who grieve, that they may be strengthened in body and spirit, confident of the love of Christ, let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For those who work to bring peace, justice, health, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For those who bring offerings, those who do good works in this congregation, those who toil, those who sing, and all the peoples here present who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord:
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: We pray this through Jesus, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
A CLOSING BLESSING
CLOSING HYMN: “Jesus, Name Above All Names”
Jesus, name above all names,
Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord,
Emmanuel, God is With us,
Blessed Redeemer, living Word.
Jesus, love shepherd
Vine of the branches, Son of God
Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor
Lord of the universe, Light of the World.
Jesus, Way of salvation,
King of Kings, Lord of Lords,
The way the truth, and the Life,
Mighty creator, my Savior and friend
P: Go in Peace. Serve the Lord!
C: Thanks be to God!