The livestream may be found here.
(Luke 13:6-9)
The color purple, used for the vestments and
paraments in Lent, symbolizes somberness and solemnity. Crosses and images of
our Lord and the saints are veiled with purple cloth during Lent.
FIRST READING: Isaiah’s
call to repentance is of a different character than Jesus’ call in the Gospel
reading. If Jesus’ parable of the gardener is the ‘stick,’ warning of imminent
judgment, then Isaiah’s poetry is the ‘carrot,’ calling Israel forward to the
rich rewards of turning to God.
SECOND READING: Paul uses
the history of the Exodus to warn the Corinthians of the consequences of a life
without faith. He wants to disabuse them of the idea that they are better than
the ancient Israelites. Paul insists that the ancient Israelites received the very
same gifts as the Corinthians, yet ‘most of them’ did not make it to the Promised
Land. He warns the Corinthians that if they do not live the life of repentance,
they too will face the same kinds of consequences.
GOSPEL: Only
Luke relates the story of Pilate’s ‘mingling the blood of the (Galileans) with
their sacrifices.’ Carl E. Roemer writes, ‘Apparently Pilate attacked and
killed some Galileans who were presenting their sacrifices in the temple.
Perhaps they consisted of a large enough crowd so that the Roman Governor
Pilate, who was ever suspicious of large groups, acted proactively as he had
previously to prevent what he must have perceived as the beginning of a
possible uprising.’[1]This
would seem to fit with Pilate’s actions surrounding the arrest and trial of
Jesus, which were calculated to prevent a Messianic rebellion.
OPENING MUSIC Restore
in Us, O God - Wilbur Held
Guide
Us Ever, Great Redeemer - I. Ralph Schueltz
II. David Cherwien
CONFESSION
(Although God’s forgiveness of sins
is available to Christians at all times, it is not announced in public worship
during the season of Lent, as a reminder that the entire season of Lent is one
of repentance. Lent concludes and the Great Three Days begin with the
pronouncement of forgiveness on Maundy Thursday.)
Stand
In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
O my God, in you I trust.
You are the God of my salvation;
To you, O Lord, I
lift up my soul.
In you I hope all the day long.
O my God, in you I trust.
Remember, Lord, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
O my God, in you I trust.
Let us confess our sins in the presence of God and of one
another.
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of
heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought,
word, and deed by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault;
wherefore I pray God Almighty to have mercy on me, forgive me all my sins, and
bring me to everlasting life. Amen
The almighty and
merciful Lord grant you pardon, forgiveness,
and remission of all your
sins. Amen
I confess to God
Almighty, before the whole company of heaven,
and to you, my brothers
and sisters, that I have sinned in thought,
word, and deed by my
fault, by my own fault, by my own most
grievous fault; wherefore
I pray God Almighty to have mercy on
me, forgive me all my
sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen
The almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, forgiveness,
and remission of all your sins.
Amen
WHYMN Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer Green LBW 343
pilgrim
through this barren land.
I
am weak, but you are mighty;
hold
me with your pow’rful hand.
Bread
of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed
me now and evermore,
feed
me now and evermore.
2 Open
now the crystal fountain
where
the healing waters flow;
let
the fire and cloudy pillar
lead
me all my journey through.
Strong
deliv’rer, strong deliv’rer,
shield
me with your mighty arm,
shield
me with your mighty arm.
3 When
I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid
my anxious fears subside;
death
of death and hell’s destruction,
land
me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs
and praises, songs and praises,
I
will raise forevermore,
I
will raise forevermore.
Text: William Williams, 1717-1791; tr.
William Williams and Peter Williams, 1722-1796, alt.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the
Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
KYRIE
ELEISON
Your Heart, O God, Is Grieved Green LBW 96
PRAYER OF
THE DAY
Eternal Lord, your kingdom has broken into our
troubled world
through the life, death, and resurrection of your
Son.
Help us to hear your Word and obey it,
so that we become instruments of your redeeming
love;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
Incline
your ear, and come to God;
listen,
that you may live.
Let us hear the Word of the Lord. Isaiah 55:3a
Sit
FIRST READING Isaiah
55:1-9
1Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the
Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6Seek the Lord while
he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that
he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 63:1-8
O God, eagerly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you.
1 O God, you are my God; eager- | ly I seek you;*
my
soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as
in a barren and dry land where there | is no water.
2 Therefore I have gazed upon you in your | holy place,*
that
I might behold your power | and your glory.
3 For your lovingkindness is better than | life itself;*
my
lips shall | give you praise.
4 So will I bless you as long | as I live*
and lift up my hands | in your name.
5 My soul is content, as with mar- | row and fatness,*
and
my mouth praises you with | joyful lips,
6 when I remember you up- | on my bed,*
and
meditate on you in | the night watches.
7 For you have | been my helper,*
and
under the shadow of your wings I | will rejoice.
8 My soul | clings to you;*
your
right hand | holds me fast. R
SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
1I do not want you to be unaware, brothers
and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the
sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank
the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed
them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased
with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
6Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might
not desire evil as they did. 7Do not become idolaters as some of
them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they
rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some
of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We
must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by
serpents. 10And do not complain as some of them did, and were
destroyed by the destroyer. 11These things happened to them to serve
as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of
the ages have come. 12So if you think you are standing, watch out
that you do not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you that is not
common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond
your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that
you may be able to endure it.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Stand
VERSE Philippians 2:8 Setting by John W. Becker
Jesus humbled himself and became
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Gospel Luke 13:1-9
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke.
1At that very time there were some
present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with
their sacrifices.2[Jesus] asked them, “Do you think that because
these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other
Galileans?3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish
as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of
Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the
others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent,
you will all perish just as they did.”
6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his
vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he
said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit
on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting
the soil?’ 8He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until
I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year,
well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
The Gospel
of the Lord.
Sit
Sermon Pastor Frontz
W Hymn of the DaY Restore in Us, O
God
Blue WOV 662
[Tune: POTSDAM]
CONFESSION
OF FAITH
The pastor
and people confess the faith of the Church in the words of the Nicene Creed.
X At the words ‘For
us and for our salvation,’ and continuing through ‘and was made man,’ a solemn bow
is appropriate to praise the incarnation of our Lord.
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.
X 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. X
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
Let us pray
for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to
their needs.
Silence is kept.
Strengthen
your Church, O God, to seek you while you may be found; to call upon you while
you are near, that by your grace we may be restored and healed to bear fruit
for your kingdom. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have
mercy.
Renew our
congregation in this season of penitence. Open our mouths to praise you with
joyful lips, and help us to remember you in our waking and in our sleeping,
when we lie down and when we rise. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have
mercy.
We ask
you to bring under the shadow of your wings all those afflicted by war, terror,
scarcity, injustice, and poverty of body, mind, and spirit. Uphold our nation
and our leaders, and guide all who hold responsibility for others. Lord, have
mercy.
Lord, have
mercy.
The pastor names the nations and peoples in special need.
Lord,
have mercy.
Lord, have
mercy.
Sustain
the sick, comfort the grieving, and bless the dying. Renew the faith of those
who cannot find the way home to you. May these for whom we pray and all those in
any need see your goodness in the land of the living.
The pastor reads the names of those people for whom we have special
concern.
Lord,
have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
In our
participation at your altar, empower us to continue our forty-day journey to
the cross. With all those who have believed your promises, expecting the revelation
of our Savior Jesus Christ, bring us to that day when all your people rejoice
in the new Jerusalem, in peace and at rest. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
The pastor concludes the prayers:
Into your
hands, Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your steadfast love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Since we are justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ,
who has given us access to this
grace in which we stand. Romans 5:1-2a
The peace of the Lord be with you
always.
And also with
you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Stand
OFFERTORY Jeremiah 50:4-5 Setting by Kevin Norris
In those days and in that time,
says the Lord, the people of Israel
and the people of Judah shall
come; and they shall seek the Lord
their God. They shall ask the way
to Zion with faces turned toward
it, saying, “Come, let us join
ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting
covenant which will never be
forgotten.”
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
We do not presume to come to your table, O Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy
to gather up the crumbs under your table.
But you are the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.
Grant us,
therefore, gracious Lord,
so to eat the
flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ,
and so to drink
his blood,
that we may
evermore dwell in him and he in us.
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 him thanks and praise.
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;
He calls us to repentance and faith, that his word may be implanted in
us and bear good fruit. He promises us the help of his power, that we may
endure in the time of testing and give him thanks and praise for his mercy.
And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your
name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy LORD, God of power and might!
Heaven 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!
(Isaiah 6:3, Matthew 21:9)
The pastor
leads the people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
Blessed are you, O Lord our God.
You created us in your image;
and in the mystery of your great love for us
you sent your only Son, Jesus Christ,
born of Mary by the power of the
Spirit.
Led by that Spirit he was tempted
as we are tempted;
He
proclaimed your forgiveness to sinners;
he loved even his enemies.
Despised and
rejected,
he
bore the alienation of the world
as he stretched out his arms on the cross;
and by this all-sufficient sacrifice
he has drawn all people to himself,
giving his life as a ransom for many.
As we gather in his name and
celebrate his testament,
send your Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts of bread and wine,
that they may be for us
the very body and blood of your Son,
Christ Jesus, redeemer of the world.
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.
Let us proclaim the mystery of
faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Blessed are you, O Lord our
God.
By
your Son's life-giving passion and death,
and
by His resurrection and ascension into glory,
our
Lord Jesus continually intercedes for us
and
for all he has claimed as his own.
As we now share together
this
Bread of Life and this Cup of Salvation,
unite
us with all your faithful people
in
the forgiveness of sins,
and
bring us, at length, to that eternal celebration of life
at the Lamb's high feast.
Through him, with him, in him,
in
the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all
honor and glory is yours,
almighty
Father, now and forever. Amen
In the presence of Christ, we pray
to his Father using the words he gave us.
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the
Spirit,
we pray to his Father,
saying:
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 Matthew
6:9-15
Lord, come to us and cleanse us,
come to us and heal us,
come to us and strengthen us,
and
grant that, having received you,
we may never
be separated from you,
but continue yours forever.
We adore Christ, present in bread
and wine.
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.
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
Admission to the Sacrament is by
invitation of the Lord, presented through the Church to those who are baptized.
They may receive the
Lord’s Body and Blood who are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, who commune in their home churches, and who believe
that Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is truly present in, with, and under the
forms of bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
The
communicants will be invited forward one family unit at a time. Please do not
come forward until the pastor directs you to come forward, do not approach all
the way to the table until the pastor has retreated.
When the pastor says, ‘The body of Christ,
given for you,’ eat the bread. When the pastor says, ‘The blood of Christ, shed
for you,’ drink the wine. Please take
the plate and the glass(es) and place them on the table that is indicated.
WDISTRIBUTION HYMNS
Take Up Your Cross - Text/ Charles W. Everest;
Music/ Thomas Keesecker
Sung by the Choir
“Take up your cross,” the Savior said, “if you would my
disciple be: take up your cross with willing heart, and humbly follow after
me.”
Take up your cross; let not its weight fill your weak spirit
with alarm; Christ’s strength shall bear your spirit up, and brace your heart
and nerve your arm.
Take up your cross; heed not the shame, and let your foolish
pride be still; the Lord for you accepted death upon a cross on Calvary’s hill.
Take up your cross and follow Christ, nor think till death to
lay it down; for only those who bear the cross may hope to wear the glorious
crown.
Take up your cross and follow Christ.
O
Christ, Our King, Creator, Lord Green
LBW 101
When all have received, the congregation
stands at the direction of the pastor.
The body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
WPOST-COMMUNION
HYMN
Strengthen
for Service, Lord Green LBW 218
O Lord, you have called us to be your witnesses.
Cleanse us from all unbelief and sloth
and fill us with hope and zeal,
that we
may do your work,
and bear
your cross,
and bide your
time,
and see
your glory.
BENEDICTION
Almighty God, Father, X Son, and
Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen
WCLOSING HYMN
As
the Sun with Longer Journey Blue
WOV 655
Go in
peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks
be to God!
THIS WEEK FOR THE FAITH FAMILY
Sun/
Mar 20 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM
WORSHIP
10:30 AM
Church
Council Meeting following worship
Prayer
at the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM
Mon/ Mar 21 Morning Prayer (livestream) 8:30 AM
Wed/ Mar 23 Evening Prayer, 6:30 PM, in person and livestream
Thu/Mar 24 ZOOM Bible Study, 7:30 PM, livestream
Fri/ Mar 25 Morning Prayer (livestream) 8:30 AM
Sat/ Mar 26 NA Meeting 11 AM
WORSHIP
6:30 PM
Sun/
Mar 27 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM
WORSHIP 10:30 AM
Tech
Talk and Treats after Worship in the Narthex
Prayer
at the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2022
Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg
Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright
1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
Eucharistic Canon reprinted with permission from
A Little Book of Canons by Rod L. Ronneberg, STS, © 1997 and © 2010.
Additional liturgical material from Common Worship: Times and Seasons,
© 2006 The Archbishops’ Council of the Church
of England,
and Foretaste of the Feast to
Come: Devotions on Holy Communion, by Philip H. Pfatteicher,
© 1987 Augsburg Publishing House.
Proper Preface from We Give You Thanks and
Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces, tr. Alan Griffiths, © 1999 Alan Griffiths.
The Gardener and the Fig Tree, from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54307 [retrieved March 15, 2022].
Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/feargal/3923006489/..
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
