ORDER OF WORSHIP
First Sunday in Lent
February 26, 2023
+ GATHERING +
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive 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.
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God 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.
Amen.
GATHERING HYMN
Bless Now, O God, the Journey
ELW 326
Bless now, O God, the journey
that all your people make,
the path through noise and silence,
the way of give and take.
The trail is found in desert
and winds the mountain round,
then leads beside still waters,
the road where faith is found.
Bless sojourners and pilgrims
who share this winding way;
your hope burns through the terrors,
your love sustains the day.
We yearn for holy freedom
while often we are bound;
together we are seeking
the road where faith is found.
Divine eternal lover,
you meet us on the road.
We wait for land of promise
where milk and honey flow,
but waiting not for places,
you meet us all around.
Our covenant is written
on roads, as faith is found.
GREETING
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
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above,
and for our salvation,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
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.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house,
and for all who offer here their worship and praise,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
Lord God, our strength, the struggle between good and evil rages within and around us, and the devil and all the forces that defy you tempt us with empty promises. Keep us steadfast in your word, and when we fall, raise us again and restore us through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
+ WORD +
FIRST READING: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Human beings were formed with great care, to be in relationship with the creator, creation, and one another. The serpent’s promise to the first couple that their eyes would be opened led, ironically, to the discovery only that they were naked.
2:15The Lord GOD took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16And the Lord GOD commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."
3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" 4But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 32 (read responsively by full verse)
1Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven,
and whose sin is put away!
2Blessed are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt,
and in whose spirit there is no guile!
3While I held my tongue, my bones withered away,
because of my groaning all day long.
4For your hand was heavy upon me day and night;
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
5Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” Then you forgave
me the guilt of my sin.
6Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble;
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
7You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
8“I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go;
I will guide you with my eye.
9Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding;
who must be fitted with bit and bridle, or else they will not stay near you.”
10Great are the tribulations of the wicked;
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
11Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord;
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.
SECOND READING: Romans 5:12-19
Through Adam’s disobedience, humanity came under bondage to sin and death, from which we cannot free ourselves. In Christ’s obedient death, God graciously showers on us the free gift of liberation and life.
12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned — 13sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. 16And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17If, because of the one man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Word of God, Come Down on Earth
ELW 510 (vs 1)
Word of God, come down on earth,
living rain from heav'n descending;
touch our hearts and bring to birth
faith and hope and love unending.
Word almighty, we revere you;
Word made flesh, we long to hear you.
GOSPEL: Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus experiences anew the temptations that Israel faced in the wilderness. As the Son of God, he endures the testing of the evil one.
The holy gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.3The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4But he answered, "It is written,
'One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,6saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
'He will command his angels concerning you,'
and 'On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
7Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor;9and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
'Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.'"
11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
ELW 325
I want Jesus to walk with me;
I want Jesus to walk with me;
all along my pilgrim journey,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
in my trials, Lord, walk with me;
when my heart is almost breaking,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
When I'm in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when I'm in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when my head is bowed in sorrow,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
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,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
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,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who 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.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Hear Our Prayer
ELW 178
Hear our prayer, hear our prayer,
Lord, make us whole:
peace to all people, hope for each soul.
God of grace, in this place,
hear now our prayer.
Sustained by God’s abundant mercy, let us pray for the church, the world, and all of creation.
A brief silence.
You alone are God. Sustain your church in times of wilderness. Give vision and wisdom to bishops, their staff, and all entrusted with the ministry of administration. Counsel all who faithfully lead your people into the future. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
You create verdant gardens and expansive deserts. Tend to the needs of every living creature. Bless those who work in fields and orchards, that the world is nourished by the fruits of their labor. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
You know our temptations. Sustain those who govern and legislate. Instill in them a sense of your justice and righteousness, that equity and peace would pervade all the regions and nations of the world. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
You are a hiding place for all in distress. Draw near to exiles, and accompany all refugees and immigrants, especially children who travel alone. In times of trouble, trauma, illness, and addiction surround your people with your steadfast love, particularly Arlene, Tim, Mabel, Mike, Anna Mae, Julie, Carole G., Carol, Anne, Lydia, Paul, Wil, John, Betty, Scott, Ron, Flo, Doris, Dottie, Theresa, Marian P., Ian, Tim, Julie, Ruth, Ed, Henry, Mary, Greg, and Max. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
You offer abundance to all. Bless the ministries of hospitality in this place. Care for those who tend to the needs of others, especially worship greeters, coffee hour hosts, and nursery attendants. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Other petitions may be offered.
You alone are God. We praise you for the faithful departed in every age. Unite our prayers with theirs, until our wilderness journey is complete, and we rest in you. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
We lift our prayers to you, O God, trusting in your steadfast love and your promise to renew your whole creation; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.
EXCHANGE OF PEACE
Peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
We prepare now to receive our offerings as we return to God a portion of what God has entrusted to us.
+ MEAL +
OFFERING
You may place your offerings in the offering plate as it is passed during the service. Alternatively, some are using Tithe.ly for online giving or are using their bank’s online banking option. Whichever way you choose to give, we are grateful for your stewardship and generosity.
MUSIC DURING OFFERING
OFFERING SONG
Create in Me a Clean Heart
ELW 188
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with your free Spirit.
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
HOLY COMMUNION
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
DIALOGUE
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 our thanks and praise.
PREFACE
Praise and thanks are yours, Lord God, because you remain faithful through our unfaith and constant amid our failure. Adam and Eve could see only scarcity, but you continue to offer us abundance. Though sin came into the world and poisoned your good creation, you nonetheless called the children of Abraham to be your companions, and in Jesus you faced the cost of our sin and received its poison in your own body, transforming death into life. And so we give you humble thanks for your forgiveness and our new life, with angels and archangels and company of heaven, singing your unending praise.
SANCTUS
Holy, Holy, Holy
ELW 192
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, hosanna in the highest.
THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
Righteous God, in Jesus you were tempted to make stones into bread – but instead in him you make us living stones and you make bread become his body.
Send down your Holy Spirit, that we may be transformed into your body for the life of your world, and this bread and this cup may become for us our strength and stay, the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ; who, at supper with his disciples, took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to them, saying, “Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Great is the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Justifying God, in your patience you see the hunger of your children: send upon us your Word that in your living bread we may never be hungry again.
In your mercy you know your people’s craving for drama and miracle: raise up among us witnesses to the triumphs of your grace, that we may see you face to face.
In your glory you hear your fragile world’s cries for justice: shape in us the habits of faithfulness, the disciplines of holiness, and the practices of peace, that we may find your justice as we walk with your Son on the way of the cross, until that day when you surprise us in the joy of resurrection, one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, full of grace and truth. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
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.
DISTRIBUTION
This holy meal is for all the baptized children of God. We commune at the altar rail. The ushers will direct you down the center aisle. Please go to an open spot at the altar rail. After you have received the host, the first chalice is for intinction and the second chalice is for drinking. A third chalice of grape juice is also offered. Please let the Pastor know if you wish to receive gluten-free wafers. You may wish to remain at the rail for a time of personal prayer following which you may return to your pew down the side aisle.
LAMB OF GOD
O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
grant us peace, grant us peace.
HYMNS DURING COMMUNION
By Your Hand You Feed Your People
ELW 469
By your hand you feed your people,
food of angels, heaven's bread.
For these gifts we did not labor,
by your grace have we been fed:
Refrain
Christ's own body, blessed and broken,
cup o'er flowing, life outpoured,
given as a living token
of your world redeemed, restored.
In this meal we taste your sweetness,
bread for hunger, wine of peace.
Holy word and holy wisdom
satisfy our deepest needs. Refrain
Send us now with faith and courage
to the hungry, lost, bereaved.
In our living and our dying,
we become what we receive: Refrain
BLESSING AFTER COMMUNION
And now may the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ preserve us on to life everlasting.
Amen.
Now, Lord
ELW page 113
Now, Lord, 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 all 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.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
+ SENDING +
SENDING HYMN
Praise and Thanks and Adoration
ELW 783
Praise and thanks and adoration,
Son of God, to you we give,
for you chose to serve creation,
died that sinners all might live.
Dear Lord Jesus, guide my way;
faithful let me day by day
follow where your steps are leading,
find adventure, joys exceeding!
Hold me ever in your keeping,
comfort me in pain and strife;
through my laughter and my weeping,
lift me to a nobler life.
Draw my fervent love to you;
constant hope and faith renew
in your birth, your life and passion,
in your death and resurrection.
BENEDICTION
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Follow the way of Jesus.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Liturgical Text and Music from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, © 2006, 2020, 2022 Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License #SAS016761. All rights reserved.
Bless Now, O God, the Journey, Text: Sylvia G. Dunstan, 1955-1993, Text © 1991 GIA Publications, Inc., Text reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. Music: Welsh tune, 19th cent. Public domain.
Word of God, Come Down on Earth, Text: James Quinn, SJ, b. 1919. Text © James Quinn, SJ, admin. Selah Publishing Co., Inc., Text reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. Music: Johann R. Ahle, 1625-1673. Public domain.
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me, Text: African American spiritual. Public domain. Music: Aftrican American spiritual, arr. hymnal version. Arr. © Augsburg Fortress. Music reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
Hear Our Prayer, Text and music: Paul Andress, b. 1956. Text and music © 2006 Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
Create in Me a Clean Heart, Music: J. A. Freylinghausen, 1670-1739. Public domain.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Music: A Community Mass, Richard Proulx, b. 1937. Music © 1971, 1977 GIA Publications, Inc. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
By Your Hand You Feed Your People, Text: Susan R. Briehl, b. 1952, Music: Marty Haugen, b. 1950. Text and music © 2002 GIA Publications, Inc., Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under CCLI License # 2241477. All rights reserved.
Praise and Thanks and Adoration, Text: Thomas H. Kingo, 1634-1703; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship, Text © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Text reprinted and/or streamed with permission under CCLI License # 2241477. All rights reserved. Music: Trente quatre pseaumes de David, Geneva, 1551. Public domain.
