Grace Lutheran Church Grace Lutheran Church
Grace Lutheran Church is live
Sunday Morning Worship 03 26 2023
Pam Smith
Pam Smith
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Notes
Playlist

ORDER OF WORSHIP
Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 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        

Restore in Us O God  
ELW 328

Restore in us, O God,
the splendor of your love;
renew your image in our hearts,
and all our sins remove.

O Spirit, wake in us
the wonder of your pow'r;
from fruitless fear unfurl our lives
like springtime bud and flow'r.

Bring us, O Christ, to share
the fullness of your joy;
baptize us in the risen life
that death cannot destroy.

Three-personed God, fulfill
the promise of your grace,
that we, when all our searching ends,
may see you face to face.

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.
Almighty God, your Son came into the world to free us all from sin and death. Breathe upon us the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life in Christ and serve you in righteousness all our days, through 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:      Ezekiel 37:1-14
Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones is a promise that Israel as a nation, though dead in exile, will live again in their land through God’s life-giving spirit. Three times Israel is assured that through this vision they will know that “I am the Lord.”

1The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 4Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."
7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD."

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Psalm 130  (read responsively by full verse)

 1Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
 2LORD, hear my voice!
 Let your ears be attentive
 to the voice of my supplications!
 3If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
 LORD, who could stand?
 4But there is forgiveness with you,
 so that you may be revered.
 5I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
 and in his word I hope;
 6my soul waits for the LORD
 more than those who watch for the morning,
 more than those who watch for the morning.
 7O Israel, hope in the LORD!
 For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
 and with him is great power to redeem.
 8It is he who will redeem Israel
 from all its iniquities.


SECOND READING:     Romans 8:6-11
For Paul, Christian spirituality entails living in the reality of the Holy Spirit. The driving force behind our actions and values is not our sinful desire for self-satisfaction but the very Spirit by which God raised Jesus from the dead and will also raise us from the dead.

6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law — indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

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:     John 11:1-45
Jesus is moved to sorrow when his friend Lazarus falls ill and dies. Then, in a dramatic scene, he calls his friend out of the tomb and restores him to life.

The holy gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.

1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" 9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." 11After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." 12The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." 23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
28When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 40Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

HYMN OF THE DAY    

O, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing 
ELW 886

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.

The name of Jesus charms our fears
and bids our sorrows cease,
sings music in the sinner's ears,
brings life and health and peace.

He speaks, and list'ning to his voice,
new life the dead receive;
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.

Look unto him, your Savior own,
O fallen human race!
Look and be saved through faith alone,
be justified by grace!

To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever giv'n
by saints below and saints above,
the church in earth and heav'n.

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 have breathed into us the breath of life. Enliven your church. Deepen our partnerships with our companion churches around the globe, and bless the work of missionaries who accompany them. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.

Your spirit brings life to creation. Enliven the natural world and restore ecosystems in need of healing. Uplift prophetic voices that turn us to the needs of the soil beneath our feet and the air all around. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.

You redeem the world and its peoples. Free us from systems of oppression. Unbind nations and societies from the sins of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Raise up leaders at all levels of government who work to promote the dignity of every human life. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.

You weep when we weep. Be present with those who grieve or who are troubled by illness and addiction, particularly Arlene, Tim, Mabel, Mike, Anna Mae, Julie, Carol G., Carol, Anne, Lydia, Paul, Wil, Betty, Scott, Ron, Flo, Doris, Dottie, Theresa, Marian P., Ian, Tim, Julie, Ed, Henry, Mary, Greg, and Max.  You hear us when we call to you. Deliver us from the depths of our despair, and free us from the worries that bind us. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.

Your Spirit of life dwells in our assembly. Bless the music ministries of this congregation and all who lead us in hymns of praise and thanksgiving and in songs of lament and prayer. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.

     Other petitions may be offered.

You are the resurrection and the life. Even though we die, we will live. With thanksgiving, we remember all your saints who now live in your eternal love. 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.

MUSICAL 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    

Living God, you created all things out of nothing; you called a people out of the desert; you sent your Son to us when we were hard-hearted and far from your grace; and you send your Holy Spirit to us today despite our foolishness and forgetfulness. Through your servant Moses you drew water out of the rock, and in your Son Jesus you brought living water that we might never be thirsty again.  Out of your Son’s pierced side on the cross flowed water and blood and in the glory of his resurrection we are baptized into wondrous forgiveness and everlasting life with you.  And so we gladly thank you, with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, singing the hymn of 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 

Overflowing God, in you we discover that all our striving and thirsting are truly a striving and thirsting for you, and in all our desert wanderings we find that only you can satisfy. 

Come among us in the power of your Holy Spirit, that your people may taste your living water, and that these gifts of bread and wine may become for us 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.

Cleansing God, bring the healing power of your living water to visit all who labor with disease today.  Pour the refreshment of your living water to invigorate all who are weary.  Send the momentum of your living water to roll down justice like a never-failing stream.  Make us, your church, a fountain of your living water, until the day when hunger and thirst are no more, and we live your life abundant with the communion of saints, and you are all in all, in the presence and companionship of your Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ever one God.  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

What Wondrous Love 
ELW 666

What wondrous love is this, 
O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse 
for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?

When I was sinking down, 
sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down
beneath God's righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown 
for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb 
I will sing, I will sing;
to God and to the Lamb I will sing;
to God and to the Lamb,
who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme, 
I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I'm free, 
I'll sing on, I'll sing on;
and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on;
and when from death I'm free, 
I'll sing God's love for me,
and through eternity 
I'll sing on, I'll sing on;
and through eternity I'll sing on.

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      

The Glory of These Forty Days 
ELW 320

The glory of these forty days
we celebrate with songs of praise;
for Christ, through whom all things were made,
himself has fasted and has prayed.

Alone and fasting Moses saw
the loving God who gave the law;
and to Elijah, fasting, came
the steeds and chariots of flame.

So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
delivered from the lions' might;
and John, the Bridegroom's friend, became
the herald of Messiah's name.

Then grant, O God, that we may, too,
return in fast and prayer to you.
Our spirits strengthen with your grace,
and give us joy to see your face.

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.

Restore in Us O God , Text: Carl P. Daw Jr., b. 1944, Text © 1989 Hope Publishing Company. Music: Hal Hopson, b. 1933. Music © 1985 Hope Publishing Company  Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274.  All rights reserved.

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.

O, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, alt.. Music: Carl G. Gläser, 1784-1829; arr. Lowell Mason, 1792-1872.  Public domain.

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.   

What Wondrous Love, Text: North American folk hymn, 19th cent., alt., Music: W. Walker, Southern Harmony, 1835; arr. Paul J. Christiansen, 1914-1997, alt.  Arr. © 1955 Augsburg Publishing House. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274.  All rights reserved.  

The Glory of These Forty Days, Text: Latin hymn, 11th cent.; tr. Maurice F. Bell, 1862-1947, alt. Music: J. Klug, Geistliche Lieder, 1543. Public domain.