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A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER

Even Here: Even in Death
March 18, 2021

Jesus knew that the time was coming. He tells the disciples that a seed must fall to the earth before new life can spring forth. In what ways have you seen new life spring forth from change, or even from death?

Prelude     

     Now the Green Blade Rises  (vs 1, 4)     ELW 379

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
love lives again, that with the dead has been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
your touch can call us back to life again,
fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

Welcome

Dialogue

Each day is a gift from God,
each moment is that opportunity to reach out
in service to all creation.
Each day is a reminder of the new covenant:
not written on stone tablets easily broken,
but inscribed on our hearts filled with joy and hope.
Each day we draw closer to God:
who has forgotten more than we ever learn;
who has forgiven us more than we ever acknowledge.
     ~ written by Thom Shuman, and posted on his Lectionary Liturgies blog. 

Confession and Forgiveness 

Holy and gracious God,
I confess that I have sinned against you this day.  Some of my sin I know – the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed – but some is known only to you.In the name of Jesus Christ I ask forgiveness.  Deliver and restore me, that I may rest in peace. 

By the mercy of God we are united with Jesus Christ, in whom we are forgiven.           

We rest now in the peace of Christ and rise in the morning to serve.

Collect

O God who invites us to lose everything so that we might gain eternity;s
We gather as people on a journey.
We believe & we have doubts,
we do good & we sin.
We are imperfect humans,
and still, we are beloved by you.
We seek forgiveness & grace from
You, and from those we’ve harmed.
Assured of that grace,
we are ready to grow again.
We yearn for a new way,
a new perspective,
and a clear path.
Though we are full of trust
and full of doubt, we are here.
Speak to us, God!
Continue creating us!
Inspire our hearts.
Enlighten our minds.
Guide our actions. Amen.
     ~ Adapted by KPH. written by Tim Graves and posted on LiturgyBits. https://liturgybits.wordpress.com

Psalm 51

 ¹Have mercy on me, O God,
 according to your steadfast love;
 according to your abundant mercy
 blot out my transgressions.
 ²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
 and cleanse me from my sin.
 ³For I know my transgressions,
 and my sin is ever before me.
 ⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
 and done what is evil in your sight,
 so that you are justified in your sentence
 and blameless when you pass judgment.
 ⁵Indeed, I was born guilty,
 a sinner when my mother conceived me.
 ⁶You desire truth in the inward being;
 therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
 ⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
 wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 ⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
 let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
 ⁹Hide your face from my sins,
 and blot out all my iniquities.
 ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,
 and put a new and right spirit within me.
 ¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence,
 and do not take your holy spirit from me.
 ¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
 and sustain in me a willing spirit.
 ¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
 and sinners will return to you.
 ¹⁴Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
 O God of my salvation,
 and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
 ¹⁵O LORD, open my lips,
 and my mouth will declare your praise.
 ¹⁶For you have no delight in sacrifice;
 if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
 ¹⁷The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
 a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
 ¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
 rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
 ¹⁹then you will delight in right sacrifices,
 in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
 then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.

Psalm 119:1-16

 ¹Happy are those whose way is blameless,
 who walk in the law of the LORD.
 ²Happy are those who keep his decrees,
 who seek him with their whole heart,
 ³who also do no wrong,
 but walk in his ways.
 ⁴You have commanded your precepts
 to be kept diligently.
 ⁵O that my ways may be steadfast
 in keeping your statutes!
 ⁶Then I shall not be put to shame,
 having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
 ⁷I will praise you with an upright heart,
 when I learn your righteous ordinances.
 ⁸I will observe your statutes;
 do not utterly forsake me.
 ⁹How can young people keep their way pure?
 By guarding it according to your word.
 ¹⁰With my whole heart I seek you;
 do not let me stray from your commandments.
 ¹¹I treasure your word in my heart,
 so that I may not sin against you.
 ¹²Blessed are you, O LORD;
 teach me your statutes.
 ¹³With my lips I declare
 all the ordinances of your mouth.
 ¹⁴I delight in the way of your decrees
 as much as in all riches.
 ¹⁵I will meditate on your precepts,
 and fix my eyes on your ways.
 ¹⁶I will delight in your statutes;
 I will not forget your word.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.

Reading    John 12:20-33

²⁰Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." ²²Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
²⁷Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." ²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." ³⁰Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Reflection

Response

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.

Offering Prayer

Faithful God, you walk beside us in desert places, and you meet us in our hunger with. abundant provision from your gracious hand. Accompany us in this journey that we may pass over from death to life, through Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Contemporary Reading:       “Right Here” by Dane Anthony
Stop moving. Stand in
one place – this place.
Breathe slowly; in, then out. Repeat.
Repeat again. Let your
shoulders sink and relax. Unclench
your jaw; slowly close your eyes.
Listen for your heartbeat; really
listen. Feel it pulse in
your fingertips.
Lessen expectations. Under-do all your
efforts. Requisition the time
for your soul
to catch up. Lean
into the wind; feel it
like a tree and test the ground.
Learn to trust the resilience.
It would be treason
to move quickly – left or right –
from this place. It is alright to be exactly
what you are, who you are, where you are.
Right here, right now.

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
    creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
    who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
        born of the virgin Mary,
        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,
        he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
        and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
    the holy catholic church,
    the communion of saints,
    the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body,
    and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

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.

For the health of the creation, for abundant harvest that all may share, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For public servants, the government, and those who protect us; for those who work to bring peace, justice, healing, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy

For those who are sick and suffering, particularly  particularly Alena, Jenna, Petra, Marilyn, Jerod & Julia, Nick, Julie, Jean, Fritz, Marcella, Michael, Jack, Anne, JoAnn, Sandy, Beth, Johnny, Allen, Betty, Dione, Theresa, Earl, Dottie, Tim, Henry, Mary, Greg, Ann Joyce, Barbara, & Shelby, and for those who are in captivity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For deliverance in the time of affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy

For all servants of the church, for this assembly, and for all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

Giving thanks for all who have gone before us and are at rest, rejoicing in the communion of all the saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to you, through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.

It is too easy, God
for faith to become an escape
 —a way to avoid the pain of being human and alive;
or a path to success
 —a way to persuade the universe to give us the things we want;
or a system of control
 —a way to bend others to our will
But the faith you offer is different, Jesus,
   more dangerous and compelling;
It's the faith that carries the cross,
   that embraces death
      and lays itself down for the sake of others;
It's the only faith that can lead us to resurrection
   to life renewed and overflowing.
We praise you for this faith, God,
   and open our hearts to receive it.
     — written by John van de Laar, from his Sacredise website.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name,
    your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
        on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
    as we forgive those
        who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
    and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
    and the glory are yours,
    now and forever. Amen

Charge & Benediction

May our healing God be with you today and in all your tomorrows.
May we feel God’s presence as we travel this journey.
May your gestures of kindness be well-received by those on your path.
May our anxieties be stilled.
May your aloneness be. Sacrificial gift to others.
May our grief be heard.
Even here
Even here.

May the love of God abide
Within your home
And within the hearts
Of all who dwell inside.
God be with you until we meet again.

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Postlude     

     My Faith Looks Up to Thee    (vs. 1-3)   ELW 759

My faith looks up to thee,
thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
take all my guilt away,
oh, let me from this day
be wholly thine!

May thy rich grace impart
strength to my fainting heart,
my zeal inspire;
as thou hast died for me,
oh, may my love to thee
pure, warm, and changeless be,
a living fire!

While life's dark maze I tread
and griefs around me spread,
be thou my guide;
bid darkness turn to day,
wipe sorrow's tears away,
nor let me ever stray
from thee aside.

Now the Green Blade Rises  Text: John MacLeod Campbell Crum, 1872-1958, Text from Oxford Book of Carols © Oxford University Press 1928.  Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274.  All rights reserved. Music:  French carol, Public Domain.

My Faith Looks Up to Thee  Text: Ray Palmer, 1808-1887  Music: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872.  Public Domain.