Opening Hymn
Opening Sentence & Prayer
Bless God, who forgives all our sins.
God’s mercy endures through everything.
God of growth and transformation, you promise us abundant new life. Teach us to welcome the discomfort and challenge of growth as part of the meaning of picking up our cross to follow you. Help us to carry our share of the world’s burden so all may know your liberating love. Amen.
(Silent Reflection)
Kyrie
Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and one another, that we may turn towards God and begin our effort towards repentance.
Holy God, have mercy on us and forgive us. We have set our customs above your law and have placed our faith in authorities other than you. We have insisted on our own comfort to the neglect and indifference of our neighbors. We have acted to preserve our own self-interest in the face of suffering. We have lacked creativity and compassion when envisioning solutions to the challenges many of your children face.
We are sorry. We humbly repent. Grant us the gift of hearts that grieve injustice, hatred, and fear. Make us steadfast in faith and give us the courage to follow you. Amen.
Hear the promise of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that aren’t yet here: we are saved by faith and our sin is forgiven. Through God’s love and mercy, we have been set free from sin. Now, with renewed hearts, let us serve others and honor the world God made, knowing the good news we have received is for all people. Amen.
Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Ministry of the Word
Genesis 2
A reading from the book of Genesis
God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.
God commanded the Man, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”
The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”
The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 32
Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—
you get a fresh start,
your slate’s wiped clean.
Count yourself lucky—
God holds nothing against you
and you’re holding nothing back from him.
When I kept it all inside,
my bones turned to powder,
my words became daylong groans.
The pressure never let up;
all the juices of my life dried up.
Then I let it all out;
I said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God.”
Suddenly the pressure was gone—
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.
These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
we’ll be on high ground, untouched.
God’s my island hideaway,
keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.
Let me give you some good advice;
I’m looking you in the eye
and giving it to you straight:
“Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule
that needs bit and bridle
to stay on track.”
God-defiers are always in trouble;
God-affirmers find themselves loved
every time they turn around.
Celebrate God.
Sing together—everyone!
All you honest hearts, raise the roof!
Romans 5: 12-19
You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn’t sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it.
Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man’s sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God’s gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There’s no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. If death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, absolute life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?
Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Matthew 4: 1-11
Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.”
Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.”
Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.”
For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”
Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”
The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Sermon
The Prayers
A Contemporary Creed
We believe in one God, the Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
Source of all life and all love.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
Fully God, fully human,
Savior of the world,
The risen Ruler of all realms.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The very breath and power of God,
Sustainer of our life in Christ.
We believe in the church, Christ’s body,
God’s family for the spiritually homeless,
Called to be Love and Light,
To pursue justice and show mercy,
To proclaim the Good News of Christ,
To work for the common good of humanity.
Amen.
Prayers of the People
At this time of great crisis for so many of your children and for our precious planet, we come to you God, imploring your help and inspiration.
In Lent, we remember how Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to pray. We pray that during this Lent we, too, take the time to look into our own values and our relationship with God.
We pray to you, God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We are all tempted to do wrong from time to time. We pray that we, like Jesus, have the strength to resist temptation and to do what is right.
We pray to you, God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Almighty God, Loving Father, we pray for the people of Ukraine and others afflicted by violence, for those suffering or afraid, for the wounded and the refugee. Be close to them and protect them.
We pray to you, God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for world leaders, that compassion, strength and wisdom guide them in their decision making.
We pray to you, God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the better-off nations of the world, that in this and every moment of need, they may reach out in solidarity to their brothers and sisters.
We pray to you, God.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for this beautiful Earth, that an unstoppable movement arise in a spirit of determination to protect it.
We pray to you, God.
Lord hear our prayer.
We bow our heads, close our eyes, and remember our own personal intentions, for those who have asked for our prayers, for those sick or suffering, for those on the prayer list, and for those that we now name silently or aloud. (Silence)
We pray to you, God.
Lord hear our prayer.
We remember those who have died – those whom we love, all those we do not know but who are precious in God’s sight, and those that we now name silently or aloud. (Silence)
We pray to you, God.
Lord hear our prayer.
We pray, Lord, that these our prayers, joined with those of people around the world, help guide those waging war on people and planet alike bring an end to this meaningless destruction and restore peace.
We make these prayers through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
The Peace
Announcements
The Holy Communion
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
During the Offertory, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
Doxology
(Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748), para. of Psalm 117; Music: Old 100th, melody from Pseaumes octante trois de David, 1551, alt.; harm. after Louis Bourgeois (1510?-1561?); Licensed for Use: CCLI Copyright License 20716203; CCLI Streaming License 20716210
The Great Thanksgiving
God is here
All is not lost
May our hearts be open
And able to receive
Let us give thanks for grace unending
That our world might one day be restored
We lift up our praise to you, Holy God, who has promised to restore balance and love on this beautiful Earth. God, who sent your son Jesus Christ to call for repentance from sin and proclaim freedom to the oppressed, in these forty days lead us into the desert of temptation. As Christ rejected The Deceiver while in the desert, call us to reject the demons of our time. Help us grow in wisdom and compassion that we may be the Body of Christ made whole once again. When we hide in our own comfort, challenge us. When we hoard power, humble us. When we see only one way, open before us new paths leading towards peace. As we prepare for the Easter feast, let us be joyful that you have prepared a seat for your whole human family and for all Creation at your table, calling us to join with angels and saints of every race and culture, praising you and saying:
Holy, holy, holy God. God of power, God of might. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. We praise you in the highest. Blessed are those who walk in the way of our God. We praise you in the highest.
God, our creator, you gave your only child to model for us the giving up of earthly power and love of neighbor, even giving up life and breath in the name of love.
We remember now that on the night he was betrayed, our Savior took bread, and gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples saying “Take; eat; this is my body given over to you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper, he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he shared freely, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
With this bread, strengthen us for the Lenten journey of self-reflection and change.
With this wine, fill us with the fire to follow your call to turn away from our impulses and pick up our cross, the struggles must face.
Knowing Jesus came to proclaim Good News to the poor and to free the oppressed, surrendering life for our salvation, we remember Jesus’ sacrificial passion. We proclaim his resurrection and the defeat of death. We live into the hope that he will return to restore our divided and unbalanced world.
Through, with, and in Jesus, unified in the Holy Spirit, our gratitude and praise are yours, O God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, in the words that Jesus taught us, we pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kindgom 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.
Breaking of the Bread
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast.
These are the gifts of God for you, the people of God.
The congregation receives communion.
Prayer after Communion
Holy God, through your death, we are fed with the bread of life. Thank you.
Let us follow your way to the cross, to be for others a sign of your compassion and life. And as you have fed us, let us go out to be part of feeding the world. Amen.
Blessing
May the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of Life, be upon you now and always. Amen.
Closing Hymn
Dismissal
Credits
Disrupt Worship Project, adapted by Fletcher Harper https://www.disruptworshipproject.com/lent-2021-christ-have-mercy/
Contemporary Creed – https://brandonacox.com/modern-creed/Prayers of the People – https://acireland.ie/prayers-of-the-faithful-4-2-2/