This bulletin includes the order of service for the Season of Lent. The items in bold italics are intended for audience response.
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, greed, hatred, and fear. Make us steadfast in faith and give us the courage to follow you, carrying our cross. Amen.
Hear the promise of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist: you are saved by faith and your sin is forgiven. Through God’s love, mercy, and justice, and by God’s choosing, you 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.
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Ministry of the Word
Old Testament
Numbers 21:4-9
A reading from the book of Numbers
4-5 They set out from Mount Hor along the Red Sea Road, a detour around the land of Edom. The people became irritable and cross as they traveled. They spoke out against God and Moses: “Why did you drag us out of Egypt to die in this godforsaken country? No decent food; no water—we can’t stomach this stuff any longer.”
6-7 So God sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit them and many in Israel died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke out against God and you. Pray to God; ask him to take these snakes from us.”
Moses prayed for the people.
8 God said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.”
9 So Moses made a snake of fiery copper and put it on top of a flagpole. Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the copper snake lived.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm
We follow the responsive recitation method for the Psalm, where the leader alternates verses with the congregation. The items in bold italics are intended for audience response.
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
1-3 Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
Tell how he freed you from oppression,
Then rounded you up from all over the place,
from the four winds, from the seven seas.
17-22 Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!
Epistle
Ephesians 2:1-10
A reading from Paul’s second letter to the Ephesians
1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gospel
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
John 3:14-21
13-15 “No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.
16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
19-21 “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ.
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 King of kings.
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 the Lord.
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 the Lord.
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 the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for world leaders, that compassion, strength and wisdom guide them in their decision making. We pray to the Lord.
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 the Lord.
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 the Lord.
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 that we now name silently or aloud. (Silence) We pray to the Lord.
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 the Lord.
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
Representatives of the congregation bring the people’s offerings of bread and wine, and money or other gifts, to the deacon or celebrant. The people stand while the offerings are presented and placed on the Altar.
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 of justice, who has promised to restore the beautiful Earth in which power is returned to those to whom it has been denied. 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 accountability. As Christ rejected The Deceiver while in the desert, call us to reject the demons of our time, cleansing the spirits of individualism and defensiveness, perfectionism and fear. 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 rooted in equity. 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, giver of gospel and law, heaven and earth reflect your beautiful diversity.
We adore you God. Blessed is the Savior who comes to bring the Holy Advocate into our world.
We adore you God.
God, our creator, you gave your only child to model for us the giving up of earthly power, radical love of neighbor, and sharing of all possessions, even giving up life and breath in the name of love.
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, repentance, and Atonement.
With this wine, fill us with the fire to follow your call to deny ourselves and pick up our cross, the struggles we ourselves 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.
Send now, we pray, the breath of Your Wisdom to permeate these gifts of bread and wine, that we may take into ourselves the Holy Spirit who is truth and conviction.
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. Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, 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.
(AT THE COMMUNION: We encounter the Real Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this Sacrament of Holy Communion. All who desire a closer relationship with God are encouraged to come forward: for a Blessing or, if you are baptized, for the Bread and Wine.)
Prayer after Communion
Holy God, through your death, we are fed with the bread of life. Let us follow your way to the cross, to be for others a sign of your compassion and life. As you have fed us, let us go out to be part of feeding the world. Amen.
Blessing
May God lead you to openness that grants understanding. May God guide you to accountability that begins restoration. May God inspire you to transforming love that celebrates all people and all creation.
Closing Hymn
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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/