The livestream may be found here.
The color purple, used for the vestments and paraments in Lent,
symbolizes somberness and solemnity. Crosses and images of our Lord and the
saints are veiled with purple cloth during Lent.
FIRST READING: The book of Isaiah tells us what God is about to do in
the time of the Babylonian exile (550 years before Christ’s life on earth). He
is about to create a way for the Jews to return to their ancestral home, the
land of Judah, and the capital, Jerusalem. The feeling of anticipation at the
imminent action of God reflected in the reading is no doubt the reason for this
lesson being used at this point in the Church year. We await the annual celebration
of God’s greatest saving act: in Jesus’ death and resurrection he makes a way of
salvation for all people.
SECOND READING: Paul points to his own experience: he is a ‘member of
the people of Israel,’ and blameless according to the Law, but he trusts alone
in Christ for salvation, believing his keeping of the law to be of no value for
salvation. If he, who observes Torah zealously, has this opinion, the (Gentile)
Philippians should not be misled by others into believing that Torah observance is necessary for them. For
both Jews and Gentiles, it is faith which receives the promise of God through
the death and resurrection of Christ.
GOSPEL: Judas is introduced as a sinister
character. He criticizes Mary’s extravagant offering, but is motivated not by
concern for the poor, but by greed. We are reminded of those who blaspheme
Christ by arrogating the gifts of the Church to the poor for their own benefit.
Mary’s anointing is received by Jesus in the way it is
intended, as a sign of love and devotion. He also interprets it as a foreshadowing
of his coming suffering and death. This Mary is the sister of Martha and
Lazarus, the one who sat at his feet to be taught (Luke 10:38-42). Mary, out of
love for Jesus, seems always to be ‘intruding’ in what was thought to be, at
the time, space reserved only for men. Jesus also receives these supposed
indiscretions as most appropriate signs of devotion.
OPENING MUSIC Jesus,
Thy Boundless Love to Me - Robert J. Powell
We
Sing the Praise of Him Who Died - Carl Schalk
CONFESSION
(Although God’s forgiveness of sins
is available to Christians at all times, it is not announced in public worship
during the season of Lent, as a reminder that the entire season of Lent is one
of repentance. Lent concludes and the Great Three Days begin with the
pronouncement of forgiveness on Maundy Thursday.)
Stand
In
the name of the Father, and of the X Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.
Amen
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
O my God, in you I trust.
You are the God of my salvation;
To you, O Lord, I
lift up my soul.
In you I hope all the day long.
O my God, in you I trust.
Remember, Lord, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
O my God, in you I trust.
Let us confess our sins in the presence of God and of one
another.
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of
heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought,
word, and deed by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault; wherefore
I pray God Almighty to have mercy on me, forgive me all my sins, and bring me
to everlasting life. Amen
The almighty and
merciful Lord grant you pardon, forgiveness,
and remission of all your
sins. Amen
I confess to God Almighty, before the whole
company of heaven,
and to you, my brothers
and sisters, that I have sinned in thought,
word, and deed by my
fault, by my own fault, by my own most
grievous fault; wherefore
I pray God Almighty to have mercy on
me, forgive me all my
sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen
The almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, forgiveness,
and remission of all your sins. Amen
WHYMN We Sing the Praise of Him Who Died Green LBW 344
1 We
sing the praise of him who died,
of
him who died upon the cross.
The
sinner’s hope let all deride;
for
this we count the world but loss.
2 Inscribed
upon the cross we see
in
shining letters, “God is love.”
He
bears our sins upon the tree;
he
brings us mercy from above.
3 The
cross! It takes our guilt away;
it
holds the fainting spirit up;
it
cheers with hope the gloomy day
and
sweetens ev’ry bitter cup.
4 It
makes the coward spirit brave
and
nerves the feeble arm for fight;
it
takes the terror from the grave
and
gilds the bed of death with light;
5 The
balm of life, the cure of woe,
the
measure and the pledge of love,
the
sinner’s refuge here below,
the
angels’ theme in heav’n above.
Text: Thomas Kelly, 1769-1855
APOSTOLIC 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
ELEISON
Your Heart, O God, Is Grieved Green LBW 96
PRAYER OF
THE DAY
Almighty God, our redeemer,
in our weakness we have failed to be
your messengers of forgiveness and hope in the
world.
Renew us by your Holy Spirit,
that we may follow your commands
and proclaim your reign of love;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
The Lord
has done great things for us,
and we
are glad indeed.
Let
us hear the Word of the Lord. Psalm 126:4
Sit
FIRST READING Isaiah
43:16-21
16Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
19I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
20The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
21the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my
praise.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 126
1 When the Lord restored the for- | tunes of Zion,*
then
were we like | those who dream.
2 Then was our mouth | filled with laughter,*
and
our tongue with | shouts of joy.
3 Then they said a- | mong the nations,*
"The
Lord has done great | things for
them."
4 The Lord
has done great | things for us,*
and
we are | glad indeed.
5 Restore our for- | tunes, O Lord,*
like
the watercourses | of the Negev.
6 Those who | sowed with tears*
will
reap with | songs of joy.
7 Those who go out weeping, carry- | ing the seed,*
will
come again with joy, shoulder- | ing their sheaves. R
SECOND READING Philippians
3:4b-14
[Paul writes:] 4bIf
anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised
on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a
persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss
because of Christ. 8More than that, I regard everything as loss
because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I
have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order
that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through
faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10I want
to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his
sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11if somehow I may
attain the resurrection from the dead.
12Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached
the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me
his own. 13Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own;
but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to
what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Stand
VERSE Mark
10:45 Setting
by John W. Becker
The Son of Man came not to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
The Holy Gospel according to St. John.
1Six days before the Passover Jesus
came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There
they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the
table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure
nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled
with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his
disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was
this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the
poor?” 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because
he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into
it.) 7Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might
keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with
you, but you do not always have me.”
The Gospel
of the Lord.
Sit
Sermon Pastor Frontz
W Hymn of the DaY
Jesus,
Thy Boundless Love to Me Green
LBW 336
1 Jesus,
thy boundless love to me
no
thought can reach, no tongue declare;
unite
my thankful heart to thee,
and
reign without a rival there!
Thine
wholly, thine alone, I am;
be
thou alone my constant flame.
2 Oh,
grant that nothing in my soul
may
dwell, but thy pure love alone;
oh,
may thy love possess me whole,
my
joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All
coldness from my heart remove;
my
ev’ry act, word, thought, be love.
3 This
love unwearied I pursue
and
dauntlessly to thee aspire.
Oh,
may thy love my hope renew,
burn
in my soul like heav’nly fire!
And
day and night, be all my care
to
guard this sacred treasure there.
4 In
suff’ring be thy love my peace,
in
weakness be thy love my pow’r;
and
when the storms of life shall cease,
O
Jesus, in that final hour,
be thou my rod and staff and guide
and draw me safely to thy side!
CONFESSION
OF FAITH
The pastor
and people confess the faith of the Church in the words of the Nicene Creed.
X At the words ‘For
us and for our salvation,’ and continuing through ‘and was made man,’ a solemn bow
is appropriate to praise the incarnation of our Lord.
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.
X For us and for our
salvation
he
came down from heaven;
by the power of the
Holy Spirit
he became
incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man. X
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.
With the Father and the Son he is
worshiped and glorified.
He 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
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ
Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.
Silence is kept.
Lord, have
mercy.
Restore your Church, O God, and bless our faith
family with mutual care and respect, with zeal for your Gospel and love for all
people. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Restore peace among the nations, and have mercy
upon all those afflicted by war, terror, scarcity, injustice, poverty of body,
mind, and spirit. Bless our leaders and guide all who hold responsibility for
others.
The pastor names the nations
and peoples in special need.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Restore the sick, comfort the grieving, and bless
the dying. Renew the faith of those who cannot find the way home to you. May
these for whom we pray and all those in any need see your goodness in the land
of the living.
The pastor reads the names of
those people for whom we have special concern.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have
mercy.
In our participation at your altar, empower us to
continue our forty-day journey to the cross. With all those who have believed your
promises, expecting the revelation of our Savior Jesus Christ, bring us to that
day when all your people rejoice in the new Jerusalem, in peace and at rest. Lord,
have mercy.
Lord, have
mercy.
The pastor concludes the prayers:
Into your hands, Father, we commend all for whom we
pray, trusting in your steadfast love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Peace
Since we are justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ,
who has given us access to this
grace in which we stand. Romans 5:1-2a
The peace of the Lord be with you
always.
And also with
you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Stand
OFFERTORY 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Setting by Kevin Norris
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from
the dead, descended from David.
If we have died with him, we shall
also live with him; if we endure,
we shall also reign with him. If we are faithless, he remains
faithful, for he
cannot deny himself.
We do not presume to come to your table, O Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy to gather up the
crumbs under your table.
But you are the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.
Grant us,
therefore, gracious Lord,
so to eat the
flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ,
and so to drink
his blood,
that we may
evermore dwell in him and he in us.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
It is
indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and
in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord,
holy Father,
through Christ our Lord.
He makes with us the new covenant,
calling us his own and bringing us from death to life;
and so we are moved to offer him the devotion of our hearts,
and to share in his
sufferings that we may also attain the resurrection from the dead.
And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their
unending hymn:
The pastor leads the people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
Blessed are you, O Lord our God.
You created us in your image;
and
in the mystery of your great love for us
you
sent your only Son, Jesus Christ,
born
of Mary by the power of the Spirit.
Led by that Spirit he was tempted as we are tempted;
He
proclaimed your forgiveness to sinners;
he
loved even his enemies.
Despised and rejected,
he
bore the alienation of the world
as
he stretched out his arms on the cross;
and
by this all-sufficient sacrifice
he
has drawn all people to himself,
giving
his life as a ransom for many.
As we gather in his name and celebrate his testament,
send
your Spirit upon us
and
upon these gifts of bread and wine,
that
they may be for us
the
very body and blood of your Son,
Christ
Jesus, redeemer of the world.
In the night in which He was
betrayed
our Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks,
broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my Body, given for
you.
Do this for the remembrance of
me.
Again, after supper, He took
the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my Blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness
of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God.
By your Son's life-giving passion and death,
and
by His resurrection and ascension into glory,
our
Lord Jesus continually intercedes for us
and
for all he has claimed as his own.
As we now share together
this
Bread of Life and this Cup of Salvation,
unite
us with all your faithful people
in
the forgiveness of sins,
and bring
us, at length, to that eternal celebration of life
at
the Lamb's high feast.
In the presence of Christ, we pray
to his Father using the words he gave us.
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the
Spirit,
we pray to his Father,
saying:
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 Matthew 6:9-15
Lord, come to us and cleanse us,
come to us and heal us,
come to us and strengthen us,
and
grant that, having received you,
we may never
be separated from you,
but continue yours forever.
We adore Christ, present in bread and wine.
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
They may receive the Lord’s Body and Blood who are baptized
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, who commune in
their home churches, and who believe that Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is
truly present in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine for the forgiveness
of sins, life, and salvation.
Please come forward, take a communion cup from the tray,
and kneel at the altar rail on your ‘side’ of the worship space. Please make an
effort to leave some distance between your family unit and the next family
unit. When your side has finished communing, please place your empty cup in the
tray provided.
WDISTRIBUTION HYMN
Sung by the Choir When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Text/
Isaac Watts; Music/ Edward Miller
setting by Alfred
V. Fedak
Rob Dawe, Clarinet
When all have received, the congregation
stands at the direction of the pastor.
The body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
WPOST-COMMUNION
HYMN
Strengthen
for Service, Lord Green LBW 218
The text may not be reproduced here.
O Lord, you have called us to be your witnesses.
Cleanse us from all unbelief and sloth
and fill us with hope and zeal,
that we
may do your work,
and bear
your cross,
and bide your
time,
and see
your glory.
BENEDICTION
Almighty God, Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen
WCLOSING HYMN
Christ,
the Life of All the Living Green LBW 97
1 Christ, the life of all the living,
Christ, the death of death, our foe,
Christ, yourself for me once giving
to the darkest depths of woe:
through your suff'ring, death, and merit
life eternal I inherit.
Thousand, thousand thanks are due,
dearest Jesus, unto you.
2 You have suffered great affliction
and have borne it patiently,
even death by crucifixion,
fully to atone for me;
for you chose to be tormented
that my doom should be prevented.
Thousand, thousand thanks are due,
dearest Jesus, unto you.
3 Then, for all that bought my pardon,
for the sorrows deep and sore,
for the anguish in the garden,
I will thank you evermore;
thank you for the groaning, sighing,
for the bleeding and the dying,
for that last triumphant cry,
praise you evermore on high.
Text:
Ernst Christoph Homburg, 1605-1681; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-1878, alt.
Go in
peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks
be to God!
HOLY WEEK WORSHIP TIMES
Maundy Thursday April
14, 7:00 PM
Good Friday April
15, 12:30 PM & 7:00 PM
Easter Vigil April
16, 6:30 PM
Easter Sunday April
17, 10:30 AM
EVENING PRAYER will be
held each Wednesday in Lent at 6:30 p.m. All are encouraged to intensify the
life of prayer in Lent through these services.
EASTER BREAKFAST Please join us on Sunday, April 17, from 8:30
am until 10:00 am for our Easter Breakfast, hosted by the Outreach Committee. There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex. Volunteers are also needed to help set up,
clean up, and serve. Thank you.
THIS WEEK FOR THE FAITH FAMILY
Sun/
Apr 3 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM
Food
Bank
WORSHIP
10:30 AM
Prayer
at the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM
Mon/ Apr 4 Morning Prayer (livestream) 8:30 AM
Wed/ Apr 6 Evening Prayer, 6:30 PM, in person and livestream
Fri/ Apr 8 Morning Prayer (livestream) 8:30 AM
Sat/ Apr 9 NA Meeting 11 AM
WORSHIP
6:30 PM
Sun/
Apr 10 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM
WORSHIP 10:30 AM
Prayer at the Close of the Day (livestream)
9:30 PM
From
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Eucharistic
Canon reprinted with permission from A Little Book of Canons by Rod L.
Ronneberg, STS, © 1997 and © 2010.
Additional
liturgical material from Common Worship: Times and Seasons,
©
2006 The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England,
and
Foretaste of the Feast to
Come: Devotions on Holy Communion, by
Philip H. Pfatteicher,
©
1987 Augsburg Publishing House.
Mary
Anoints Christ’s Feet, from Art
in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt
Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57333 [retrieved
March 28, 2022]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Magdalen_anointing_Christ%E2%80%99s_feet_(f._15v).jpg.
Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
