ORDER OF WORSHIP
1st Sunday in Lent
February 26, 2023
PRELUDE
WELCOME
CALL TO WORSHIP
For forty days and forty nights,
led by the Spirit, Christ fasted in the wilderness.
For forty days and forty nights,
we prepare ourselves to meet the crucified and risen Christ.
*OPENING HYMN #336 (Red) ‘We Gather Together’
We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine.
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
thou, Lord, wast at our side; all glory be thine!
We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
CALL TO CONFESSION
When we stay silent, when we do not acknowledge what we need to change, we waste away. Our guilt turns into shame that eats away at us like a poison. God calls us to repent and be healed; let us turn to God.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Merciful One, we are so easily tempted. We turn away from your word so quickly. We seek anything that claims to save us from discomfort, inconvenience, pain, fear, and emptiness. But these are false idols, dissolving in the wind. You are our true hope and salvation, our hiding place, our guide, our guardian. We confess our transgressions to you: forgive our sins. (silent reflection)
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!
God does not count our sins against us,
but offers us a free gift of righteousness.
Thanks be to God!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Gracious God, our way in the wilderness, guide us by your Word through these forty days, and minister to us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may be reformed, restored, and renewed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
SERMON ‘A Giant Leap’ Pastor Bob Ohnstad
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH -THE APOSTLES’ CREED (in unison)
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
*SERMON HYMN #618 (Red) ‘O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High’
O love, how deep, how broad, how high,
beyond all thought and fantasy,
that God, the Son of God, should take
our mortal form for mortals' sake.
For us baptized, for us he bore
his holy fast and hungered sore;
for us temptations sharp he knew,
for us, the tempter overthrew.
For us, by wickedness betrayed,
for us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
he bore the shameful cross and death;
for us gave up his dying breath.
For us he rose from death again;
for us he went on high to reign;
for us he sent the Spirit here
to guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.
All glory to our Lord and God,
for love so deep, so high, so broad;
the Trinity whom we adore
forever and forevermore.
CALL TO OFFERING
All shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you. (Deuteronomy 16:17)
SPECIAL MUSIC ‘Jesus, Lover of My Soul’ (words by Charles Wesley/music by Simeon Buckley Marsh) Dick Smith, soloist and Judy Smith, pianist
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Blessed Father, daily you reveal the glory and splendor of your kingdom. By concentrating our gifts on buying convenience and familiarity, we diminish your offer of abundant grace. Enable us through this offering to focus on your way and not on the temptations of this world. We pray humbly in your Spirit. Amen. (Matthew 4:1-11 David S. Bell)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Continued Health Requests:
-Jim, Dianne L’s husband
-Delores K
-Paige F
-Nelda H (recovery in the Neighborhoods)
-Betty G
-Carol G (recovery)
-Bob J and Jan as caregiver
-Bob O and Nancy as caregiver
-Darwin L (Jeanne’s husband) and Jeanne as caregiver
-Andrew & Beth L
-Laura (Linda’s niece)
-Gwen B (Lee P’s friend)
-Patty (friend of Michele)
-Harry (Bonnie S’s father)
Our homebound or in care members: Bob J, Delores K, Rose P, Cliff R, Art V, Dee W (Please reach out and call)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Dan & Michele K, Don K & Carol G, Delores K
Those who mourn: We pray for the Canaday, Spitzenberger, Barnett, Fee, VanderWaal, Peterson, Goodale, McCann, and Webster families and all who have lost loved ones.
THE 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen.
CLOSING HYMN #775 (Red) ‘I Want Jesus to Walk With Me’
I want Jesus to walk with me;
I want Jesus to walk with me;
all along my pilgrim journey,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
when my heart is almost breaking,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when my head is bowed in sorrow,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
LENTEN POTLUCK MEAL will be held after worship today Sunday, Feb. 26. Please bring a dish to share if you are able, but please plan to attend in any case as there is always plenty of food. The Christian Education Committee will provide a short program after the meals.
THE PC(USA) ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING SPECIAL OFFERING is from Feb. 22 until April 9. Please put donations in the offering plate and write ‘One Great Hour’ on the memo line or use envelopes by offering plate. Thank you for your generosity!
TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP meets at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House at 9:30ish.
PIECES & PRAYERS will be meeting at the church on Tuesdays at 1:30 PM. All are welcomed to help with quilting.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY will be meeting at 9:30 AM at the church.
PER CAPITA per person for 2023 is $38.00. If you have not done so, we would appreciate your donation.
BENEDICTION
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
POSTLUDE
Sources: Call to Worship Lectionary Aids for 2022-2023 Year A Vo.56.1 PCUSA; Copyright © 2019 David S. Bell. Reprinted with permission from www.DavidSBell.org.
1st Sunday in Lent
February 26, 2023
PRELUDE
WELCOME
CALL TO WORSHIP
For forty days and forty nights,
led by the Spirit, Christ fasted in the wilderness.
For forty days and forty nights,
we prepare ourselves to meet the crucified and risen Christ.
*OPENING HYMN #336 (Red) ‘We Gather Together’
We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine.
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
thou, Lord, wast at our side; all glory be thine!
We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
CALL TO CONFESSION
When we stay silent, when we do not acknowledge what we need to change, we waste away. Our guilt turns into shame that eats away at us like a poison. God calls us to repent and be healed; let us turn to God.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Merciful One, we are so easily tempted. We turn away from your word so quickly. We seek anything that claims to save us from discomfort, inconvenience, pain, fear, and emptiness. But these are false idols, dissolving in the wind. You are our true hope and salvation, our hiding place, our guide, our guardian. We confess our transgressions to you: forgive our sins. (silent reflection)
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!
God does not count our sins against us,
but offers us a free gift of righteousness.
Thanks be to God!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Gracious God, our way in the wilderness, guide us by your Word through these forty days, and minister to us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may be reformed, restored, and renewed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
SERMON ‘A Giant Leap’ Pastor Bob Ohnstad
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH -THE APOSTLES’ CREED (in unison)
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
*SERMON HYMN #618 (Red) ‘O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High’
O love, how deep, how broad, how high,
beyond all thought and fantasy,
that God, the Son of God, should take
our mortal form for mortals' sake.
For us baptized, for us he bore
his holy fast and hungered sore;
for us temptations sharp he knew,
for us, the tempter overthrew.
For us, by wickedness betrayed,
for us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
he bore the shameful cross and death;
for us gave up his dying breath.
For us he rose from death again;
for us he went on high to reign;
for us he sent the Spirit here
to guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.
All glory to our Lord and God,
for love so deep, so high, so broad;
the Trinity whom we adore
forever and forevermore.
CALL TO OFFERING
All shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you. (Deuteronomy 16:17)
SPECIAL MUSIC ‘Jesus, Lover of My Soul’ (words by Charles Wesley/music by Simeon Buckley Marsh) Dick Smith, soloist and Judy Smith, pianist
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Blessed Father, daily you reveal the glory and splendor of your kingdom. By concentrating our gifts on buying convenience and familiarity, we diminish your offer of abundant grace. Enable us through this offering to focus on your way and not on the temptations of this world. We pray humbly in your Spirit. Amen. (Matthew 4:1-11 David S. Bell)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Continued Health Requests:
-Jim, Dianne L’s husband
-Delores K
-Paige F
-Nelda H (recovery in the Neighborhoods)
-Betty G
-Carol G (recovery)
-Bob J and Jan as caregiver
-Bob O and Nancy as caregiver
-Darwin L (Jeanne’s husband) and Jeanne as caregiver
-Andrew & Beth L
-Laura (Linda’s niece)
-Gwen B (Lee P’s friend)
-Patty (friend of Michele)
-Harry (Bonnie S’s father)
Our homebound or in care members: Bob J, Delores K, Rose P, Cliff R, Art V, Dee W (Please reach out and call)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Dan & Michele K, Don K & Carol G, Delores K
Those who mourn: We pray for the Canaday, Spitzenberger, Barnett, Fee, VanderWaal, Peterson, Goodale, McCann, and Webster families and all who have lost loved ones.
THE 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen.
CLOSING HYMN #775 (Red) ‘I Want Jesus to Walk With Me’
I want Jesus to walk with me;
I want Jesus to walk with me;
all along my pilgrim journey,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
when my heart is almost breaking,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when my head is bowed in sorrow,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
LENTEN POTLUCK MEAL will be held after worship today Sunday, Feb. 26. Please bring a dish to share if you are able, but please plan to attend in any case as there is always plenty of food. The Christian Education Committee will provide a short program after the meals.
THE PC(USA) ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING SPECIAL OFFERING is from Feb. 22 until April 9. Please put donations in the offering plate and write ‘One Great Hour’ on the memo line or use envelopes by offering plate. Thank you for your generosity!
TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP meets at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House at 9:30ish.
PIECES & PRAYERS will be meeting at the church on Tuesdays at 1:30 PM. All are welcomed to help with quilting.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY will be meeting at 9:30 AM at the church.
PER CAPITA per person for 2023 is $38.00. If you have not done so, we would appreciate your donation.
BENEDICTION
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
POSTLUDE
Sources: Call to Worship Lectionary Aids for 2022-2023 Year A Vo.56.1 PCUSA; Copyright © 2019 David S. Bell. Reprinted with permission from www.DavidSBell.org.