March 15, 2020 10:30 am * STAND IF ABLE
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Elizabeth Fox
CALL TO WORSHIP Elizabeth Fox
Leader: Come, you who are thirsty--
All: here is living water.
Leader: Come, you who are weary--
All: here is the fount of eternal life.
Leader: Let us drink from the well of grace.
All: Let us worship the Lord!
* HYMN #363 “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me”
CALL TO CONFESSION Rev. Kaul
* PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Lord, time and again, you defy our expectations. You cross barriers of culture and creed and look into the eyes of a stranger, and we are astonished. We confess that we are not keen to do the same. While you teach inclusion, we preserve division; while you model hospitality, we default to suspicion. Open our eyes to see your mission for what it is—the healing of the world. Astonish us with your grace, O God, that we might move from surprise to service, and from doubt to faithfulness. By your Spirit, inspire and empower us to proclaim your good news in word and deed. (Time for silent reflection)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON Rev. Kaul
RESPONSE #579 “Gloria Patri”
ANTHEM/SPECIAL MUSIC “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross” Don & Kay Norton
THE LENTEN CANDLES Dan Kemp
PRAYER (on insert)
RESPONSE (on insert) “Lord Prepare Me”
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Psalm 95 (responsively, on insert) Romans 5:1-11 Elizabeth Fox
Matthew 6:1-8 Rev. Kaul
MESSAGE “What About Prayer?” Rev. Norlita Kaul
*HYMN #370 “Just as I Am, Without One Plea”
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (on insert)
WORSHIPING GOD WITH OUR TITHES & OFFERINGS
(We are encouraged to leave our offerings in the plates at the back as we depart)
*Doxology #592 *Prayer of Dedication
SHARING OUR JOYS/CONCERNS
(We will share our concerns but will not use the microphone until such time as it becomes safe to do so)
Lord, for this joy, we give you thanks.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
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
* HYMN #538 “Lord, Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing”
BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
From the Session Meeting held March 12, 2020: Motion, seconded, and carried to cancel greeters before church, no greeting neighbors during worship, no Lenten potluck, communion, signing the pew registry, coffee after church, Easter Sonrise service and Easter brunch due to COVID-19.
THIS WEEK AHEAD (March 15-22)
SUNDAY March 15 @ 6:00 PM Bell Choir Practice
TUESDAY March 17 @ 9:30 AM Coffee Group (First Lutheran Mission Coffee House) at your discretion
March 17 @ 1:00 PM Pieces & Prayers Sew Day
WEDNESDAY March 18 @ 6:00 PM Lenten Bible Study
March 18 @ 7:00 PM Choir Practice
THURSDAY March 19 @ 9:30 AM Bible Study
March 19 Men’s Brotherhood cancelled
March 19 @ 7:00 PM Scout Meeting
SUNDAY March 22 @ 9:15 AM Sunday School
@ 10:30 AM Worship
Bell Choir practice cancelled
THE YELLOW BIRTHDAY ROSE is in honor of Helen Peterson’s 96th birthday on March 16th and her 75th wedding anniversary which would have been March 17th. Cards and good wishes can be mailed to her at The Neighborhood, 2421 Yorkshire Dr, Brookings, SD 57006.
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY: Bible study will meet on Wednesdays March 18, 25, April 1 and 8 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, before choir practice.
EASTER FLOWERS: The Worship Committee would like to brighten up our sanctuary in a special way for this Easter of 2020. Therefore, we are asking that individuals contribute whatever dollar amount they wish for the purchase by the committee of springtime plants and some Easter lilies. Please list your name and the person(s) in whose honor or memory the donation was given for on the sheet in the church office. This will be listed in the Easter bulletin insert. (stamens will be removed)
CAMP RIMROCK SUMMER CAMPS: Check the bulletin board for the Camp Rimrock dates and start planning for your summer camp. Registrations need to be sent in during March, date TBA.
BIRTHDAYS in March: Sam Artz, JoAnn Goodale, Teri Bierstedt, Don Kleinjan, Helen Peterson, Hannah Moerke, Harold Poppen, David Peterson, Sharon Hofland, Amir Rottluff, Evelyn Fee, Delores Koepsell
PRAYER CONCERNS: Those with health concerns: Jan Jones, Paul & Shirley Rudolph, Jack & Alice Edge, Rozella Potthast, Bev Erdahl, Andrew L’Amour, Eliana Szabo, Delores Koepsell, John Peterson, Stephen & Carrie Van Buren, Lois Watson, Barb Borstad, Michele Kemp, Gary Larson, Alan Young, Bob Jones, Judy Smith’s family (Brett, Marilyn, Laurie), Natalie & Marvin Schroeder, Loren & Sue Boy (Bonnie Foster’s parents), Father Larry Ort, Dr. Rick Holm, Sharon Webster’s recovery, Jan Jones’ recovery
Victims and families affected by the Coronavirus and tornadoes in TN
For those who mourn: the family and friends of Don Hildebrandt
Our homebound (or partially homebound) members: Barb Borstad, Nona Marshall, Helen Peterson, Cliff Rindels, Dee & Lois Watson
CONCERNING VISITS: Due to the safety and health measures enacted by the area hospitals and skilled care facilities, we are encouraging care and compassion through phone calls, cards, emails, or texts in place of visits. Rev. Kaul will make visits in emergency cases as needed and allowed to help to insure the overall health and safety for all of God’s children in our flock. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time of temporary “new normal.”
Psalm 95
1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways.”
11 Therefore in my anger I swore,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
LENTEN CANDLES PRAYER
Leader: Jesus has called us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but all too often, we let the social boundaries or worldly border divide us. We build walls instead of bridges; we keep away those who should be invited in. We have a responsibility to care for one another as Christ cares for us, and often we fail in this way. We extinguish this candle as a symbol of our hope in Jesus Christ, to teach us again that we must love as God first loved us.
All: Creator God, remind us again of our call and responsibility to care for each other, to watch out for one another. As we journey to the cross of this Lent, help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
LORD PREPARE ME
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
To be reconciled to God is to be sent into the world as God’s reconciling community. This community, the church universal, is entrusted with God’s message of reconciliation and shares God’s labor of healing the enmities which separate people from God and from each other. Christ has called the church to this mission and given it the gift of the Holy Spirit. The church maintains continuity with the apostles and with Israel by faithful obedience to his call.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.31
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Elizabeth Fox
CALL TO WORSHIP Elizabeth Fox
Leader: Come, you who are thirsty--
All: here is living water.
Leader: Come, you who are weary--
All: here is the fount of eternal life.
Leader: Let us drink from the well of grace.
All: Let us worship the Lord!
* HYMN #363 “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me”
CALL TO CONFESSION Rev. Kaul
* PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Lord, time and again, you defy our expectations. You cross barriers of culture and creed and look into the eyes of a stranger, and we are astonished. We confess that we are not keen to do the same. While you teach inclusion, we preserve division; while you model hospitality, we default to suspicion. Open our eyes to see your mission for what it is—the healing of the world. Astonish us with your grace, O God, that we might move from surprise to service, and from doubt to faithfulness. By your Spirit, inspire and empower us to proclaim your good news in word and deed. (Time for silent reflection)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON Rev. Kaul
RESPONSE #579 “Gloria Patri”
ANTHEM/SPECIAL MUSIC “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross” Don & Kay Norton
THE LENTEN CANDLES Dan Kemp
PRAYER (on insert)
RESPONSE (on insert) “Lord Prepare Me”
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Psalm 95 (responsively, on insert) Romans 5:1-11 Elizabeth Fox
Matthew 6:1-8 Rev. Kaul
MESSAGE “What About Prayer?” Rev. Norlita Kaul
*HYMN #370 “Just as I Am, Without One Plea”
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (on insert)
WORSHIPING GOD WITH OUR TITHES & OFFERINGS
(We are encouraged to leave our offerings in the plates at the back as we depart)
*Doxology #592 *Prayer of Dedication
SHARING OUR JOYS/CONCERNS
(We will share our concerns but will not use the microphone until such time as it becomes safe to do so)
Lord, for this joy, we give you thanks.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
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
* HYMN #538 “Lord, Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing”
BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
From the Session Meeting held March 12, 2020: Motion, seconded, and carried to cancel greeters before church, no greeting neighbors during worship, no Lenten potluck, communion, signing the pew registry, coffee after church, Easter Sonrise service and Easter brunch due to COVID-19.
THIS WEEK AHEAD (March 15-22)
SUNDAY March 15 @ 6:00 PM Bell Choir Practice
TUESDAY March 17 @ 9:30 AM Coffee Group (First Lutheran Mission Coffee House) at your discretion
March 17 @ 1:00 PM Pieces & Prayers Sew Day
WEDNESDAY March 18 @ 6:00 PM Lenten Bible Study
March 18 @ 7:00 PM Choir Practice
THURSDAY March 19 @ 9:30 AM Bible Study
March 19 Men’s Brotherhood cancelled
March 19 @ 7:00 PM Scout Meeting
SUNDAY March 22 @ 9:15 AM Sunday School
@ 10:30 AM Worship
Bell Choir practice cancelled
THE YELLOW BIRTHDAY ROSE is in honor of Helen Peterson’s 96th birthday on March 16th and her 75th wedding anniversary which would have been March 17th. Cards and good wishes can be mailed to her at The Neighborhood, 2421 Yorkshire Dr, Brookings, SD 57006.
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY: Bible study will meet on Wednesdays March 18, 25, April 1 and 8 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, before choir practice.
EASTER FLOWERS: The Worship Committee would like to brighten up our sanctuary in a special way for this Easter of 2020. Therefore, we are asking that individuals contribute whatever dollar amount they wish for the purchase by the committee of springtime plants and some Easter lilies. Please list your name and the person(s) in whose honor or memory the donation was given for on the sheet in the church office. This will be listed in the Easter bulletin insert. (stamens will be removed)
CAMP RIMROCK SUMMER CAMPS: Check the bulletin board for the Camp Rimrock dates and start planning for your summer camp. Registrations need to be sent in during March, date TBA.
BIRTHDAYS in March: Sam Artz, JoAnn Goodale, Teri Bierstedt, Don Kleinjan, Helen Peterson, Hannah Moerke, Harold Poppen, David Peterson, Sharon Hofland, Amir Rottluff, Evelyn Fee, Delores Koepsell
PRAYER CONCERNS: Those with health concerns: Jan Jones, Paul & Shirley Rudolph, Jack & Alice Edge, Rozella Potthast, Bev Erdahl, Andrew L’Amour, Eliana Szabo, Delores Koepsell, John Peterson, Stephen & Carrie Van Buren, Lois Watson, Barb Borstad, Michele Kemp, Gary Larson, Alan Young, Bob Jones, Judy Smith’s family (Brett, Marilyn, Laurie), Natalie & Marvin Schroeder, Loren & Sue Boy (Bonnie Foster’s parents), Father Larry Ort, Dr. Rick Holm, Sharon Webster’s recovery, Jan Jones’ recovery
Victims and families affected by the Coronavirus and tornadoes in TN
For those who mourn: the family and friends of Don Hildebrandt
Our homebound (or partially homebound) members: Barb Borstad, Nona Marshall, Helen Peterson, Cliff Rindels, Dee & Lois Watson
CONCERNING VISITS: Due to the safety and health measures enacted by the area hospitals and skilled care facilities, we are encouraging care and compassion through phone calls, cards, emails, or texts in place of visits. Rev. Kaul will make visits in emergency cases as needed and allowed to help to insure the overall health and safety for all of God’s children in our flock. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time of temporary “new normal.”
Psalm 95
1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways.”
11 Therefore in my anger I swore,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
LENTEN CANDLES PRAYER
Leader: Jesus has called us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but all too often, we let the social boundaries or worldly border divide us. We build walls instead of bridges; we keep away those who should be invited in. We have a responsibility to care for one another as Christ cares for us, and often we fail in this way. We extinguish this candle as a symbol of our hope in Jesus Christ, to teach us again that we must love as God first loved us.
All: Creator God, remind us again of our call and responsibility to care for each other, to watch out for one another. As we journey to the cross of this Lent, help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
LORD PREPARE ME
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
To be reconciled to God is to be sent into the world as God’s reconciling community. This community, the church universal, is entrusted with God’s message of reconciliation and shares God’s labor of healing the enmities which separate people from God and from each other. Christ has called the church to this mission and given it the gift of the Holy Spirit. The church maintains continuity with the apostles and with Israel by faithful obedience to his call.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.31