Order of Worship
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 22, 2020
Welcome to this our time of worship together, for this 4th Sunday of Lent. We come seeking care, comfort, strength, hope and peace from God.
OPENING WORDS: O mortal, can these bones live? Only the Lord God knows. O people hope in the Lord. With the Lord there is steadfast love and great power to redeem. (Ezekiel 37:3)
*CALL TO WORSHIP --
Lord Christ, open our eyes to see clearly the light of the world.
Holy Spirit, illumine our minds to perceive God’s glory shining among us.
Almighty God, prepare our hearts to see, to trust, to worship the Messiah.
CALL TO CONFESSION
In the name of Christ, I urge you: Be reconciled to God.
Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Wonder-working God, forgive us when preconceived notions cloud our vision and blind us to your activity in our lives. We watch for signs of your glory in the successful and strong, in pious acts and answered prayers, in favorable outcomes and dreams fulfilled. But you make yourself known in unexpected ways: in shepherd boys lifted to the throne and outcasts returned to community; in death-haunted valleys transformed by your presence, and ordinary pools made extraordinary by your grace, through water and mud, and a table prepared with sacrificial love. We long for a salve that relieves our stubborn focus on inconsequential questions, and for water that heals our blindness to revelations of your love. Open our eyes, illumine our minds, and prepare our hearts, to receive your amazing grace. (time for reflection)
*ASSURANCE OF GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
Listen, the time has come at last. Look, now is the day of salvation!
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION --
Eternal God, by your Word and Spirit, you have given us a new commandment: to love and serve one another in Jesus’ name. Let the good news of your liberating love be sealed in our hearts and shown in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS -
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff--
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Matthew 6:5-15
5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
MESSAGE “The Prayer Jesus Taught, Part I”
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
God’s reconciling act in Jesus Christ is a mystery which the Scriptures describe in various ways. It is called the sacrifice of a lamb, a shepherd’s life given for his sheep, atonement by a priest; again it is ransom of a slave, payment of debt, vicarious satisfaction of a legal penalty, and victory over the powers of evil. These are expressions of a truth which remains beyond the reach of all theory in the depths of God’s love for humankind. They reveal the gravity, cost, and sure achievement of God’s reconciling work. Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.09
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(Please enter into your time of personal prayers and intentions)
God of life, there are days when the burdens we carry are heavy on our shoulders and they weigh us down. When the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening, when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage.
Flood the path with light, turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise, tune our hearts to brae music, give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey, with us on the road of life, to your honor and glory.
(Augustine of Hippo-350-400 A.D.)
Lord Jesus, you are our gentle shepherd and we ask that you sustain us through your prayers on our behalf, to quiet our hearts, minds and spirits. We ask that you comfort us with your love. We thank you for your death and resurrection, giving your life for us as our salvation and hope of eternal life. We pray for your healing power upon all who suffer, who are alone, especially during these days of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Grant wisdom to the leaders of the nations of our world, and especially our elected officials in government at every level. Grant wisdom to all health care workers, our doctors, nurses, our first responders. Keep they safe as they work to heal and help others. Keep all people safe, along with those serving in our armed forces and their families.
We pray for your Church Universal, our denomination of the PCUSA, its’ elected leaders and staff. Grant them your wisdom as they serve you O Lord, and work on our behalf. Continue to guide our own First Presbyterian Church’s leadership, our church staff, members and friends. Help us always to be faithful in serving you to the best of our ability, trusting always in your grace and mercy.
Save us Lord, from being self-centered in our prayers, and teach us to remember to pray for others. May we be so caught up in love for those for whom we pray, that we may feel their needs as keenly as our own, and pray for them with imagination, sensitivity and knowledge. We ask this in Christ’s name, praying as he taught us, saying…. (John Calvin 1509-1564 AD)
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
*BENEDICTION
Keep watch and pray. Keep watch lest we grow weary and faint. Keep watch, guarding your hearts, mind and spirit. Keep your faith strong! May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent, one from the other. Amen.
(Mizpah Benediction)
Source: The Book of Common Worship, pp.1103,1113, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY, 2018
(Please look for the message in the sermon’s area on the website. An e-mail copy of the message is available by request from the church office.)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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
Our homebound (or partially homebound) members: Barb Borstad, Nona Marshall, Helen Peterson, Cliff Rindels, Dee & Lois Watson
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 22, 2020
Welcome to this our time of worship together, for this 4th Sunday of Lent. We come seeking care, comfort, strength, hope and peace from God.
OPENING WORDS: O mortal, can these bones live? Only the Lord God knows. O people hope in the Lord. With the Lord there is steadfast love and great power to redeem. (Ezekiel 37:3)
*CALL TO WORSHIP --
Lord Christ, open our eyes to see clearly the light of the world.
Holy Spirit, illumine our minds to perceive God’s glory shining among us.
Almighty God, prepare our hearts to see, to trust, to worship the Messiah.
CALL TO CONFESSION
In the name of Christ, I urge you: Be reconciled to God.
Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Wonder-working God, forgive us when preconceived notions cloud our vision and blind us to your activity in our lives. We watch for signs of your glory in the successful and strong, in pious acts and answered prayers, in favorable outcomes and dreams fulfilled. But you make yourself known in unexpected ways: in shepherd boys lifted to the throne and outcasts returned to community; in death-haunted valleys transformed by your presence, and ordinary pools made extraordinary by your grace, through water and mud, and a table prepared with sacrificial love. We long for a salve that relieves our stubborn focus on inconsequential questions, and for water that heals our blindness to revelations of your love. Open our eyes, illumine our minds, and prepare our hearts, to receive your amazing grace. (time for reflection)
*ASSURANCE OF GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
Listen, the time has come at last. Look, now is the day of salvation!
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION --
Eternal God, by your Word and Spirit, you have given us a new commandment: to love and serve one another in Jesus’ name. Let the good news of your liberating love be sealed in our hearts and shown in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS -
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff--
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Matthew 6:5-15
5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
MESSAGE “The Prayer Jesus Taught, Part I”
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
God’s reconciling act in Jesus Christ is a mystery which the Scriptures describe in various ways. It is called the sacrifice of a lamb, a shepherd’s life given for his sheep, atonement by a priest; again it is ransom of a slave, payment of debt, vicarious satisfaction of a legal penalty, and victory over the powers of evil. These are expressions of a truth which remains beyond the reach of all theory in the depths of God’s love for humankind. They reveal the gravity, cost, and sure achievement of God’s reconciling work. Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.09
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(Please enter into your time of personal prayers and intentions)
God of life, there are days when the burdens we carry are heavy on our shoulders and they weigh us down. When the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening, when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage.
Flood the path with light, turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise, tune our hearts to brae music, give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey, with us on the road of life, to your honor and glory.
(Augustine of Hippo-350-400 A.D.)
Lord Jesus, you are our gentle shepherd and we ask that you sustain us through your prayers on our behalf, to quiet our hearts, minds and spirits. We ask that you comfort us with your love. We thank you for your death and resurrection, giving your life for us as our salvation and hope of eternal life. We pray for your healing power upon all who suffer, who are alone, especially during these days of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Grant wisdom to the leaders of the nations of our world, and especially our elected officials in government at every level. Grant wisdom to all health care workers, our doctors, nurses, our first responders. Keep they safe as they work to heal and help others. Keep all people safe, along with those serving in our armed forces and their families.
We pray for your Church Universal, our denomination of the PCUSA, its’ elected leaders and staff. Grant them your wisdom as they serve you O Lord, and work on our behalf. Continue to guide our own First Presbyterian Church’s leadership, our church staff, members and friends. Help us always to be faithful in serving you to the best of our ability, trusting always in your grace and mercy.
Save us Lord, from being self-centered in our prayers, and teach us to remember to pray for others. May we be so caught up in love for those for whom we pray, that we may feel their needs as keenly as our own, and pray for them with imagination, sensitivity and knowledge. We ask this in Christ’s name, praying as he taught us, saying…. (John Calvin 1509-1564 AD)
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
*BENEDICTION
Keep watch and pray. Keep watch lest we grow weary and faint. Keep watch, guarding your hearts, mind and spirit. Keep your faith strong! May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent, one from the other. Amen.
(Mizpah Benediction)
Source: The Book of Common Worship, pp.1103,1113, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY, 2018
(Please look for the message in the sermon’s area on the website. An e-mail copy of the message is available by request from the church office.)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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
Our homebound (or partially homebound) members: Barb Borstad, Nona Marshall, Helen Peterson, Cliff Rindels, Dee & Lois Watson