March 23, 2025 11 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
The warnings are plentiful and blunt on the third Sunday in Lent. Cut it out or get cut down! The warnings are accompanied by God’s invitation to attentiveness: “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.” The landowner’s ultimatum is forestalled by the gardener’s readiness to till the ground one more year. That is good news for all of us. Thanks be to God!
(please stand for our opening song)
We Sing: “Rock of Ages” ELW 623
Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood, from thy riven side which flowed,
be of sin and double cure: cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.
Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.
Naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.
Confession and Forgiveness
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.
C: Amen.
P: Let us return to God, confessing our sin in the assurance of God’s abiding love.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P: Compassionate One,
C: you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, but our lives do not always reflect you and your love for the world. We do not show others the tender compassion you have shown to us. We do not welcome others with the radical hospitality you grant to all people. We oppress others, even though you have set us free again and again. We squander the abundant gifts of the earth. Transform our lives and guide us again in the way of the cross. Amen.
P: Beloved in Christ, God’s arms are always stretched open wide to welcome the wandering ones home. In ☩ Christ, your sins are forgiven. You have a place in God’s house forever.
C: Amen.
Prayer of the Day
Eternal God, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Help us to hear your word and obey it, and bring your saving love to fruition in our lives, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
(Please be seated for the readings)
First Reading: Isaiah 55:1-9
R: 1 Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalmody: Psalm 63:1-8
1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, that I might behold your power and your glory.
3 For your steadfast love is better than life itself; my lips shall give you praise.
4 So will I bless you as long as I live and lift up my hands in your name.
5 My spirit is content, as with the richest of foods, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night watches.
7 For you have been my helper, and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.
8 My whole being clings to you; your right hand holds me fast.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
R: 1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
C: <sung>
🎵 Sing: 🎶
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Lord, send your Spirit in this place;
Lord, listen to your children praying,
send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace.
D: 1 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.2 [Jesus] asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
Wee Worship
We Sing: “When Peace Like a River” ELW 785
When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul; it is well, it is well with my soul
O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend; even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul; it is well, it is well with my soul.
Sermon(Rev. Carrie Wolfe)
(please stand for the Apostles’ Creed)
Apostles’ Creed
C: 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 Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
(please be seated)
Prayers of Intercession
Led by the Spirit, let us turn to God in prayer for the church, the world, and all those in need.
A brief silence.
We pray for the church, called to be a witness to all peoples. Grant humility and wisdom to bishops, pastors, deacons, elders, councils, and congregations, that they may call upon you in making decisions. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
We pray for the earth, called to provide abundantly. Teach your people the goodness of your generosity, that in sharing what we have been given, all life may flourish on the planet that is our shared home. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
We pray for the nations, called to protect their inhabitants and collaborate in the work of justice and peace. Forge bonds of compassion and mutual care across human borders and boundaries, that all the world may have enough to live. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
We pray for those in need, called to receive your compassion. Comfort those whose lives have been disrupted through natural disasters and human conflict. Aid communities in coming together to mourn, heal, and rebuild. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
We pray for this assembly, called to welcome its neighbors to the table of your grace. Bless food pantries, community gardens and kitchens, clean water projects, and all ministries that address human hunger and thirst. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
We give thanks for the faithful lives of those who proclaimed your gospel in times of challenge and strife, and for all those whose lives of love and service have ended. May their witness inspire our own. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Receive the prayers of your people and draw all things together in your love, in the name of Jesus, who leads us from death to life.
Amen.
(stand)
The Sharing of the Peace:
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: And also with you.
P: We Greet one another with the Peace of Christ
We Sing: “Draw Near and take the Body” LBW 240
| Draw near and take the body of the Lord, and drink the holy blood for you outpoured; offered was he for greatest and for least, Himself the victim and himself the priest. | He who his saints in this world rules and shields, to all believer’s life eternal yields; with heav’nly bread he makes the hungry whole, gives living waters to the thirsting soul. |
Communion
P: Gracious Provider, you set your immense treasures among us, opening your heart to the world. As we prepare to feast on your bountiful love,
deepen our commitment to sharing those treasures with others, through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
C: Amen.
P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you.
P: Rejoice before your Lord. C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to our God. C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You call your people to cleanse their hearts and prepare with joy for the paschal feast, that, renewed in the gift of baptism, we may come to the fullness of your grace. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
P: 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.
P: 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.
P: With this bread and cup we remember our Lord’s Passover from death to life
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:
C: Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.
P: O God of resurrection and new life: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine. Bless this feast. Grace our table with your presence.
C: Come, Holy Spirit.
P: Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread. Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world. Breathe new life into us. Send us forth, burning with justice, peace, and love.
C: Come, Holy Spirit.
P: We pray as Jesus taught us:
C: 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.
Invitation to Communion
P: All who are hungry, come! The feast of grace is spread.
(sit)
PowerPoint Video & Distribution
Prayer after Communion
Generous Host, you have shared your feast with us and made us new. Send us now to set tables of love and grace in our communities, that your liberating love might nourish the world into freedom, in the name of the crucified one, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
God our tender parent, God the crucified one, God the reconciling Spirit, ☩ bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Announcements
| Birthdays March 24 – Kai Warner 25 – AJ Shields Anniversary | Weekly Calendar Wednesday – 10 am – Stitching 10 am – Bible Study at Immanuel 6 pm – pre-service dinner 7 pm – Midweek Lent Service Thursday – 9 am – Quilting |
We Sing: “Guide Me Ever Great Redeemer” ELW 618
| Guide me ever, great Redeemer, Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but you are mighty; hold me with your pow’rful hand. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore. Feed me now and evermore. | Open now the crystal fountain where the healing waters flow; let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through. Strong deliv’rer, strong deliv’rer, shield me with your mighty arm, shield me with your mighty arm. |
Dismissal
P: Go in peace. Care for others as God cares for you.
C: Thanks be to God.