March 9, 2025 11 A.M.
Welcome!
Introduction
These forty days called Lent are like no other. It is our opportune time to return to the God who rescues, to receive the gifts of God’s grace, to believe with the heart and confess with the mouth the wonder of God’s love in Jesus, and to resist temptation at every turn. This is no small pilgrimage on which we have just embarked. It is a struggle Jesus knew. It is a struggle Jesus shares. The nearness of the Lord, in bread and wine, water and word, will uphold and sustain us.
(please stand for our opening song)
We Sing: “Baptized in Water” ELW 456
| Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit, cleansed by the blood of Christ our King: heirs of salvation, trusting his promise, faithfully now God’s praise we sing. | Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit, marked with the sign of Christ our King: born of the Spirit, we are God’s children; joyfully now God’s praise we sing. |
Baptism of Cam Perry
P: God, who is rich in mercy and love, gives us new birth into a living hope through the sacrament of baptism. By water and the Word God delivers us from sin and death and raises us to new life in Jesus Christ. We are united with all the baptized in the one Body of Christ, anointed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and joined to God’s mission for the life of the world
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight. Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family, and through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom. At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. By the baptism of Jesus’ death and resurrection you set us free from the power of sin and death and raise us up to live in you.
Pour out your Holy Spirit, the power of your living Word, that those who are washed in the waters of baptism may be given new life. To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.
P: Cam receive the sign of the Holy Cross both upon your forehead + and upon your heart + marking you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.
P: Hear how our Lord Jesus Christ has opened the Kingdom of God to little children: “People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:15-17)
P: Called by the Holy Spirit, trusting in the grace and love of God, do you desire to have your child baptized into Christ?
FM: We do.
Profession of Faith
P: Because Cam cannot answer for herself, we shall all together speak on Cam’s behalf in testimony of the forgiveness of sin and the life of faith which God our Father bestows in and through Baptism.
Do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways?
C: We do renounce them.
P: Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?
C: We believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
P: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son?
C: We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
P: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
C: We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The Baptism
P: Cam I baptize you in the name of the Father +, and of the Son +, and of the Holy Spirit +.
C: Amen.
P: You belong to Christ, in whom you have been baptized. Alleluia!
C: Amen.
P: You are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked as Christ’s own forever. May his power fill you and heal you in body, soul, and spirit according to his perfect will; you are a daughter of God Almighty.
C: Amen.
P: Receive this burning light. Live always by the light of Christ, and be ever watchful for his coming that you may meet him with joy, and enter with him to the marriage feast of the Lamb in his Kingdom, which shall have no end.
C: Amen.
P: Through Baptism God has added Cam to his own people to declare the wonderful deeds of our Savior, who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
C: We welcome you into the Lord’s family. We receive you as a fellow member of the Body of Christ, a child of the same heavenly Father, to work with us in his Kingdom.
P: Let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
C: Amen.
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
O Lord God, you led your people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide us now, so that, following your Son, we may walk safely through the wilderness of this world toward the life you alone can give, 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: Deutoronomy 26:1-11
R: 1 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5 you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Psalmody: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty—
2 you will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I put my trust.”
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your habitation,
10 no evil will befall you, nor shall affliction come near your dwelling.
11 For God will give the angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways.
12 Upon their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion cub and viper; you will trample down the lion and the serpent.
14 I will deliver those who cling to me; I will uphold them, because they know my name.
15 They will call me, and I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue and honor them.
16 With long life will I satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13
R: 8b “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
…This is the Word of the Lord
C: Thanks be to God
Gospel: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]
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 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
…This is the Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, oh Christ
Wee Worship
We Sing: “What a Fellowship” ELW 774
| What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. | Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms; oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms. |
| Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. | |
Sermon(Carrie Wolfe)
(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.
Gracious God, speak your word anew among your church. Strengthen it to withstand the temptation to turn inward in fear or complacency. Embolden church institutions to turn from self-preservation toward the self-giving love of Jesus. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Mothering God, speak the word of life into wilderness places and fertile fields. Grant wisdom to your people, that we may quell the urge to strip lands of their resources and instead preserve first fruits for future generations. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Almighty God, speak a word of wisdom to people in positions of power: mayors, councils, and tribal leaders, legislators, judges and juries, presidents, and monarchs. Help them discern your voice and follow your guidance, resisting the temptations of the evil one. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Steadfast God, speak words of courage to your people in the wilderness. Protect migrants and refugees on perilous journeys, that they find safe refuge and a portion in the bounty you have given humanity to share. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Loving God, speak gently to all who are alone. Bless lay ministers, home communion teams, and others who attend to those who are overlooked, vulnerable, or lonely, that all find belonging in your love. We pray for all who are ill (especially). God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Living God, we give thanks for all the faithful who have crossed the threshold from death to life. Guide us who are living to learn from their wisdom and follow their example. 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: “Create in me a Clean Heart” ELW 185-188
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit.
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 12 – Linda Dodd-Nagel Anniversary March 13 – Nick & Kate Drum | Weekly Calendar Wednesday – 10 am – Stitching 10 am – Bible Study at Immanuel 5:30pm – Council Meeting 6 pm – pre-service dinner 7 pm – Midweek Lent Service Thursday – 9 am – Quilting |
We Sing: “God of Grace & God of Glory” ELW 705
| God of grace and God of glory, on your people pour your pow’r. Crown your ancient church’s story; bring its bud to glorious flow’r. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, For the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour. | Cure your children’s warring madness; bend our pride to your control; shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things and poor in soul. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage lest we miss your kingdom’s goal, lest we miss your kingdom’s goal. |
Dismissal
P: Go in peace. Care for others as God cares for you.
C: Thanks be to God.