Announcements
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who forgives all our sin,
whose mercy endures forever.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin before God, who removes our guilt
and blots out all offenses.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For seeking worldly delights that deceive us and dishonor you:
Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For desiring self-reliance instead of hungering for your word:
Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For failing to recognize your coming reign,
and for hindering the work of the Spirit: Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For drawing from the well of self-serving ambition,
and for disdaining the living water Christ offers: Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For disregarding voices from the margin,
and for distrusting signs of your healing and hope in the world:
Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For dwelling in tombs of self-pity and discontent,
and for disregarding Christ’s call to come forth to life:
Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
God’s steadfast love, grace, and forgiveness abound.
Through faith, the free gift of God,
you have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.
The Spirit of the One who raised Christ from the dead
dwells in you,
pours God’s love into your hearts,
and gives you life and peace.
Amen.
Opening Hymn
ELW 821 - Shout to the Lord
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
O God, our leader and guide, in the waters of baptism you bring us to new birth to live as your children. Strengthen our faith in your promises, that by your Spirit we may lift up your life to all the world through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading: Genesis 12:1-4a
1 The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4a So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills; my help comes from the Lord. (Ps. 121:1, 2)
1 I lift up my eyes | to the hills;
from where is my | help to come?
2 My help comes | from the Lord,
the maker of heav- | en and earth.
3 The Lord will not let your | foot be moved
nor will the one who watches over you | fall asleep.
4 Behold, the keep- | er of Israel
will neither slum- | ber nor sleep; R
5 the Lord watches | over you;
the Lord is your shade at | your right hand;
6 the sun will not strike | you by day,
nor the | moon by night.
7 The Lord will preserve you | from all evil
and will | keep your life.
8 The Lord will watch over your going out and your | coming in,
from this time forth for- | evermore. R
Second Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.
16 For this reason the promise depends on faith, in order that it may rest on grace, so that it may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (who is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”), in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
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Gospel: John 3:1-17
This is the holy gospel according to John the 3rd chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Hymn of the Day
ELW 660 - Lift High the Cross (vs. 1 & 3)
The Nicene Creed
Prayers of Intercession
Reconciled by God’s mercy and sustained by God’s presence, let us pray for the world and its needs.
A brief silence.
Faithful One, you renew us by grace. As you have inspired faith through the work of church artists and hymnwriters throughout the ages (like George Herbert whom the church remembers today), give your church the means to praise your beauty today. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Living One, you delight in this world. The sun and moon, the wind and the water declare your goodness. Preserve this earth, and protect conservationists, scientists, and all who labor in service to creation. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Ruling One, you bless us to be a blessing. Open the hearts of all leaders to seek the flourishing of every person and lend your help to all who wait for justice, deliverance, and peace. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Compassionate One, you send your Son to save. Declare your word of acceptance to any who feel condemned and lift up any brought low by hatred and exclusion. Tend to all who are struggling with illness or loss (especially). Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Guiding One, you watch over our going out and coming in. Bless newcomers and new members in this assembly (especially) and accompany those who have recently left this community to journey elsewhere (especially). Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Eternal One, you neither slumber nor sleep. Be our keeper in life and in death. Thank you for our beloved who have died, and for your promise which saves this whole world by your love. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Receive our prayers, O God, through Jesus Christ, our strength and salvation.
Amen.
The Passing of Peace
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
Anthem
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Offertory Hymn
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Offertory Prayer
O God, maker of heaven and earth,
your steadfast love embraces all creation.
You send rain and sunshine to nourish the earth
and bring forth its bounty.
Through these gifts of bread and wine,
draw us into the death and life of your Son,
who calls us to bear witness to his saving work.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
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. Fulfilling the
promise of the resurrection, you pour out the fire of your Spirit,
uniting in one body people of every nation and tongue.
And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of
the resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and
with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise
your name and join their unending hymn:
WOV Setting 8
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory, full of your glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Thanksgiving at the Table
Holy God, our Maker, Redeemer, and Healer, in the harmonious
world of your creation, the plants and animals, the seas and stars
were whole and well in your praise.
When sin had scarred the world, you sent your Son to heal our ills
and to form us again into one.
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.
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.
Remembering, therefore, his acts of healing, his body given up,
and his victory over death, we await that day when all the
peoples of the earth will come to the river to enjoy the tree of
life.
Send your Spirit upon us and this meal: as grains scattered on
the hillside become one bread, so let your Church be gathered
from the ends of the earth, that all may be fed with the Bread of
life, your Son.
Through him all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father,
with the Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, both now and forever.Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Lord remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hollowed by 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.
God feeds us with tender mercy.
Come to the table.
Lamb of God
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Communion Hymns
CCLI - Gravity of Love
The Table Blessing
Come to the table.
Feast on God’s goodness and mercy.
Post Communion
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Prayer After Communion
God of our salvation,
we give you thanks for this meal that restores our souls,
reconciles us to you, and strengthens us for the journey.
Through the body and blood of your Son,
may we become Christ’s body in the world,
bearing witness to your love for all creation,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
Receive the blessing of the holy Trinity:
God, who calls all things into existence,
Jesus Christ, who redeems us,
and the Holy Spirit, whose breath sustains creation,
☩ bless you now and always.
Amen.
Sending Hymn
CCLI - Everlasting God
Dismissal
Go in peace. Believe the good news
Thanks be to God.
Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash
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