THE ORDER OF WORSHIP

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 11th, 2018 PRELUDE Prelude VII from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Bk. II Bach

Holy Communion (V) WELCOME

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

INTRODUCTION The assembly stands. All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is
marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
The fourth of the Old Testament promises providing a baptismal lens this
Lent is the promise God makes to Moses: those who look on the bronze
Blessed be the Holy Trinity, Father +Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, who
serpent will live. In today's gospel Jesus says he will be lifted up on the
brings us out of captivity into freedom, out of the wilderness into the
cross like the serpent, so that those who look to him in faith will live. When
promised land, out of death into life.
we receive the sign of the cross in baptism, that cross becomes the sign we
Amen. Thanks be to God!
can look to in faith, for healing, for restored relationship to God, for hope
when we are dying.
Let us examine ourselves in light of God’s commandments, confessing our
sins before God and in the presence of one another:
CHILDREN are always welcome to our Worship Service. Rainbow bags
and a cry room are available. A staffed nursery is also available if needed.
God said to the people: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of
An usher will gladly provide you with assistance.
slavery. You shall have no other Gods.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
As a worship courtesy, we ask that you please turn off or set to vibrate
all cellular telephones and pagers during the worship service.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
We ask that all present today please fill out the Attendance and Communion
registration card found in your bulletin and place it in the offering plate so Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
that we may record your presence with us. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

Honor your father and your mother.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.
PRAYER UPON ENTERING THE PEW
You shall not murder.
Gracious Jesus, our Lord and our God, you bore our sins in your own body Amen. Lord, have mercy.
on the cross so that we, being dead to sin, might live in your Spirit and by
faith. Strengthen, forgive, comfort, and defend us through life and death, You shall not commit adultery.
and grant to all who devoutly remember your blessed Passion the courage Amen. Lord, have mercy.
to bring your peace into this world, whatever the cost. In your grace give us
eternal joy, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one You shall not steal.
God, now and forever. Amen. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s family or household.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your
God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this:
Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than
these."
Amen. Lord, have mercy.

Silence is kept for reflection.

God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin and
made us alive together with Christ. Almighty God, Father (+)Son, and Holy
Spirit have mercy on us, forgive us our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ,
strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us
in eternal life.
Amen.
We invite you to stand.

GATHERING SONG: Come, Thou Font of Every Blessing (ELW 807)

GREETING

Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation. 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.

KYRIE
PRAYER OF THE DAY PSALM: PSALM 107:1-3, 17-22

Let us pray. O God, rich in mercy, by the humiliation of your Son you Refrain:
lifted up this fallen world and rescued us from the hopelessness of death.
Lead us into your light, that all our deeds may reflect your love, through
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Tone:
Please be seated.

A MESSAGE FOR OUR CHILDREN

FIRST READING: Numbers 21:4-9 1

Give thanks to the LORD, for the | LORD is good,
Though God provides food and water for the Israelites in the wilderness, for God’s mercy en- | dures forever.
2
they whine and grumble. They forget about the salvation they experienced Let the redeemed of the | LORD proclaim
in the exodus. God punishes them for their sin, but when they repent God that God redeemed them from the hand | of the foe,
3
also provides a means of healing: a bronze serpent lifted up on a pole. gathering them in | from the lands;
from the east and from the west, from the north and | from the south.
4
From Mount Hor [the Israelites] set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go 17
Some were fools and took re- | bellious paths;
around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the through their sins they | were afflicted.
way. 5The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you 18
They loathed all man- | ner of food
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and drew near | to death’s door.
and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” 6Then the LORD sent 19
Then in their trouble they cried | to the LORD
poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many and you delivered them from | their distress. R
Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by
speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away 20
You sent forth your | word and healed them
the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said and rescued them | from the grave.
to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone 21
Let them give thanks to you, LORD, for your | steadfast love
who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and your wonderful works | for all people.
and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person 22
Let them offer sacrifices | of thanksgiving
would look at the serpent of bronze and live. and tell of your deeds with | shouts of joy. R

The word of the Lord. SECOND READING Ephesians 2:1-10

Thanks be to God.
While we were dead in our sinfulness, God acted to make us alive as a gift
of grace in Christ Jesus. We are saved not by what we do but by grace
through faith. Thus our good works are really a reflection of God’s grace
at work in our lives.
1
You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2in which you once lived,
following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the
air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3All of
us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires
of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone
else. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he
loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6and raised us up
with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so
that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his
grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—
9
not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are what he has
made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand to be our way of life.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please stand.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
All sing the response, the cantor will sing the verse then all repeat “Glory
and praise…”
Verse: Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in | the wilderness,
So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him
may have eter | nal life. (John 3:14)
GOSPEL John 3:14-21
As the Gospel is announced, worshippers are invited to trace a cross upon
their forehead, then over their lips, and then over their hearts, silently
praying, “May the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ be ever on my mind, on
my lips, and in my heart.”
The holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said:] 14“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so
must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that 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. 18Those who
believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are
condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only
Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the
world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were
evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that
their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to
the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in
God.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Please be seated.
SERMON Pastor Charles Peterson
Silence for reflection follows the sermon then please stand for the hymn.
HYMN OF THE DAY: Amazing Grace (ELW 779)
CREED
As they recite the creed, worshippers are invited to bow beginning with the
words “born of the Virgin Mary,” until the words “he descended to the
dead.”
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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 to the dead.
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at
the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and
the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of
saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Renewed in the promises of baptism, let us pray for the church, the world,
and all who are in need.
Please sit or kneel as you are able.
Each petition ends with:
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Trusting in your covenant of mercy, O God, we lift our prayers to you,
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
Please rise and greet one another in the peace of the risen Christ.
PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
OFFERING PRAYER
God our provider, you have not fed us with bread alone, but with words of
grace and life. Bless us and these your gifts, which we receive from your
bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
DIALOGUE

Please be seated.

MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANTHEM AT THE OFFERING The Crown of Roses Tchaikovsky

We invite you to please stand and sing:

OFFERTORY HYMN Create in Me a Clean Heart (ELW 188)

PREFACE
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY (ELW 190)

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Worshippers are invited to bow with the consecration of the Lord’s body
and blood, each time the words “Do this for the remembrance of me,” are
spoken.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, you have brought us this
far along the way. In times of bitterness you did not abandon us, but guided
us into the path of love and light. In every age you sent prophets to call us
to love you by serving all humanity in love. The cry of the poor has become
your own cry; your people’s hunger and thirst for just peace is your own
desire.

In the fullness of time, you sent your chosen servant to preach good news to
the afflicted, to break bread with the outcast and despised, and to ransom
those in bondage to prejudice and sin.

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 all people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.

For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup we proclaim the
Lord’s death until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Remembering, therefore, his death and resurrection, we await the day when
Jesus shall return to free all the earth from the bonds of slavery and death.
Come, Lord Jesus! And let the church say, Amen.
Amen.
Send your Holy Spirit, our advocate, to fill the hearts of all who share this
bread and cup with courage and wisdom to pursue love and justice in all the
world. Come, Spirit of freedom! And let the church say, Amen.
Amen.
Join our prayers and praise with your prophets and martyrs of every age,
that, rejoicing in the hope of the resurrection, we might live in the freedom
and hope of your Son. Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.
Amen.
LORD'S PRAYER
Please be seated.
All baptized people are welcome to the table to receive Christ’s body and
blood. If you have not been baptized, you are also welcome to the table as
God’s guest; we are honored by your presence. We recognize the Body of
Christ as the community of the baptized, so if you would like to become part
of the Body of Christ, we encourage you to seek baptism. If you can’t or
don’t wish to receive today, we encourage you to hold your hands over
your chest for a blessing as you come forward.
LAMB OF GOD

COMMUNION HYMN I Am the Bread of Life (ELW 485)

Now, Lord (ELW 201)

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

All who desire to die to themselves, pick up their cross, and live in Christ,
come to the feast of the Lord’s Body and blood.

Once the altar is cleared and the hymn is sung, the congregation stands.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Merciful God, accompany our journey through these forty days. Renew us
in the gift of baptism, that we may provide for those who are poor, pray for
those in need, fast from self-indulgence, and above all that we may find our
treasure in the life of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
BLESSING
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine upon you with
grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Love as God has loved you.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE Chorale Prelude on Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund Bach
Upcoming Commemorations
Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, died 604
Monday, March 12, 2018
Born into wealth and power, Gregory was for a time the chief administrator
of the city of Rome. Giving this up for a life in the church, he was elected
pope in 590. He influenced public worship through the establishment of a
lectionary and prayers to correlate with the readings. Gregorian chant is
named in his honor.
Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, died 461
Saturday, March 17, 2018
A native of Britain, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates at age sixteen and
sold into slavery in Ireland. After a few years, he escaped, returned home,
and entered the ministry. Returning to Ireland, he successfully served as a
bishop and missionary there.
The Altar flowers are administered by the worship committee. The 2018
Altar Flower chart is posted on the bulletin board in the lower lobby and
there is attached to it a tear-off sheet for donors to complete and hand into
the office or place in the offering plate for proper publication in the
bulletin.
If you would like to purchase flowers for worship in memory of or in honor
of someone, please sign up. The cost is $35 per arrangement, and checks
should be made out to Trinity Lutheran Church. The contact person is Mary
in the church office (614) 224.6818 or email: office@oldtrinity.com.
Please do not remove flowers unless you purchased them or made
arrangements.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER OF
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH?
We receive members throughout the year by Baptism, Affirmation of Faith,
Confirmation, Letter of Transfer, and New Member Instruction. Please
contact the church office with any questions. 224-6818.
Please feel free to take your bulletin and happenings with you.
If you wish to discard your bulletin, a recycling box is located at the exit.
Thank you.