Living the Lectionary

The Third Sunday In Lent

Season: Lent
Week of March 27th

“Presence”

About the Season: We are in the season of Lent.

The season of Lent is a season of preparing our
hearts for the joy and celebration of Easter. We
prepare for that celebration by considering the cost
of our Easter joy, the suffering and death of our Lord
Jesus Christ.

About this Sunday: “Is the Lord among us, or

not?” asks the Israelite tribes who have journeyed in
the wilderness with Moses. It is an important
question. If we recognize that God is present with
us, our lives experience a change their focus like the
Samaritan woman shows us when she recognizes the
presence of the Messiah.
Reflecting on the Readings:
• Exodus 17:1-7 – Is the Lord with us? – The
Israelites test (Massah) and quarrel (Meribah)
about the presence of God in their lives. Do
you feel as if God is present in your daily life?
• Psalm 95 – Let us come before God’s
presence – The Psalmist points out that to
worship God is to acknowledge His presence.
When do you acknowledge God’s presence
acutely when you worship?
• Romans 5:1-11 – Present in the Spirit – Paul
explains that the presence of the Holy Spirit in
our lives comes because of the work of Jesus.
What does it mean that we confess that “the
Spirit is present” in our lives?
• John 4:5-42 – Present Messiah – Jesus shows
the Samaritans that the Messiah (Himself) is
present, and they come to faith seeing His
presence. How can you show the “present-
ness” of Jesus in the lives of your neighbors?
Law and Gospel:
• Law: If we forget or ignore that God is present
with us, it is much easier to behave as if God
does not see us. But we have a God who is
omnipresent (present everywhere) and
omniscient (knowing all things). There is no
hiding from Him.
• Gospel: God promises that He will never leave
us. God the Father sees us all, God the Son
has saved us all, and God the Spirit lives in the
hearts of Christians. He will never leave us
alone; He will always defend us, even when
and especially when we do not deserve His
presence and His defense.
Living the Lectionary Ideas:
• Learn: The ways in which God is present in the
world is called “the communication of
attributes”. Look up this term and see what we
believe about how God is present with us.
• Do: Jesus showed Himself to be present by
knowing and pointing out details of the
Samaritan woman’s life. How can you show
that you are present and know your neighbor?
• Live: Aware of the presence of God in your life.

Prayers to Consider
Those who continue to deal with the tragedy caused
by the earthquakes and tsunamis in Asia

That our Lenten preparations might assure us of

God’s promises

Announcements
Lent Midweeks and Holy Week
During the season of Lent, we will be having Lent
midweek services. These services are an opportunity
for us to prepare for Easter, the biggest Christian
holiday. This year, these services will be each
focusing on a particular part of the liturgy that we
use every Sunday in Worship.

• March 23rd - Hear - Readings through Creed

• March 30th - Offer - Prayers through Offertory
• April 6th - Taste - Service of the Sacrament
• April 13th - Go - Sending through Benediction
• April 17th - Palm Sunday
• April 20th - Wednesday in Holy Week -
Screening of "The Passion of the Christ"
• April 21st - Maundy Thursday - Seder Meal
• April 22nd - Good Friday
• April 24th - EASTER!!!!
(More announcements on back cover)

Dates to Remember
March 23rd Wednesday +Vespers+:Wo
6:30pm – rship
Dinner Hear
7pm - Join us as we
+Vespers+ discuss the next
part of the
Lutheran
worship service,
the Entrance
Hymn to Song of
Glory
March 26th Saturday BIG EVENT Join
8:30am-? our college
students as they
send a big
“thank you” to
April 1st to 2nd Friday to Relay for Life
 Saturday No joke, it’s time
for Relay for Life
again and we’re
asking for your
support!

Give Up Your Favorite Food This Week

Every week the Peer Ministers are asking you to fast
from something for a week. This week we’re asking
you to fast from your favorite food and pick up
donating food to the Second Harvest Food Barrels.

Graduating?
Are you graduating anytime between now and
December 2011? Contact PJ to make sure we know
that you're graduating!

Relay for Life

Relay for Life will be April 1st through 2nd this year. If
you have never been a part of this impactful
experience, we would love to have you – students
and non-students alike! Ask PJ or Lauren Fontaine for
information!

Clean Up Day at University Lutheran - April 9

The Council invites you to a clean up day at
University Lutheran on April 9th, from 9am to ?, in
preparation for Holy Week activities.
(More announcements on inside of sheet)