Order of Worship
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
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. Amen.
God our Helper, we thank you for keeping our lives always in your
care and protection and pray for any and all who are in harm’s way.
We pray together: God our helper, our shade, our protector, we
trust in your power to make all things new.
For those walking in the midst of danger...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
For those who are treading a slippery path...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
For those exhausted and seeking relief...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
For those who face a mountain of worry or debt or any other
obstacles....
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
We pray for those who are struggling with a new challenge or call...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
We pray for those who are dealing with a major transition in life or
livelihood...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
We pray for those who are dealing with their faith and
understanding...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
We pray for those who are dealing with grief, ancient or new...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new Keep in your tender care and mercy, O God, those who are sick in
mind, body, or spirit...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
We pray for those weighed down by depression or pain...
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
We pray for those recuperating from surgery or accident....
God our helper, our shade, our protector, we trust in your power
to make all things new
Protect not only us and those we love, but also the whole wide world
you so love.
In places of war, bring peace... in places beset by natural
disaster, bring calm and restoration... where there is unrest and
injustice, make justice our aim. Where hope has grown tired and
thin, lift our sights, so that we may see hope beyond hope, life
beyond death, and you, lifted up before us. In the name of
Christ, who gave himself for our sake, we pray. Amen.
O God of signs and wonders, we come to your word again and again, seeking understanding and the new life it offers. By the power of your Holy Spirit, illumine our hearts and minds so that we may believe this testimony and have eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ, our teacher and Savior, we pray. Amen.
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 without works 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 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 violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17as it is written, “| 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. John 3:1-17 1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He 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 apart from the presence of God.” 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 a 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. 14nd 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.
Questions for Reflection: Rev. Johan Dodge
Consider a time when you felt uncertain. Can you see how God was
at work in your life at that time? What from Nicodemus’s story, is a
help to you as you look for evidence of God’s presence in your own
life?
We are pleased to offer both white and red grape juice. If you are afraid of
Here at Community Church we celebrate “Open Communion’.
Anyone who wishes to commune may come to our Lord’s Table. You
do not have to be sinless; God forgives you. You do not have to be
perfect; but God is encouraging you to grow. You need not belong to
this or any church; God Invites all people to this meal. It is enough to
love the Lord and follow Him with all your heart. This is what God
asks us to do. Come to our Lord’s Table in faith this day. Go from
this place to live, and never be the same again. Let us commune as
brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise. Pastor: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and
everywhere to give thanks to you, Almighty God, creator of heaven
and earth. You brought all things into being and called them good.
From the dust of the earth you formed us into your image and
breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away, and our
love for you, one another and your creation failed, your love for us
remained steadfast. When rain fell upon the earth for forty days and
forty nights, you bore up the ark on the waters, saved Noah and his
family, and made covenant with every living creature on earth. When
you led your people to Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights, you
gave us your commandments and made us your covenant people.
When your people forsook your covenant, your prophet Elijah fasted
for forty days and forty nights; and on your holy mountain, he heard
your still small voice. And so, with your people on earth and all the
company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending
hymn:
People: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven
and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
highest.
Pastor: Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. When
you gave him to save us from our sin, your Spirit led him into the
wilderness, where he fasted forty days and forty nights to prepare for
his ministry. When he suffered and died on a cross for our sin, you
raised him to life, presented him alive to the apostles during forty
days, and exalted him at your right hand.
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth
to this your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and
made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.
Now, when we your people prepare for the yearly feast of Easter, you
lead us to reflect upon our lives and the times we have hardened our
hearts when you have asked us to be you hands and feet, that during
these forty days of Lent we may be gifted and graced
to reaffirm the covenant you made with us through Christ. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave
thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in
remembrance of me."
When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave
it to his disciples, and said: "Drink from this, all of you; this is my
blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the
forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance
of me."
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving, as a holy and living
sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the
mystery of faith.
People: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Pastor: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these
gifts of bread and fruit of the vine. Make them be for us the body and
blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one
with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ
comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through
your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all
honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we
all partake of the one loaf.
The bread which we have eaten is a sharing in the bread of Christ.
The cup over which we give thanks is the sharing in the cup of Christ.
Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. INVITATION TO THE OFFERING — Phyllis Spencer All that we have is a gift from God. Rom. 4:4 In faith and gratitude, we return now a portion of what we have so abundantly received, as grateful heirs of the promises of God.
Gracious God, we dedicate to you not only these gifts, but also ourselves, in deep gratitude— for your call on our lives, your guidance in the baptismal journey, and for blessing us that we may be a blessing to others. Accept what we bring for your own good purposes. In Christ we pray. Amen.
As you go out and come in, may God keep you by sunlight and moonlight; may Christ encompass you with love; and may the Holy Spirit empower you with new life; now and forever. Blessed Be the Tie that Binds Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Amen.