Luke 15:1-3; 11b-3The Fifth Sunday of Lent

Sunday, April 3rd 2022

PRELUDE “In the Cross of Christ, I Glory” – arr. Rachel Chapman

GATHERING
The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

* CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father,
and of the ☩ Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

(please kneel)

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(silence is kept for reflection and personal confession)

Gracious God,
have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

*GATHERING SONG “Christ, the Life of All the Living” ELW 339

*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.

*KYRIE

*PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. Eternal God, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Help us to hear your word and obey it, and bring your saving love to fruition in our lives, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WORD

CHILDREN’S TIME
Dismissal to Children’s Chapel

FIRST READING: Isaiah 43:16-21
A reading from Isaiah.

16Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, 17who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise. The word of the Lord.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

PSALM: Psalm 126
Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. (Ps. 126:5)

1When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream. 2Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. 4Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses of the Negeb. 5Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves. 

SECOND READING: Philippians 3:4b-14
A reading from Philippians.

[Paul writes:] 4bIf anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

*GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

*GOSPEL: Luke 15:1-3; 11b-32
The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.

1Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON 

*HYMN OF THE DAY “Holy God, Holy and Glorious” ELW 637

*APOSTLES CREED
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
Drawn close to the heart of God, we offer these prayers for the church, the world, and all who are in need. (please kneel)
Response after each prayer: Receive our prayer.
Accept the prayers we bring, O God, on behalf of a world in need, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

*PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

MOMENT FOR MISSION – Upsala at Wagner Program
Our offering is a form of worship, taking part in God’s transforming mission in this world. Each dollar we give contributes to changing lives. Each week we will take a moment to remember one way that our offerings do that. This week, we remember the Upsala at Wagner Program, an undergraduate scholarship program for ministerial candidates intending to become pastors, enabling them to attend Wagner College in Staten Island, NY. We will now receive our offering.

*OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. 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.

MEAL
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ

*GREAT THANKSGIVING
DIALOGUE
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.

PREFACE
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all placesgi
ve 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 (ELW p. 153)
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
Lord God of pow’r and might:
Heav’n 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.

THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
O God most mighty,
O God most merciful,
O God our rock and our salvation,
hear us as we praise,
call us to your table,
grant us your life.

When the earth was a formless void,
you formed order and beauty.
When Abraham and Sarah were barren,
you sent them a child;
When the Israelites were enslaved,
you led them to freedom.
Ruth faced starvation, David fought Goliath,
and the psalmists cried out for healing,
and full of compassion, you granted the people your life.

You entered our sorrows in Jesus.
He was born among the poor,
he lived under oppression,
he wept over the city.
With infinite love, he granted the people your life.

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 his death, we cry out Amen. [Amen.]
Celebrating his resurrection, we shout Amen. [Amen.]
Trusting his presence in every time and place, we plead Amen. [Amen.]

O God, you are Breath: send your Spirit on this meal.
O God, you are Bread: feed us with yourself.
O God, you are Wine: warm our hearts and make us one.
O God, you are Fire: transform us with hope.

Grant us life,
the life of the Father to the Son,
the life of the Spirit of our risen Savior,
life in you, now and forever.
Amen.

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
*LORD’S PRAYER (Sung)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

*INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Come to the banquet, for all is now ready.

(Sung)
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
grant us peace, grant us peace.

COMMUNION
Anthem “Drop, Drop Slow Tears” – Orlando Gibbons
Drop, drop, slow tears, and bathe those beauteous feet, which brought from heaven the news and Prince of Peace.
Cease not, wet eyes, his mercies to entreat; to cry for vengeance sin doth never cease.
In your deep floods drown all my faults and fears; nor let his eye see sin, but through my tears.

COMMUNION HYMNS
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” ELW 803
“Jesus, the Very Thought of You” ELW 754

*POST-COMMUNION BLESSING
May the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in God’s grace. Amen

*PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray. Compassionate God, you have fed us with the bread of heaven. Sustain us in our Lenten pilgrimage: may our fasting be hunger for justice; our alms, a making of peace; and our prayer, the song of grateful hearts, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

SENDING
God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.

*BLESSING
Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen.

*SENDING SONG “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” ELW 597

*DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Remember the poor. Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” – arr. David Cherwien