s the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
youtu.be/Q_w6GSONRXg
The First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire
February 17, 2021 4:00 pm
Opening Prayer
Gracious and Almighty God, we humbly come to thank you for our blessings and for this opportunity to worship you in body and in spirit. We praise you for you alone are holy and worthy of praise. May this offering of our time be a blessing. Amen.
First Reading Joel 2:1-2, 12-13
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near —
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.
Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.
Song “Holy, Holy, Holy” (v. 4)
4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love and abundant mercy blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly and cleanse us from our sin. For our sin is ever before us. Against you, you alone, have we sinned. You desire truth; therefore teach us wisdom. Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our wrongdoings.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently (time for silent prayer) . . . We love you God; you are our only hope. In Jesus’ name, amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON:
L: God’s love embraces us even when we fall short of what God desires for our lives and actions. Jesus came that our sins would be forgiven. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
Song “In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful”
In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful, in the Lord I will rejoice!
Look to God, do not be afraid; lift up your voices, the Lord is near;
lift up your voices, the Lord is near.
Gospel Reading Matthew 6:1-6 The Message
"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. "When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
Message focus and … action the Rev. Melody Oltmann
One of my friends loves to spend time with her son. Often, in the summer, they played golf. He wasn’t that athletic but he always wins at the golf course. She explained, “It’s because his mind is so empty, that he really focuses on one thing! When I get up to the ball, and think about hitting it, I also am thinking about what to make for supper, when does church start and how is my grandmother. When Matt stands at the golf ball, ready to hit it, all he is thinking about is hitting that little ball as squarely and as hard as he can. If I am lucky, my golf ball goes 40-50 yards, mostly to the left. Matt’s golf ball goes more than 125 yards, straight down the course. He is so focused!”
The prophet, Joel, is telling the Israelites that they need to refocus. They need to turn away from sinful behavior and return to God. The people of Joel’s generation were solely focused on their pleasures, so they worshipped false idols which “approved” of selfish behaviors. The focus was on immediate good times. They did not help others who were in need; those who were homeless, sick or hungry. The Israelites chose to live enjoyable lives, meeting their own needs and desires, without thinking of others
.
Thankfully, God sent prophets - men and women to truthfully speak God’s words. People, like Joel, who had the courage to speak to his generation and to us. God shouldn’t have to remind us that death is coming - but God does. Look again at our Old Testament reading: Through Joel, God is giving warning; a day of darkness and gloom in coming: the consequences of sin and disobedience: The Israelites had sinned by worshipping idols and by neglecting those in need.
Yet, our God - the God of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, the Israelites and the Jews - our God always merciful - God always - ALWAYS! welcomes us back; God keeps the door open so we can come home. God gives specific directions, so the Israelites know and so we know what to do.
God is NOT interested in grand, shallow gestures. Joel instructs the Israelites and reminds us that salvation is NOT about the biggest, the most dramatic sacrifice. Yes - we can make big sacrifices; or little ones, like putting ashes on our head, or, giving up a meal every day in Lent, but, none of it will matter - IF - . . . IF we also do NOT confess and change our ways. We are to be sincere - we are to return to God . . . with all our heart. We are not to offer silly promises or just make outward demonstrations of our sorrow. In Joel’s time, the practice for sorrow was to tear your clothes, to put ashes on your face, to look pitifully sad. Often - all of it, just an outward show - SEE how sorry I am! SEE me! Don’t I look like I am sorry!
God is not looking for people who only look sorry; not in Joel’s time, not in 2021. God is not looking for people who only participate in public displays of remorse. Of course, we should be sad, we should say we are sorry and be filled with remorse when we live selfishly, or when we do wrong; BUT - that alone is not enough. There is only one thing the Israelites were to do; there is only one thing we can do: repent! Although Joel uses different words, he means repent. Joel says, instead of tearing your clothes to show how sorry you are, TEAR or rend your heart. Confess and . . . CHANGE the way you are living. When we repent, it means we change our hearts; we return to the Lord, our God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; who relents from punishing. When we are honest, when we admit we were wrong, we may be sad and weep. We may be too upset to eat; we may fast. And that is fine. BUT, it is NOT enough! The change must be from the inside out. The change must be in our heart, in our mind and in our behavior.
God sent prophets to share this message. But, their words were not enough. Still, people continued to sin, continued to stray from God. So - our loving, our mercy-filled triune God, came as Jesus - as an infant, as a person to give us this message face to face.
Right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives instruction similar to Joel’s. Jesus tells his disciples and tells us: worship should not be about showiness. It should not be about getting attention. True worship is only focused on God; always, only on God. Whether we are worshipping, confessing or living our lives, we are to focus on God. Only God is worthy of our praise. Only God can forgive us; only God provides for us.
Once, when an adult Sunday School class was studying this text, the teacher asked: if you won a million dollars through the lottery, what would be the best way to give some to the church? Do you give a quarter million dollars, with the understanding that the church will name the remodeled sanctuary and new Sunday School rooms after your mother? Or do you give it without strings attached; anonymously? As we sat there, thinking about winning money and giving it to the church, someone said, “The church will gladly accept your $250,000 and name the remodeling after your mother. Don’t let this passage keep you from donating!”
We laughed. Of course, the New Testament passage does not say, “Do not give.” It also doesn’t say, “Do not pray in public and do not put ashes on your face.” It DOES say, what is your reason? What is your focus? Don’t be a hypocrite – saying one thing and doing another. Keep your focus on God, matching your words and actions. Are you doing this or doing that so others will see you and think, “Now there’s a great person?” Or, are you doing these things because you are focused on God? Are you doing these things because you are grateful and want to share your blessings, so you give generously? Are you doing these things because you are in need of comfort or direction, so you stop right in the middle of the store and pray? Are you doing these things because you are aware of your sinfulness, your mortality and . . . your hope in Jesus, so focused on God, you put ashes on your forehead, you take communion, you light a candle.
Lent - these next 40 days until Easter, not including Sundays - are about our focus. We are called to be more. One theologian says, in Matthew 6, Jesus is calling us to a higher righteousness. Lent is a time to let go of things, of possessions, titles and praise. Things - like rich foods, television shows and guilty pleasures are sometimes given up for Lent. Are you fasting this year? Giving up something? Why? Why not? What can you let go of that is distracting your focus? Is it a material pleasure? Is it the praise or pats on the back you get when others see how well you are doing? Or, is it physical comforts that keep you from focusing on God’s love, grace and call to action?
Lent - this is the time to focus on a higher righteousness - the righteousness, the rightness of the cross. We are to look up - and see, and remember Christ’s sacrifice, high up on the cross. And, follow His lead.
In the end, nothing else matters. Even now, we know that praise from others, fancy cars, an easy life do not last forever; they will not stop death. We are mortal. We can deny it. We can continually fret about it. Or, we can focus on God.
When our thoughts, our actions and our very lives are focused on God, we will be closer to God. We will be filled with God’s peace, a peace that exceeds all understanding. We will be rewarded by God – here and in the hereafter.
When we keep our focus on God, we are able to love even the most difficult people because God first loved us; we are able to forgive even the greatest hurt, because we are forgiven. When we are focused on God, we can pray in public, we can give generously, we can get ashes on our foreheads. Because, our action is not about us - it is about God. And, we will be blessed; blessed with joy, peace and hope. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HOLY COMMUNION
L: God knows that we are hungry - hungry for love. We often seek it in all the wrong places, all the wrong ways. So, God in Jesus, came to earth, as an innocent newborn; a baby to be loved; a baby who grows up and shows us how to love. God loves us just as we are, just for who we are. Jesus shows us this love and grace in his words, his actions, his life, death and resurrection.
Jesus knows we are hungry - hungry for love, forgiveness and acceptance.
Christ Jesus invites us to this table. Jesus offers to share His love, a love that makes life easier. This is not a Presbyterian table; come, all are welcome here. We give thanks to you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for all our blessings - for creation, your covenant love, Jesus, forgiveness, His promise of life eternal and the Holy Spirit which empowers us to be your faithful servants. Gracious God, we pray by your Spirit, we may be one with Christ and one with all who share this feast, united in ministry in every time and place.
Preparation of Bread and Cup
On the night before his death, among his friends, Jesus took bread; after giving thanks, he blessed it & broke it. He gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take, eat. This is my body, broken and given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took a cup & passed it among his friends, saying: “This is the cup of the new covenant, sealed in my blood. Whenever you eat this bread or drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me.”
Invitation and Distribution
Holy food for God’s people; Come eat, all is prepared. This is a taste, a promise or what awaits us in heaven – bread, wine, enough of the good feast for every person; for all creation.
Prayer of Thanks
Let us pray: Nourished at this table, O God, may we always know and remember Christ’s redemptive love. Help us to live a new life in Him. May our words, our actions and our very lives forever more point to Jesus and his amazing grace. Keep us faithful in your service until Christ comes again, and we shall feast with all your saints in your eternal realm. Through Jesus Christ, all glory and honor are yours, Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Ashes – As we put ashes on our foreheads, “we remember that we are dust & to dust we shall return”. Even, as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, knowing in Christ, we have eternal life
.
Hymn “There’s Power in the Blood”
1 Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Would you o'er evil a victory win?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.
Refrain:
There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the blood of the Lamb.
There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the precious blood of the Lamb.
2 Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]
3 Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]
4 Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]
Closing Prayer
Thank you, Holy God, for the love and grace of Jesus Christ. To Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all glory, all praise. Now and forever. Amen.
Charge and Benediction
Our charge this evening is to be changed; more focused on God; more loving in this world.
Now, may the love of God, the peaceful power of Jesus and the hope of the Holy Spirit be with you, be with your family and be with those who have family and those who have no family. Amen.
Home Devotions during Lent
Feb. 17 Ash Wednesday Matthew 6:1-6
Feb. 24 Mark 1:9-15
Mar. 3 Mark 8:31-38
Mar. 10 John 2:13-22
Mar. 17 John 3:14-21
Mar. 24 John 12:20-33
Mar. 28 Palm Sunday Mark 11:1-11
Apr. 1 Maundy Thursday Psalm 31:9-16, Mark 14:1-15:47
Apr. 2 Good Friday John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Apr. 4 Easter John 20:1-18, Mark 16:1-8
Pray for the Holy Spirit, to help us understand God’s word.
Reflect on these questions:
What does Scripture say to those in Jesus’ time?
What does Scripture say to us today?
What is the Good News in this Scripture?
How shall I respond to God’s Word, today?
Say a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s blessings.
youtu.be/Q_w6GSONRXg
The First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire
February 17, 2021 4:00 pm
Opening Prayer
Gracious and Almighty God, we humbly come to thank you for our blessings and for this opportunity to worship you in body and in spirit. We praise you for you alone are holy and worthy of praise. May this offering of our time be a blessing. Amen.
First Reading Joel 2:1-2, 12-13
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near —
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.
Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.
Song “Holy, Holy, Holy” (v. 4)
4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love and abundant mercy blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly and cleanse us from our sin. For our sin is ever before us. Against you, you alone, have we sinned. You desire truth; therefore teach us wisdom. Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our wrongdoings.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently (time for silent prayer) . . . We love you God; you are our only hope. In Jesus’ name, amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON:
L: God’s love embraces us even when we fall short of what God desires for our lives and actions. Jesus came that our sins would be forgiven. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
Song “In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful”
In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful, in the Lord I will rejoice!
Look to God, do not be afraid; lift up your voices, the Lord is near;
lift up your voices, the Lord is near.
Gospel Reading Matthew 6:1-6 The Message
"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. "When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
Message focus and … action the Rev. Melody Oltmann
One of my friends loves to spend time with her son. Often, in the summer, they played golf. He wasn’t that athletic but he always wins at the golf course. She explained, “It’s because his mind is so empty, that he really focuses on one thing! When I get up to the ball, and think about hitting it, I also am thinking about what to make for supper, when does church start and how is my grandmother. When Matt stands at the golf ball, ready to hit it, all he is thinking about is hitting that little ball as squarely and as hard as he can. If I am lucky, my golf ball goes 40-50 yards, mostly to the left. Matt’s golf ball goes more than 125 yards, straight down the course. He is so focused!”
The prophet, Joel, is telling the Israelites that they need to refocus. They need to turn away from sinful behavior and return to God. The people of Joel’s generation were solely focused on their pleasures, so they worshipped false idols which “approved” of selfish behaviors. The focus was on immediate good times. They did not help others who were in need; those who were homeless, sick or hungry. The Israelites chose to live enjoyable lives, meeting their own needs and desires, without thinking of others
.
Thankfully, God sent prophets - men and women to truthfully speak God’s words. People, like Joel, who had the courage to speak to his generation and to us. God shouldn’t have to remind us that death is coming - but God does. Look again at our Old Testament reading: Through Joel, God is giving warning; a day of darkness and gloom in coming: the consequences of sin and disobedience: The Israelites had sinned by worshipping idols and by neglecting those in need.
Yet, our God - the God of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, the Israelites and the Jews - our God always merciful - God always - ALWAYS! welcomes us back; God keeps the door open so we can come home. God gives specific directions, so the Israelites know and so we know what to do.
God is NOT interested in grand, shallow gestures. Joel instructs the Israelites and reminds us that salvation is NOT about the biggest, the most dramatic sacrifice. Yes - we can make big sacrifices; or little ones, like putting ashes on our head, or, giving up a meal every day in Lent, but, none of it will matter - IF - . . . IF we also do NOT confess and change our ways. We are to be sincere - we are to return to God . . . with all our heart. We are not to offer silly promises or just make outward demonstrations of our sorrow. In Joel’s time, the practice for sorrow was to tear your clothes, to put ashes on your face, to look pitifully sad. Often - all of it, just an outward show - SEE how sorry I am! SEE me! Don’t I look like I am sorry!
God is not looking for people who only look sorry; not in Joel’s time, not in 2021. God is not looking for people who only participate in public displays of remorse. Of course, we should be sad, we should say we are sorry and be filled with remorse when we live selfishly, or when we do wrong; BUT - that alone is not enough. There is only one thing the Israelites were to do; there is only one thing we can do: repent! Although Joel uses different words, he means repent. Joel says, instead of tearing your clothes to show how sorry you are, TEAR or rend your heart. Confess and . . . CHANGE the way you are living. When we repent, it means we change our hearts; we return to the Lord, our God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; who relents from punishing. When we are honest, when we admit we were wrong, we may be sad and weep. We may be too upset to eat; we may fast. And that is fine. BUT, it is NOT enough! The change must be from the inside out. The change must be in our heart, in our mind and in our behavior.
God sent prophets to share this message. But, their words were not enough. Still, people continued to sin, continued to stray from God. So - our loving, our mercy-filled triune God, came as Jesus - as an infant, as a person to give us this message face to face.
Right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives instruction similar to Joel’s. Jesus tells his disciples and tells us: worship should not be about showiness. It should not be about getting attention. True worship is only focused on God; always, only on God. Whether we are worshipping, confessing or living our lives, we are to focus on God. Only God is worthy of our praise. Only God can forgive us; only God provides for us.
Once, when an adult Sunday School class was studying this text, the teacher asked: if you won a million dollars through the lottery, what would be the best way to give some to the church? Do you give a quarter million dollars, with the understanding that the church will name the remodeled sanctuary and new Sunday School rooms after your mother? Or do you give it without strings attached; anonymously? As we sat there, thinking about winning money and giving it to the church, someone said, “The church will gladly accept your $250,000 and name the remodeling after your mother. Don’t let this passage keep you from donating!”
We laughed. Of course, the New Testament passage does not say, “Do not give.” It also doesn’t say, “Do not pray in public and do not put ashes on your face.” It DOES say, what is your reason? What is your focus? Don’t be a hypocrite – saying one thing and doing another. Keep your focus on God, matching your words and actions. Are you doing this or doing that so others will see you and think, “Now there’s a great person?” Or, are you doing these things because you are focused on God? Are you doing these things because you are grateful and want to share your blessings, so you give generously? Are you doing these things because you are in need of comfort or direction, so you stop right in the middle of the store and pray? Are you doing these things because you are aware of your sinfulness, your mortality and . . . your hope in Jesus, so focused on God, you put ashes on your forehead, you take communion, you light a candle.
Lent - these next 40 days until Easter, not including Sundays - are about our focus. We are called to be more. One theologian says, in Matthew 6, Jesus is calling us to a higher righteousness. Lent is a time to let go of things, of possessions, titles and praise. Things - like rich foods, television shows and guilty pleasures are sometimes given up for Lent. Are you fasting this year? Giving up something? Why? Why not? What can you let go of that is distracting your focus? Is it a material pleasure? Is it the praise or pats on the back you get when others see how well you are doing? Or, is it physical comforts that keep you from focusing on God’s love, grace and call to action?
Lent - this is the time to focus on a higher righteousness - the righteousness, the rightness of the cross. We are to look up - and see, and remember Christ’s sacrifice, high up on the cross. And, follow His lead.
In the end, nothing else matters. Even now, we know that praise from others, fancy cars, an easy life do not last forever; they will not stop death. We are mortal. We can deny it. We can continually fret about it. Or, we can focus on God.
When our thoughts, our actions and our very lives are focused on God, we will be closer to God. We will be filled with God’s peace, a peace that exceeds all understanding. We will be rewarded by God – here and in the hereafter.
When we keep our focus on God, we are able to love even the most difficult people because God first loved us; we are able to forgive even the greatest hurt, because we are forgiven. When we are focused on God, we can pray in public, we can give generously, we can get ashes on our foreheads. Because, our action is not about us - it is about God. And, we will be blessed; blessed with joy, peace and hope. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HOLY COMMUNION
L: God knows that we are hungry - hungry for love. We often seek it in all the wrong places, all the wrong ways. So, God in Jesus, came to earth, as an innocent newborn; a baby to be loved; a baby who grows up and shows us how to love. God loves us just as we are, just for who we are. Jesus shows us this love and grace in his words, his actions, his life, death and resurrection.
Jesus knows we are hungry - hungry for love, forgiveness and acceptance.
Christ Jesus invites us to this table. Jesus offers to share His love, a love that makes life easier. This is not a Presbyterian table; come, all are welcome here. We give thanks to you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for all our blessings - for creation, your covenant love, Jesus, forgiveness, His promise of life eternal and the Holy Spirit which empowers us to be your faithful servants. Gracious God, we pray by your Spirit, we may be one with Christ and one with all who share this feast, united in ministry in every time and place.
Preparation of Bread and Cup
On the night before his death, among his friends, Jesus took bread; after giving thanks, he blessed it & broke it. He gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take, eat. This is my body, broken and given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took a cup & passed it among his friends, saying: “This is the cup of the new covenant, sealed in my blood. Whenever you eat this bread or drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me.”
Invitation and Distribution
Holy food for God’s people; Come eat, all is prepared. This is a taste, a promise or what awaits us in heaven – bread, wine, enough of the good feast for every person; for all creation.
Prayer of Thanks
Let us pray: Nourished at this table, O God, may we always know and remember Christ’s redemptive love. Help us to live a new life in Him. May our words, our actions and our very lives forever more point to Jesus and his amazing grace. Keep us faithful in your service until Christ comes again, and we shall feast with all your saints in your eternal realm. Through Jesus Christ, all glory and honor are yours, Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Ashes – As we put ashes on our foreheads, “we remember that we are dust & to dust we shall return”. Even, as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, knowing in Christ, we have eternal life
.
Hymn “There’s Power in the Blood”
1 Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Would you o'er evil a victory win?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.
Refrain:
There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the blood of the Lamb.
There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the precious blood of the Lamb.
2 Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]
3 Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]
4 Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]
Closing Prayer
Thank you, Holy God, for the love and grace of Jesus Christ. To Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all glory, all praise. Now and forever. Amen.
Charge and Benediction
Our charge this evening is to be changed; more focused on God; more loving in this world.
Now, may the love of God, the peaceful power of Jesus and the hope of the Holy Spirit be with you, be with your family and be with those who have family and those who have no family. Amen.
Home Devotions during Lent
Feb. 17 Ash Wednesday Matthew 6:1-6
Feb. 24 Mark 1:9-15
Mar. 3 Mark 8:31-38
Mar. 10 John 2:13-22
Mar. 17 John 3:14-21
Mar. 24 John 12:20-33
Mar. 28 Palm Sunday Mark 11:1-11
Apr. 1 Maundy Thursday Psalm 31:9-16, Mark 14:1-15:47
Apr. 2 Good Friday John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Apr. 4 Easter John 20:1-18, Mark 16:1-8
Pray for the Holy Spirit, to help us understand God’s word.
Reflect on these questions:
What does Scripture say to those in Jesus’ time?
What does Scripture say to us today?
What is the Good News in this Scripture?
How shall I respond to God’s Word, today?
Say a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s blessings.
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