Bulletin – Sunday, March 6, 2022 – First Sunday of Lent / Communion

Sunday, March 6, 2022
First Sunday of Lent / Communion

Approach

Lighting the Lenten Candle

During Lent, we remember the events that led up to the crucifixion. Jesus had come to bring hope and light to the world, but at every step there were those who could not accept the power of the light. He came to meet people’s needs, but there were those who misunderstood the kind of needs that Jesus meant to fill. Because he would not do what they wanted, they rejected him. Yet even in the wilderness place, in the midst of temptation, Jesus brought light and love. We light this candle to remember light and love in wilderness places.

Call to Worship

One:   Jesus went to the mountaintop to pray.
All:      Jesus went into the city to heal.

One:   Jesus walked to Samaria to extend love.
All:      Jesus went to the water’s edge to teach.

One:   Jesus went to places of peace and connection,
All:      but Jesus also went to the wilderness.

One:   There is nowhere we can go that God does not walk with us.
All:      We are in God’s house. Let us worship our Holy God.

Hymn – “Giver of the Perfect Gift”

Giver of the perfect gift, only hope of human race,
Hear the prayer our hearts uplift, gathered at thy throne of grace.

Oh, may these our Lenten days, blest by thee, with thee be passed,
That with purer, nobler praise we may keep they feast at last.

God the holy trinity, grant the mercy we implore;
God the one, all praise to thee through the ages evermore.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Friends, we worship a God who doesn’t keep score and doesn’t hold grudges. We worship a God who invites us into a richer faith, a deeper love, a more compassionate existence, with a million chances to try again. So let us speak truth into our lives, asking for God’s help where we need it.

Holy God, when we think that expansive life is about power – teach us a new way. Gracious Creator, when we think that expansive life is about material wealth – teach us a new way. Gracious Author, when we think that expansive life is about control – teach us a new way. Teach us to live as you live. Teach us to love as you love.

Forgive us when we don’t, when we fall short, when we follow a different path. Call us back to you in love, mercy, and forgiveness. Gratefully we pray to you. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Response

Fill my cup, Lord,
I lift it up, Lord,
Come and fill the thirsting of my soul.
Bread of heaven, feed me ‘til I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

Time for All ages

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Deuteronomy 26:1-11

     ¹ When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, ² you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. ³ You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.” ⁴ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, ⁵ you shall make this response before the LORD your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. ⁶ When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, ⁷ we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. ⁸ The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; ⁹ and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰ So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.” You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. ¹¹ Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

Scripture Reading:           Luke 4:1-13

     ¹ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

     ⁵ Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  ⁶ And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸Jesus answered him, “It is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

     ⁹ Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ ¹¹ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ¹² Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Hymn – “Jesus, Tempted in the Desert”

Jesus, tempted in the desert, lonely, hungry, filled with dread:
“Use your power,” the tempter tells him, “Turn these barren rocks to bread!”
“Not alone by bread,” he answers, “Can the human heart be filled.
Only by the Word that calls us is our deepest hunger stilled!”

Jesus, Tempted at the temple, high above its ancient wall:
“Throw yourself from lofty turret, angels wait to break your fall!”
Jesus shuns such empty marvels, feats that fickle crowds request:
“God, whose grace protects, reserves us, we must never vainly test.”

Jesus, tempted on the mountain by the lure of vast domain:
“Fall before me! Be my servant! Glory, fame, you’re sure to gain!”
Jesus sees the dazzling vision, turns his eyes another way:
“God alone deserves our homage! God alone will I obey!”

When we face temptations power, lonely, struggling, filled with dread,
Christ, who knew the tempter’s hour, come and be our living bread.
By your grace, protect, preserve us lest we fall, your trust betray.
Yours, above all other voices, be the Word we hear, obey.

Meditation – “Even in the Desert”

Anthem – “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”

The Response

Communion

One:   God who knows us, we are amazed by your. Your love never runs out, your hope never runs dry, your joy never gives up. We wish that we could be more like you in that way.

One:   In a world that loves scarcity, your abundance is shocking. In a world that knows fear, your joy is compelling. In a world that knows anxiety, your peace is captivating. We long for these things.

One:   So today we ask you—be with us on the hamster wheel. Be with us when compassion fatigue rears her head. Be with us when stress makes it hard to breathe. Be with us when self-doubt pushes close. Be with us when exhaustion becomes constant or when loneliness becomes our primary language. Be with us, and show us the way to the life you long for us.

One:   Show us a life of expansive faith. Show us a life of overflowing joy. Show us a life of absorbing beauty. Show us a life of engrossing purpose. Show us a life that is as honest, and rich, and meaningful as the one Jesus led.

One:   And until that expansive and holy day, we will continue to gather at this Table. Until that day we will continue to look for you in our midst.

One:   God we are amazed by you. Your love never runs out, so bring that never-ending love here. Together this day we pray for those in this community whom we hope will feel your presence in their lives now…

One:   We continue to pray in the words that Jesus taught us;
All:      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 and ever. Amen.

One:   On the night when Jesus gathered with his friends in love, he took bread, giving thanks for your bountiful blessings on earth, he broke the bread and giving it to his friends, said; “This bread is God’s blessing of life and the lives that we live, each time you eat this bread remember me and the love that we shared.”

One:   After dinner he took a cup of wine, offering thanksgiving, he shared the cup with his friends saying; “This cup is a cup of God’s blessing, each time you drink from this cup remember me and love that we shared.

One:   So, Loving God, pour out a double portion of yourself, and your wonderful love, onto this bread and cup so that we might catch a glimpse of your goodness.

Prayer After Sharing

We thank you for the love, given, shared, and received at this table. May we become transformed, in your love, so that as we leave this table we leave full to the brim with your love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and joy, and may the world be changed as we leave this table.

Hymn – “Led by the Spirit”

Led by the Spirit of our God, we go to fast and fray
With Christ into the wilderness; we join his Lenten way.
“Rend not your garments, rend your hearts. Turn back your lives to me.”
Thus says our kind and gracious God, whose reign is liberty.

Led by the Spirit, we confront temptation face to face,
And know full well we must rely on God’s redeeming grace.
On bread alone we cannot live, but nourished by the Word
We seek the will of God to do: this is our drink and food.

Led by the Spirit, now draw near the waters of rebirth
With hearts that long to worship God in spirit and in truth.
“Whoever drinks the drink I give shall never thirst again.”
Thus says the Lord who died for us, our Saviour, kin and friend.

Led by the Spirit, now sing praise to God the Trinity;
The Source of Life, the living Word made flesh to set us free,
The Spirit blowing where it will make us friends of God:
This myst’ry far beyond our reach, yet near in healing love.

Benediction

As you leave this place, may you be awestruck by the beauty of this world.

May you laugh, and may it be contagious. May you overflow with love for those around you. May you be bubbling over with hope and quick to point out joy.

And in all of your living, breathing, and being, may you find yourself full to the brim with God’s Holy Spirit, and may it change your life.

In the name of the Lover, the Beloved, and Love itself—go in peace, full to the brim. Amen.

Response

Peace for the nations, peace, peace.
Peace for the nations we pray.
Following the path of One of peace,
We work for healing, we work for peace;
Peace for the nations today.