The First Sunday Of Lent
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Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn
#504 A Mighty
Fortress Is Our God |
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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. Psalm: Psalm 32 Happy are
those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are
those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I
kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and
night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Then I
acknowledged my sin to you, and I did
not hide my iniquity; I said, “I
will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore
let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time
of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me
from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. I will
instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be
like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed
with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you. Many are
the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in
the Lord. Be glad in
the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in
heart. |
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The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. Lord God, our strength, the struggle
between good and evil rages within and around us, and the devil and all the
forces that defy you tempt us with empty promises. Keep us steadfast in your
word, and when we fall, raise us again and restore us through your Son, Jesus
Christ our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. |
Reading:
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
A reading from Genesis
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to
till it and keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of
every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that
the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall
not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We
may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not
eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you
touch it, or you shall die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will
not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she
took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with
her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that
they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for
themselves.
The Word of the Lord
Reading:
Romans 5:12-19
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came
through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— sin was
indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no
law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those
whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one
who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the
many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of
God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for
the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin.
For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift
following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man’s
trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will
those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness
exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore
just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of
righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the
one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s
obedience the many will be made righteous.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Verse:
One does not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt. 4:4)
Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:1-11
A reading from the Gospel of Matthew
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by
the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was
famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is
written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from
the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed
him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of
God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels
concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will
not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is
written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil
took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world
and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you
will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!
for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then
the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Hymn
#517 Lord, Keep
Us Steadfast in Your Word
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
Wondrous God, we trust in your free gift of grace
to see us through our lives. Hear our prayers this day for the world, the
church, and for all people according to their needs and grant us your blessing.
Watch over our
lives and help us to forever know and acknowledge you as our God in all things,
we pray... Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
By your
grace, strengthen us in all our temptations, whatever they may be, we pray... Lord,
in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Be with all
in our area who suffer from the cold and the recent storm. Strengthen those who
plow the snow or repair the hydro lines as well as all first responders, we
pray... Lord, in your mercy, Hear our
prayer.
Continue to
comfort and bless all who have suffered from the earthquakes in Turkey and
Syria. Watch over all who work for rescue and safety there, we pray... Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Grant peace
to Ukraine, Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan, and to all who suffer the terrors
and dangers of war anywhere. Help those who are striving for a just peace, we
pray… Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Remember all
who struggle with the COVID-19 virus, the seasonal “flu”, and the RSV virus as
well as who work for healing in any way, we pray... Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
We rejoice in the free gift of grace in Jesus Christ. Continue to bless the church of St. Ansgar in London and their pastor, Pr. David Wirt, we pray... Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Hear the prayers
of our hearts for those we care for and for those who have asked for our
prayers … * … we pray… Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer. {*Gail Mauer, Deb Kirschner, Rose Gotzmeister,
Rick Cerna}
Great and
glorious God, it is in you that we trust. Let your kingdom come and continue to
give us what is best for us as we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Hymn #618 Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer
The
Lord’s Prayer
Finally let
us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:
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.
Closing prayer
God our
refuge and our strength,
receive all
we offer you this day,
and through
the death and resurrection of your Son
transform us
to his likeness.
We ask this in his name. Amen.
Benediction & Sending
May the Lord
bless us and keep us.
May the
Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and mercy.
May the Lord
look upon us with favor and X give us peace.
Amen.
Hymn
#624 Jesus,
Still Lead On
Go in peace. Serve
the Lord. Thanks be to God.
W
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Upcoming Services for February,
March, & April: (All services begin at 11:00am) March 5 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Lent
II) & Annual General
Congregational Meeting March 12 YouTube (Lent III) March 19 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Lent
IV) March 26 YouTube (Lent V) April 2 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Palm
Sunday) April 7 Good Friday at St. John’s April 9 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Easter
Sunday) April 16 YouTube (Easter II) April 23 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Easter
III) April 30 YouTube (Easter IV) |
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
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Every Lenten
season we hear the story of Jesus in the wilderness. Matthew, Mark, and Luke
all have some variation of the story, with Mark telling it in far less detail.
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The
wilderness or desert (which ever you prefer) has a special place in the history
of the Jewish people. Exodus tells of them wandering in the desert for 40
years, and there are mentions of infidelity, rebellion, and idolatry as well as
incredible visions of God and the giving of the Ten Commandments. It’s
interesting that both can be found and it says a lot about the relationship of
the people with their God.
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One thing we
often overlook about Israel’s time in the desert is the fact that it was and is
also seen as the place and time where God was closest to the people. They had
no one else to depend on or turn to. God was revealed in the giving of the
Commandments and in the presence of the light and power of God in the Tent of
Meeting.
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The
wilderness is important in Christian history as well. The early desert fathers
and mothers went into the wilderness to be more present to God by leaving so much
behind. Their stories abound in wisdom and often laughter. Luther experience
the desert in the fortress of the Wartburg, where he struggled with his own
demons while translating the entire Bible into the language of the people… in
his case, German. He was also under a death sentence, having been declared an
“outlaw” by the Holy Roman Emperor, which meant that he could be executed by
anyone who found him without any legal ramifications for the one who killed
him. For him, his desert was both productive and protective.
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For Jesus’
time in the desert, he faces not just hunger but temptations about his hunger,
his mission, and his identity. Note that he is led up by the Spirit into the wilderness. He didn’t
just wander there, but as Mark’s Gospel puts it, he was “driven” into the
wilderness by the Spirit.
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In all his
temptations, Jesus is drawn beyond himself. For sure, he is hungry and the evil
one offers him a way to be fed. All he has to do is change stones into bread.
The temptation is not material vs. spiritual, but the question of by whose will
do we eat? God’s or the devil’s? Bread is seen as a necessity for life and we
live in a material world. So where do we turn for sustenance and even our
livelihood?
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The devil
then tempts him to show his power by diving off the pinnacle of the temple; for
sure, God will save him! (If you
are the Son of God…) Such cheap exhibitionism does nothing to
further Jesus’ mission even if it sets him up as a supernatural being.
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Finally the
devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offers them to him: All these I will give you, if you will
fall down and worship me. Jesus’ answer is an exasperated dismissal
of the devil because he knows that the world and all its kingdoms belong to
God! The realm or empire or whatever of the devil is false.
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Truth to
tell, we are all tempted in the same ways. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we
take on certain values that are to direct and colour all that we do. We cannot
and should not deny our bodily nature while acknowledging that what we do and
say is to be in line with the Gospel. What we do and what we say is for the
furthering of the Kingdom of God and not for our own ego. (That’s a hard one!)
Over everything else is the thought that all things are God’s, even our lives.
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All our temptations
against these things are variations on the theme of what the serpent told Eve: you will be like God. A rabbi
once told me that the First Commandment of the Ten is primary: I am the Lord your God… you
shall have no other gods before me. (Ex. 20:1-2) The other 9
Commandments are commentaries on the first.
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Our constant
temptation is to be God. The goal of our Lenten observance and vigilance is to
be ourselves and let God be God in our entire lives.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
