24 Feb BULLETIN – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2024
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Second Sunday in Lent
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
CONFESSION and FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who writes the law upon our hearts so that all people will care for one another. Amen.
Held in God’s mercy, let us confess our sin in the presence of God and each other. Silence is kept for reflection.
Holy God, we confess that we are caught in tangled webs of sin and cannot break ourselves free. We hoard things for ourselves while neighbors suffer. We speak in ways that silence others or remain silent when we should speak up. We keep score in our hearts and let hurt grow into hatred. For these things and other offenses we’ve forgotten or choose not to remember, forgive us, Lord. Amen.
In a flood of grace and out of love for the whole world, God comes near to break every snare of sin, to wash away our wrongs, and restore the promise of life through his Son, Jesus Christ. It is by His authority that I make this declaration: In the name of the [+] Father, Son and Holy Spirit, accept release from guilt and be free from threat or punishment for your every sin. Amen.
ENTRANCE HYMN
O Word of God Incarnate #231
APOSTOLIC GREETING Page 57
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 Pages 57-59
🎶In peace let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For this holy house, and for all who offer here and online their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶Help, save, comfort, and defend us gracious Lord.
🎶Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE Pages 58-59
🎶Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
🎶Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father: we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God: You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life. Transform every experience of suffering and loss into glory for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST READING GENESIS 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
PSALM 22:23-31
You who fear the Lord, give praise! All you of Jacob’s line, give glory. Stand in awe of the Lord, all you offspring of Israel.
For the Lord does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither is the Lord’s face hidden from them; but when they cry out, the Lord hears them.
From you comes my praise in the great assembly; I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the Lord.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied, let those who seek the Lord give praise! May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; all the families of nations shall bow before God.
For dominion belongs to the Lord, who rules over the nations.
Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow down in worship; all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before the Lord.
Their descendants shall serve the Lord, whom they shall proclaim to generations to come.
They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying to them, “The Lord has acted!”
SECOND READING ROMANS 4:13-25
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. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 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, as it is written, “I 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. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 63
🎶Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and abounding in steadfast love.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark, the 8th chapter.
🎶Glory to you, oh Lord.
GOSPEL MARK 8:31-38
[Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
🎶Praise to you, o Christ.
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
How Firm a Foundation #507
PROFESSION of FAITH Apostles Creed Page 64
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He decended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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
Trusting in God’s promise to reconcile all things, let us pray for the church, the well-being of creation, and a world in need.
A brief silence.
We turn to you for meaning, holy God. Nurture in your children the gifts of the Spirit poured out in baptism. Let the mind of Christ guide the church. Give wisdom and discernment to our bishops, pastors, deacons, teachers, and leaders. When the poor cry out in fear and awe, the Lord hears them.
We turn to you for renewal. Save lives and ecosystems threatened by pollution and a changing climate. Cleanse the earth’s waters and restore the soil. Preserve rainforests, deserts, and wildlife, that generations to come may cherish your creation. When the poor cry out in fear and awe, the Lord hears them.
We turn to you for justice. Uphold the worth and dignity of every person, especially any who experience hatred and rejection because of gender, ability, age, skin color, ethnicity, or religion. When the poor cry out in fear and awe, the Lord hears them.
We turn to you for healing. Send compassionate helpers to any who suffer especially those on our prayer list and those affected by war or violence. Shelter unhoused people, befriend those who are lonely, bring hope to any in despair, and console the bereaved. When the poor cry out in fear and awe, the Lord hears them.
We turn to you for purpose. Remind us of your faithfulness. Increase our trust in your guidance and keep us near the cross. Grant that our acts of service will express Christ’s sacrificial love. When the poor cry out in fear and awe, the Lord hears them.
We turn to you for peace. We honor the saints who lived in service to others. Inspire us by their example until you gather us into your kingdom. When the poor cry out in fear and awe, the Lord hears them.
Dearest God of mercy and grace, in reverent awe, we give thanks that you are with us on our journeys. Receive the thoughts of our minds and the prayers of our hearts through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who hears and responds to every longing cry.
Amen.
EXCHANGE of PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERATORY
🎶Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit.
INSTALLATION OF COUNCIL MEMBERS
LORD’S PRAYER
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 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.
BENEDICTION
CLOSING HYMN
When Peace, Like a River #346
DISMISSAL Page 74
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Revised Common Lectionary copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission. Prayers adapted from Sundays and Seasons, copyright © 2019, Augsburg Fortress. Used with permission. Psalm readings from Lutheran Book of Worship, copyright © 1978. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual Subscription #SB160715 Other quotations from Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of Churches in Christ in the United States of America. Used with permission. All rights reserved.