Third Sunday in Lent

Date
March 20, 2022
Author
Don Bennett
Category
Bulletins

Created, saved and gifted by God, we seek, serve and share Jesus Christ.

Third Sunday in Lent
March 20, 2022 – 10:30 am

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
901 East Stroop Road
Kettering, OH 45429-4688
(937) 298-0136

Introduction

The warnings are plentiful and blunt on the third Sunday in Lent. Lent is a season of repentance. Cut it out or get cut down! The warnings are accompanied by God’s invitation to attentiveness: “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.” The landowner’s ultimatum is forestalled by the gardener’s readiness to till the ground one more year. That is good news for all of us. Thanks be to God!
When Bad Things Happen
Do you think some people suffer because they are worse sinners than others? It’s an uncom- fortable question that usually goes unspoken, but Jesus poses it directly. Terrible things happen in this world, and human minds seek and invent patterns to find reasons for such catastrophes so we can be confident that we might prevent them from happening to us.
While we know from experience that some of our actions cause us to suffer, we cannot reason backwards from that. We cannot assume that if someone is suffering, it’s because they did something wrong. The rain falls on the just and the unjust.
While Jesus asserts that no one is a worse sinner for being on the receiving end of suffering, he complicates matters by adding, “But unless you repent, you will all perish as they did” (Luke 13:3). Repentance—metanoia in Greek—literally means “turning around.” A sense of urgency comes into the story, and a sense of personal accountability. Jesus is calling us to quit trying to infer from other people’s suffering what they might have done wrong. Instead, Jesus says, Look at yourself and your own actions and their natural consequences. Are you living the way God calls you to live?
Lutheran theology teaches that baptism is a lifelong process. It is a daily invitation to repent, to let go of what fails us and let the grace of God refresh us like a cool drink on a hot day.
Bad things happen to good people because bad things happen to all of us sooner or later. Every day, however, we are invited into a fresh start, a choice of how we want to live, and the unyield- ing love of God gives us strength to carry on.

GATHERING

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

PRELUDE

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

In remembrance of their baptism, all may make the sign of the cross.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, the parent who rouses us from slumber, the shepherd who gathers us on the holy mountain, the deliverer who sets us free.
Amen.

Let us come before the living God in confession.

Silence is kept for reflection.

As we wait and watch for the promised day of salvation,
we open our hearts to you, O God. Search us and know us. Reveal all that we keep inside. To you, O God, we confess our sins, known and unknown. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us in your ways of justice and peace. Make us reflections of the radiant love of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Beloved children of the Most High, you are gathered before the righteous judge who has mercy on all. Splash exuberantly in the waters of baptism, where sin is washed away in the river of life. Dwell peacefully in the loving arms of the one who nurtures all creation. Go forth boldly in the assurance that your sins are forgiven in the name of the one who is coming and is already here, Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.

GATHERING HYMN – “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)”

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.
Worship his holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul;
I’ll worship your holy name.

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning,
It’s time to sing your song again.
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.
Worship his holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul;
I’ll worship your holy name.

You’re rich in love, and you’re slow to anger.
Your name is great and your heart is kind.
For all your goodness, I will keep on singing;
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.
Worship his holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul;
I’ll worship your holy name.

And on that day, when my strength is failing,
The end draws near, and my time has come;
Still, my soul will sing your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.
Worship his holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul;
I’ll worship your holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.
Worship his holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul;
I’ll worship your holy name.
I’ll worship your holy name.
Lord, I’ll worship your holy name.

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

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 their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen, amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

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 sav- ing 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

God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song.

FIRST READING Isaiah 55:1-9

To those who have experienced long years in exile, the return to their homeland is a celebration of abundant life. God calls them into an everlasting covenant of love. Those who return to the Lord will enjoy new life and forgiveness, because God’s ways are not our ways.

A reading from the book of Isaiah.
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.

SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Paul uses images from Hebrew story and prophecy to speak the truth of Jesus Christ: He is our rock, our water, our food, and our drink. Christ is the living sign of God’s faithfulness.

A reading from the book of 1 Corinthians.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Let your steadfast love come to us, O Lord.
Save us as you promised; we will trust your word.

GOSPEL Luke 13:1-9

Asked about current tragic events, Jesus turns a lesson about whether suffering is deserved into a hard call to obedience. He then tells a parable that holds out hope that the timeline for ultimate judgment will be tempered by patience.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.[Jesus] asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

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

YOUTH MESSAGE

MESSAGE – Pr. Jamie Vannoy

HYMN OF THE DAY – “Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King”

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise;
Teach me some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above,
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love.

I was lost in utter darkness ‘til you came and rescued me;
I was bound by all my sin when your love came and set me free;
Now my soul can sing a new song, now my heart has found a home;
Now your grace is always with me, and I’ll never be alone.

Come, thou Fount; come, thou King,
Come, thou precious Prince of Peace;
Hear your bride, to you we sing;
Come, thou Fount of our blessing.
Come, thou Fount; come, thou King,
Come, thou precious Prince of Peace;
Hear your bride, to you we sing;
Come, thou Fount of our blessing.

O, to grace, how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be;
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee;
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

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 power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell.
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.

A brief silence.

Each intercession concludes:
Merciful God.
Receive our prayer.

Accept the prayers we bring, O God, on behalf of a world in need, for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

MEAL

God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.

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.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer, through whom you will also make all things new in the day when he comes to judge the world in righteousness. 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 Lord,
God of power and might,
Heaven 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.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

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.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

With this bread and cup we remember your Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. We remember our new birth in his death and resurrection. We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Holy God, we long for your Spirit. Come among us. Bless this meal. May your Word take flesh in us. Awaken your people. Fill us with your light. Bring the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.

All praise and glory are yours, Holy One of Israel, Word of God incarnate, Power of the Most High, one God, now and forever.

Amen, amen, amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
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.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Here is food and drink for the journey. Take and be filled.
Amen.

LAMB OF GOD

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 HYMN – “Come to Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty

“Come to me, all pilgrims thirsty;
drink the water I will give.
If you knew what gift I offer,
you would come to me and live.”