Lectionary Readings
Jeremiah 31:31–34
God says: I will make a new covenant, writing my law in your heart.
Psalm 51:1–12
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new spirit within me.
or Psalm 119:9–16
I seek you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I treasure your word.
Hebrews 5:5–10
Jesus Christ, our high priest, is the source of eternal salvation.
John 12:20–33
Jesus says: Now I will be glorified; I will die and be lifted up.
— Gathering —
Call to Worship
Believe the good news:
God is making a new covenant.
Lord, have mercy on us.
We come to wonder: Who is this God?
Lord, have mercy on us.
We come to seek God with our whole heart,
to be drawn toward God.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Prayer of the Day
O Lord, please hear our prayer.
As we start the climb down the mountain with Jesus
after these forty days and forty nights,
we pray that we will be ready for what comes next.
As the ministry of Jesus began
after a season of prayer,
so does ours.
We give thanks for the promise
that you will be with us
as we continue to spread the gospel to the world.
May your will be done through us,
on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Thanksgiving For Baptism
At the baptismal font:
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O Lord our God, we give you thanks
for the mercy you so freely offer us
through the grace of our baptism—
safe passage through the sea,
justice rolling down like water,
deliverance from sin and death forever.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
poured out upon us in baptism,
teach us to love and serve you faithfully
and reconcile us to you and to one another
as members of one, living body;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession and Pardon
At the baptismal font:
In the name of Christ, I urge you:
Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20
Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
Through the season of Lent, O God,
we have prayed for clean hearts and right spirits.
Forgive us, O Lord, if we have prayed with our words
but failed to pray with our actions.
Forgive us of what we have done
that has contributed to the suffering of another,
and forgive us of what we have failed to do
that could have lightened a neighbor’s burden.
Forgive us, O God, and wash us in your mercy.
Forgive us, O God, and free us to try again.
Lifting water from the font:
Listen, the time has come at last.
Look, now is the day of salvation!
2 Corinthians 6:2
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
— Word —
Prayer for Illumination
At the lectern or pulpit:
Gracious God, our way in the wilderness,
guide us by your Word through these forty days,
and minister to us with your Holy Spirit,
so that we may reformed,
restored, and renewed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture
Before the readings:
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
Psalm 51:15
After the readings:
We proclaim Christ crucified—
the wisdom and power of God.
Thanks be to God.
1 Corinthians 1:23–25
Sermon
Ascription of Praise
After the sermon:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
we bend our knees
and lift up our hearts,
giving glory to God forever. Amen.
Philippians 2:9–11
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Affirmation of Faith
Season of Lent
To be reconciled to God
is to be sent into the world
as God’s reconciling community.
This community, the church universal,
is entrusted with God’s message of reconciliation
and shares God’s labor of healing the enmities
which separate people from God
and from each other.
Christ has called the church to this mission
and given it the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The church maintains continuity
with the apostles and with Israel
by faithful obedience to his call.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.31
Prayers of Intercession
Have mercy, O God,
according to your steadfast love.
Though we are sinners,
forgive and hear us.
We pray for this world you love . . .
Bring in the day of your justice and peace.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for your church . . .
Write your law in our hearts.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those in authority . . .
Conform their wills to yours.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who suffer illness or anxiety . . .
Make them whole and let them rest in you.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those whose memories are fading . . .
Enfold them in your love, which endures
from birth to death to everlasting life.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for caregivers . . .
Give them grace to look after themselves
as you renew their strength.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those
whose names we lift before you . . .
Restore to them the joy of your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Have mercy, O God,
according to your steadfast love.
Draw us to you by the power of the cross;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— Eucharist —
Invitation to Offering
At the communion table:
Jesus says: Where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
Let us offer our lives to the Lord.
Matthew 6:21
Prayer of Dedication
At the communion table:
You have shown us, O God,
the sacrifice that you desire.
Now use these gifts—
and use our lives—
to liberate the oppressed,
to break the bonds of injustice,
to feed the hungry,
welcome the poor,
and unite the human family;
all in the name and for the sake
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Isaiah 58:6–7
Great Thanksgiving
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.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God:
You have made a new covenant with your people,
remembering our sin no more, and writing your law within our hearts,
so that all might know you, from the greatest to the least.
Therefore we praise you, joining the song
of the universal church and the heavenly choir:
A Sanctus (“Holy, holy, holy”) is sung.
Blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior:
When the hour came for Christ to be glorified
you lifted him up—upon a cross—
so that all the earth might see, and believe in him.
The words of institution are included here.
Remembering your goodness and grace,
we offer ourselves to you with gratitude
as we share this joyful feast.
A Memorial Acclamation (e.g., “Christ has died”) is sung.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this bread and cup;
make us one in the body and blood
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hear all of our prayers and supplications
through Jesus Christ, our high priest, your beloved Son,
who is the source of eternal salvation for all who follow him.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Spirit,
we bless you, God of glory,
now and forever.
An Amen is sung.
Lord’s Prayer
Breaking the Bread
Communion of the People
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Prayer after Communion
At the communion table:
Holy God, we give you thanks
that you have claimed us as your own
and nourished us in this meal
as members of Christ’s body.
By the work of your Spirit within us
give us the grace to glorify you
as one, living body in the world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 Corinthians 6:15–20
— Sending —
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Blessing and Charge
At the doors of the church:
May the steadfast love of God,
the abundant grace of Jesus Christ,
and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit
be with you this day and always. Amen.
Psalm 51:1, 11
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus:
If any wish to be my disciples
let them take up the cross
and follow me. Amen.
Mark 8:34
Grain Fields
Edwin Evans, 1890
Additional Materials
Congregational Song
GATHERING
- Breathe on Me, Breath of God (TRENTHAM) GTG 286 (O)
- Womb of Life and Source of Being (RAQUEL) GTG 3 (E)
- Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said (BOURBON) GTG 718 (G)
- Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle (PANGE LINGUA) EH 165 (G)
WORD
- Spirit, Open My Heart (WILD MOUNTAIN THYME) GTG 692 (O)
- So Much Wrong (SO MUCH WRONG) SNC 47 (E)
- O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go (ST. MARGARET) GTG 833 (G)
- Sheaves of Wheat (UNA ESPIGA) GTG 532 (G)
EUCHARIST
- What Feast of Love (GREENSLEEVES) WAS 3170 (O)
- At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing (SALZBURG) EH 174 (E)
- Make Me a Channel of Your Peace (PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS) GTG 753 (G)
SENDING
- O Day of Peace (JERUSALEM) GTG 373 (O)
- May the God of Hope Go with Us / Canto de esperanza (ARGENTINA) GTG 765 (O)
- Lift High the Cross (CRUCIFER) GTG 826 (G)
Psalms and Canticles
Psalm 51:1–12
Metrical
- God, Be Merciful to Me [7.7.7.7.7] PAS 51N
- O For a Heart to Praise My God [STOCKTON] CP 533
Responsorial
- The Sacrifice You Accept, O God PH 196
- God of Mercy, in Your Goodness PP 100
Organ Music
- “Jesus, I Will Ponder Now,” JESU KREUZ, LEIDEN UN PEIN, Improvisations for the Lenten Season, Set 1, Paul Manz, MSM (ME)
- “Kyrie,” Mass for the Parishes, François Couperin, IMSLP (M)
- “My Song is Love Unknown,” LOVE UNKNOWN, Augsburg Organ Library: Lent, John Ireland, arr. Karl Osterland, AF (M)
- “O Jesus, I Have Promised,” ANGEL’S STORY, God with Us: Eleven Pieces for Organ, arr. Emma Lou Diemer, SAC (ME)
Anthems for Adult Choirs
- “A Covenant Prayer,” Dan Forrest, HIN, SATB, keybd (A)
- “A Covenant Prayer,” Karen Marrolli, MSM, SATB, keybd (E)
- “What Wondrous Love is This?” arr. Brian Hanson, CGA, SATB, keybd (M)
- “Spirit, Open My Heart,” Alfred Fedak, MSM, SATB, keybd (M)
- “My Song Is Love Unknown,” Molly Ijames, BP, SATB, keybd (E)
- “Just As I Am,” Richard DeLong, ECS, SATB, keybd (E)
Art
- Martyrs of Uganda, Emmaus House, Kampala, Uganda, 20th century (VDL)
- Seed Resurrection, Frank Wesley, 1923–2002 (VDL)
- Grain Fields, Edwin Evans, 1844–1923 (VDL)
