February 21, 2016
4515 Dobie Road
Okemos MI 48864-2203
517-349-0620
Pastor Ellen Schoepf
prellen@faithlutheranokemos.org
Email
~ faith@faithlutheranokemos.org
Website ~ www.faithlutheranokemos.org
Facebook ~ facebook.com/faithlutheranokemos
Under Christ’s Wings
If only Christ’s people could be gathered under his wing—
but time and again, no matter how he has desired it to be
so, it doesn’t happen.
In today’s gospel, Jesus does not cry out that there is a particular people—in this case, his own people—who are somehow less able to be “gathered” than others. He grieves a behavior pattern he has surely seen in the people he is addressing, yes, but one that will come to be shared by every one of us.
All of the faithful struggle with rejecting the life Jesus offers: we move from light to darkness, from faithfulness to unfaithfulness, from devotion to doubt, in the blink of an eye. We know in our heart of hearts that there is only one way to life. Still, sometimes we cannot or do not see our Lord for who he is. And so we do not follow, nor do we allow ourselves to be gathered.
The image Jesus uses in the gospel text is striking. Mother hens gather their brood under their wings for protection and care.
They gather the chicks whenever harm might be at hand. Even
the suggestion of harm can send the hen scurrying to bring her offspring together beneath her body so that she might protect them with her own life if need be.
Jesus knows that Jerusalem, rejecting him, is heading for a fall.
He knows the same thing of us. He longs to protect his beloved city, and us, his people, with his mercy, his presence, his wings. Unlike chicks, which are quick to return to the safety of their mother’s care, we all too often don’t want to go there. We think
we can make it on our own. We can’t. But Christ nonetheless gathers, and gathers again—all with the giving of his own body
on the cross.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Second Sunday in Lent
Holy Communion
Scout Sunday observed
INTRODUCTION
TO THE DAY
Though we sometimes doubt and often resist God’s desire to protect and save us, our God persists. In holy baptism, God’s people have been called and gathered into a God-initiated relationship that will endure. Lent provides the church with a time and a tradition in which to seek the face of the Lord again. Lent provides another occasion to behold the God of our salvation in the face of the Blessed One who “comes in the name of the Lord.”
If hearing assistance is needed,
please ask an usher for a personal PA receiver.
The ushers also have large print copies of today’s
worship folder available.
If it will be difficult for you to stand along with
the congregation during
any part of the worship service, please
feel free to remain seated.
There is a nursery available during the worship
service for those who wish
to use it. It is located at the end of the
hall beyond the coat racks.
WELCOME AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS
We cordially greet all who have come to worship today.
Please register your attendance and join us in
fellowship after the service.
Prayer Requests
PRELUDE
The pre-service music signals the beginning of the
worship service. Silence during the
pre-service music enables worshipers to prepare for
worship through quiet meditation.
Chancel Choir “Call to Lent” Williams
Gathering
The Holy Spirit calls us together as the
people of God
The assembly stands
Confession and
Forgiveness
As the presiding minister
begins, all may make the
sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism.
P Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who brings us safely through the sea,
who gives us water from the rock,
who leads us into the land of milk and honey.
C Amen
P Let us come home to God, confessing our sin.
Silence is
kept for reflection
P Merciful Father,
C we have sinned against heaven and before you.
We do not fully live as your sons and daughters.
We use your gifts to our own ends.
Forgive us and restore us, that we may
resist all that draws us away from you,
and be at
peace with one another. Amen
P We are reconciled to God through Christ;
for his sake, God does not count our trespasses
against us. Once dead in sin, we are now alive
to God. Once lost, we now are found.
God clothes you in the finest robe of all,
the righteousness of ☩ Jesus Christ,
forgiving you all your sins and
making of you a new creation.
C Amen
Gathering Song #339
Greeting
A The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C And also with you.
Kyrie
Text and music printed under OneLicense.net license
A-708005
Prayer of the Day
A Let us pray.
God of the covenant, in the mystery of the cross you promise everlasting life to the world. Gather all peoples into your arms,
and shelter us with your mercy, that we may rejoice in the life we share in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen
The assembly is seated
Word
God speaks to us in scripture reading,
preaching, and song
First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
God promises a childless
and doubting Abram that he will have a son, that his descendants will be as
numerous as the stars, and that the land of Canaan will be their inheritance.
Abram’s trust in God is sealed with a covenant-making
ceremony, a sign of God’s promise.
A A reading from Genesis.
1After
these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I
am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I
continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer
of Damascus?” 3And
Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is
to be my heir.” 4But
the word of the Lord came to him,
“This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your
heir.” 5He brought
him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able
to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7Then he said to
him, “I am the Lord who brought
you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” 8But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall
possess it?” 9He
said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three
years old, a ram three years old, a
turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10He
brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the
other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses,
Abram drove them away.
12As the sun was
going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended
upon him.
17When the sun
had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed
between these pieces. 18On
that day the Lord made a covenant
with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of
Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”
A The word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Psalm: Psalm 27
First
– Choir sings refrain
Second
– Choir and congregation sing refrain together
Refrain:
Verses:
Choir
Refrains:
All
Second Reading: Philippians 3:17--4:1
Although Paul’s devotion to
Christ has caused him to be persecuted, he does not
regret the course he has taken. Writing from prison, he expresses confidence in
a glorious future and encourages other Christians to follow
in his footsteps.
A A reading from Philippians.
17Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
A The word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
The
assembly stands to welcome the gospel
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel: Luke 13:31-35
Neither Herod’s plotting nor
Jerusalem’s resistance to maternal
love will deter Jesus from his sacrificial mission.
P The holy gospel according to Luke.
C Glory to you, O Lord.
31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus,] “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
P The gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to you, O Christ.
The assembly is seated
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
Sermon
The
assembly stands to proclaim the word of God in song
Hymn of the Day #469
Text
and music printed under OneLicense.net license A-708005
The assembly is seated
Installation
of Leaders in the Congregation
P These people have been elected by the congregation to positions of leadership. We give thanks for their willingness to serve. In baptism we are welcomed into the body of Christ and
sent to share in the mission of God; we rejoice now that these sisters and brothers will lead us in our common life and our
mutual mission as a congregation.
A reading from First Corinthians:
There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties
of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for
the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
You have been elected to positions of leadership and trust in
this congregation.
You are to see that the words and deeds of this household of
faith bear witness to God, who gathers us into one together
with the whole church.
You are to seek to involve all members of this congregation
in worship, learning, witness, service and support, so that the mission of Christ is carried out in this congregation, in the
wider church, in this community and in the whole world.
You are to be faithful in your specific area of serving, that
the Spirit who empowers you may be glorified.
You are to be examples of faith active in love, fostering peace, harmony and mutual understanding in this congregation.
P On behalf of your sisters and brothers in Christ, I ask you:
Will you accept and faithfully carry out the duties of the
offices to which you have been elected?
R I will, and I ask God to help me.
P People of God, I ask you:
Will you support these, your elected leaders,
and will you share in the mutual ministry
that Christ has given to all who are baptized?
C We will, and we ask God to help us.
P I now declare you installed as leaders of this congregation.
Almighty God bless you, and direct your days and your deeds
in peace, that you may be faithful servants of Christ.
C Amen
The assembly
stands
APOSTLES’ Creed
C 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 Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
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
A Hearing the call to return to the Lord, let us join the whole people of God in prayer for all who cry out in pain and in hope.
Prayers
of intercession are prayed.
To
each petition, the assembly responds:
A Hear us, O God. C Your mercy is great.
The
presiding minister concludes the
prayers, and the assembly responds:
P To you, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your boundless mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
C Amen
Peace
P The peace of Christ be with you always.
C And also
with you.
The people may greet one
another with a sign of Christ’s peace,
and may say, “Peace be with you,” or similar words.
The assembly is seated.
Meal
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ
OFFERING
“Christ the Life of all the Living” arr. Flor Peeters
The assembly stands
Offering Prayer
A Let us pray.
God our provider, you have not fed us with bread alone, but with words of grace and life. Bless us and these your gifts, which we receive from your bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C Amen
Great Thanksgiving
Dialogue
P
the
Lord be with you. C And also with you.
P Lift
up your hearts. c We
lift them to the Lord.
p
let us
give thanks to the Lord our God.
C
It
is right to give our thanks and praise.
Preface
P 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 call your people to cleanse their hearts
and prepare with joy for the paschal feast,
that, renewed in the gift of baptism, we
may come to the fullness of your grace.
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
Thanksgiving at the
Table
P 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.
Lord’s Prayer
P Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit,
let us pray as Jesus taught us.
C Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen
Invitation to
Communion
P All who thirst, all who hunger, come
and be filled with the goodness of God
The assembly is seated
Communion
When giving the bread and
cup, the communion ministers say
The body of Christ, given for you.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
and each person may respond
Amen
WE WELCOME ALL GUESTS worshiping with us today and invite all baptized Christians to come to the Lord’s table. Children who have not yet received First Communion instruction are invited to come forward with their families to receive a blessing. There will be one chalice (cup) of wine, as well as trays of individual cups. In the center of each tray, there are a few glasses filled with white grape juice for those who prefer juice rather than wine.
Communion Song
Congregational Song #471
Congregational SonG
“lamb of God” #336
The assembly stands
P The body and blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ
strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C Amen
Prayer after
Communion
A Let us pray.
O God, we thank you for gathering and feeding
us as a mother hen embraces her young.
Release us now to go on our way in these forty days,
ready to see our work as prayer, ready to fast from
complacency, and ready to share with those I need;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
C Amen
Sending
God blesses us and sends us in mission to
the world
Blessing
P The blessing of God Almighty,
the wisdom and power of ☩ Christ Jesus,
and the light of the Holy Spirit be among
you and remain with you always.
C Amen
Sending Song #324
Dismissal
A Go in peace. Remember the poor.
C Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
“In the Cross of Christ I Glory” arr. David Cherwein
Copyright © 2016 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by
permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS000803.
New Revised
Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.
All
rights reserved.
Grace and peace to you from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen
Sunday education hour 9:00 a.m.
SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:00 a.m.
Pastor Ellen
Schoepf
Secretary Rita Barry
Director
of Christian Education
Director
of Music Debra
Borton-McDonough
Organist/Pianist Bruce
Williams
February
14 worship attendance: 84
Serving Faith Today February 28
Acolytes Sami
Ransom Zachary Hereza
Altar care Elaine Harrison
and Michelle Ransom
Children’s message Tara Williams
Communion assistants Melinda Schultz Pastor John Schleicher
Alyssa Magyar Pastor Darrell Neves
Sami Ransom Zachary Hereza
Greeters Kate Magyar Ken and Ellen Milne
Samantha Magyar
Lay assistants Alyssa Magyar Rich Weingartner
Readers Eliot Kadrofske Brian Ransom
Kate Magyar
Ushers Owen Kadrofske Jon and Elaine Harrison
Emilee Nussdorfer
Erik Schultz
Jeff Schultz
Nursery Connie Nelson Becky Bills