Confession and Forgiveness
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
the keeper of the covenant,
the source of steadfast love,
our rock and our redeemer.
Amen.
God hears us when we cry, and draws us close in Jesus Christ. Let us return to the one who is full of compassion.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Fountain of living water,
pour out your mercy over us.
Our sin is heavy, and we long to be free.
Rebuild what we have ruined
and mend what we have torn.
Wash us in your cleansing flood.
Make us alive in the Spirit
to follow in the way of Jesus,
as healers and restorers of the world you so love.
Amen.
Beloved, God’s word never fails.
The promise rests on grace:
by the saving love of Jesus Christ,
the wisdom and power of God,
your sins are ☩ forgiven, and God remembers them no more.
Journey in the way of Jesus.
Amen.
SONG
God Loved the World
1 God loved the world so that he gave
his only Son the lost to save,
that all who would in him believe
should everlasting life receive.
2 Christ Jesus is the ground of faith,
who was made flesh and suffered death;
all who confide in Christ alone
are built on this chief cornerstone.
3 If you are ill, if death draws near,
this truth your troubled heart can cheer:
Christ Jesus rescues us from death;
that is the firmest ground of faith.
4 Be of good cheer, for God’s own Son
forgives all sins that you have done,
and justified by Jesus’ blood,
your baptism grants the highest good.
5 All glory to the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To you, O blessed Trinity,
be praise now and eternally!
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
Chorus
Kyrie eleison Kyrie eleison
Lord have mercy
Christe eleison Christe eleison
Christ have mercy
Kyrie eleison Kyrie eleison
Lord have mercy
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life. Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son, 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
A reading from Genesis.
1When 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. 2And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7I 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.”
15God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I 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.”
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM: Psalm 22:23-31
23You 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.
24For 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.
25From you comes my praise in the great assembly;
I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the Lord.
26The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
Let those who seek the Lord give praise! May your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
all the families of nations shall bow before God.
28For dominion belongs to the Lord,
who rules over the nations.
29Indeed, 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.
30Their descendants shall serve the Lord,
whom they shall proclaim to generations to come.
31They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying to them, “The | Lord has acted!”
SECOND READING: Romans 4:13-25
A reading from Romans.
13The 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. 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
16For 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, 17as 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. 18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” 19He 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. 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 23Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, 24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Save us Savior of the world
For by your cross and resurrection
You have set us free. (repeat)
GOSPEL: Mark 8:31-38
The holy gospel according to Mark.
Glory to you, O Lord.
31[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.32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But 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.”
34He 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. 35For 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. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those 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.
MESSAGE by Pastor Steve
SONG
Special music
Kyrie Eleison
Song by Chris Tomlin
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 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
Relying on the promises of God, we pray boldly for the church, the world, and all in need.
Your gift of grace is for all people. Give confident faith to all the baptized, that they may follow you wholeheartedly. Give new believers joy in your promises; give hope and courage to those who suffer for their faith. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
All the ends of the earth worship you. From galaxies to microorganisms, preserve your creation. Teach humanity to wonder at your works and to join you in tending to creation’s well-being. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You rule over the nations. Raise up advocates for peace and justice within and between nations. Give life where hope seems dead; call into existence new realities we cannot even imagine. (Here specific places of need may be named.) Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
In Jesus you joined humanity in suffering and death. Reveal to all the depth of your love shown on the cross. Accompany all who suffer in body, mind, and spirit. Restore all who are sick or grieving. Bring vindication for victims of injustice, exploitation, and oppression (especially). Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You made Abraham and Sarah the ancestors of a multitude of nations. Bless grandparents, parents, and foster parents, and the children who look to them for care and guidance. Console those who deal with infertility, parents who have entrusted their children to adoption, and children longing to be adopted. Equip ministries and services to families. (The congregation’s ministries and community services may be named.) Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We await the day of Christ’s coming in glory. Lead us by the example of all the saints whom you have called to take up their cross and follow you, that together we may find our lives in you. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We entrust ourselves and all our prayers to you, O faithful God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray.
God of mercy and grace, the eyes of all wait upon you, and you open your hand in blessing. Fill us with good things at your table, that we may come to the help of all in need, through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and Lord.
Amen.
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.
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;
who on this day overcame death and the grave,
and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
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 pow’r and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory, full of your glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Holy God, you alone are holy, you alone are God.
The universe declares your praise:
beyond the stars; beneath the sea;
within each cell; with every breath.
We praise you, O God.
Generations bless your faithfulness:
through the water; by night and day;
across the wilderness; out of exile; into the future.
We bless you, O God.
We give you thanks for your dear Son:
at the heart of human life; near to those who suffer;
beside the sinner; among the poor; with us now.
We thank you, O God.
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.
Remembering his love for us on the way, at the table, and to the end,
we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
We pray for the gift of your Spirit:
in our gathering; within this meal;
among your people; throughout the world.
Blessing, praise, and thanks to you, holy God, through Christ Jesus,
by your Spirit, in your church, without end.
Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.
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
COMMUNION
COMMUNION SONG
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, Lamb of God.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- We are having in-person Wednesday Lenten Services at 6 p.m. All are welcome to join us.
- There will be a Zoom meeting Sunday, Feb. 28 to discuss Summer programming for high school students at 6:30 p.m.
- First Communion Classes are beginning Thursday, March 4. A link to the Zoom session they will be at is listed on our website’s calendar.
- If you, or someone you know, would like to receive portable communion cups please let us know. You can use them during the streaming worship service, or a pastor can call you on the phone and celebrate communion with you that way.
- Please consider participating in our Lenten Nail Art project. Pick up a kit at the Church, arrange the nails in a message proclaiming your faith and send a picture of it to Tyler at the Church office to be featured on our social media pages and/or be featured as the thumbnail for a worship service during Lent.
- A huge thank you to all who donated to the video equipment fund. Thanks to this generous support, we will be installing monitors in the Sanctuary and Commons.
- Our next class of potential Stephen Ministers is almost ready to begin, but there are more spots available. Please get in touch with Lolly Kalinoski or one of the pastors for more information.
- If you are interested in becoming a member of Lord of Life, please New Members conversation at 7pm on March 16th, via our website: lolbaxter.org.
- Newcomers are always welcome at Pastor Steve’s MASTER’S CLASS. Go to the group’s page on Church Community Builder for more information and to join. We meet at 7pm on Wednesdays on Zoom and the class normally lasts until 8:30pm.
- We’ve changed the name of Church Community Builder to LOL Connect. Look for the new menu item on our webpage: lolbaxter.org
- We continue to need assistants in Worship. With COVID we are starting over with a fresh volunteer list. Please contact the church office to sign up to read, advance the slides, help with communion, work in the sound booth, or preach.
- Our annual Premarital retreat will take place April 16-18. It will be held in three two-hour sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The cost is $125 per couple. This retreat helps couples develop a firm foundation for their life together, with the help of local counselor Jen Ellie. You can sign up at lolbaxter.org.
- We’re fast approaching the one year anniversary of COVID. Plans are underway for a commemoration. Please check back to our announcements for further information.
- PRAYER CONCERNS: Prayers for Phyllis Campbell who is recovering at Good Samaritan-Bethany.
- The Hall Family, as Les continues to battle cancer.
- The family and friends of Paul Rud’s father, Don, who passed away recently.
- Prayers for the students, teachers and staff as they return to in-person learning.
- Prayers for Texas as they recover from winter storm damage.
- Prayers for those who have been distributing the COVID-19 vaccine
- Effects of Covid in this community – as the people we know and love are getting sick
BLESSING
The God of steadfastness and encouragement
grant you to live in harmony with one another,
in accordance with Christ Jesus.
Amen.
The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The God of all grace ☩ bless you now and forever.
Amen.
SONG
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
1 I want Jesus to walk with me;
I want Jesus to walk with me;
all along my pilgrim journey,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
2 In my trials, Lord, walk with me;
in my trials, Lord, walk with me;
when my heart is almost breaking,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
3 When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;
when my head is bowed in sorrow,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Share the good news.
Thanks be to God.
PERMISSIONS
Liturgy from sundaysandseasons.com.
Copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
God Loved the World: Text: Gesangbuch,Bollhagen, 1791; tr. August Crull, 1846-1923, alt.
Kyrie: CCLI Song # 7149536
Gabriel Wanous © 2013 Gabriel Wanous (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook)) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.comCCLI License # 617337KYRIE
Gospel Acclamation: CCLI Song # 7149553
Gabriel Wanous © 2013 Gabriel Wanous (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook)) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 617337
Holy, holy, holy: CCLI Song # 7149549
Gabriel Wanous © 2013 Gabriel Wanous (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook)) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 617337
Lamb of God: CCLI Song # 7149560
Gabriel Wanous © 2013 Gabriel Wanous (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook)) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 617337
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me: Text: African American spiritual
Lord of Life Streaming License: 20160622 Size C