Prelude
Bells, Welcome, Announcements and Sharing
á Hymn I Know That My Redeemer Lives! (ELW #619)
Samuel Medley
1 I know that my Redeemer lives!
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
he lives, my ever-living head!
2 He lives triumphant from the grave;
he lives eternally to save;
he lives exalted, throned above;
he lives to rule his church in love.
4 He lives to silence all my fears;
he lives to wipe away my tears;
he lives to calm my troubled heart;
he lives all blessings to impart.
8 He lives, all glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same;
what joy this blest assurance gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!
á Confession and Forgiveness
P Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.
C Amen.
P Let us come into the light of Christ, confessing our need for God’s mercy.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P Holy and faithful God,
C we so often choose our own way instead of yours.
We think we can evade your commandments.
We have spoken in ways that kill,
strayed with our hearts,
betrayed friends, and hated enemies.
We have broken our promises.
Search us deeply and create us anew.
Lift the heavy burden of our sin
and free us to follow your way of life. Amen
P “Call upon me,” says the Lord, “and I will answer.”
Our God has come among us to loose every bond
and set us free from all that weighs us down.
Receive the forgiveness of all your sins
in the name of ☩ Jesus Christ,
our crucified and risen Savior.
C Amen.
Hymn My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (ELW 596 #1,3,4)
Mote
1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
no merit of my own I claim,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
sustain me in the raging flood;
when all supports are washed away,
he then is all my hope and stay. Refrain
4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
oh, may I then in him be found,
clothed in his righteousness alone,
redeemed to stand before the throne! Refrain
Prayer of the Day
P Arise, shine; for your light has come. 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.
P Let us pray…
C O God, generous and supreme, your loving Son lived among us, instructing us in the ways of humility and justice. Continue to ease our burdens, and lead us to serve alongside of him, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
Kids in the Kingdom
Responsive Reading Psalm 139
13 It was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
Gospel John 3:1-21
L The Holy Gospel from John in the 3rd Chapter
C Glory to you, O Lord
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”
3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’
8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
L This is the Gospel of our Lord
C Praise to You O Christ
Sermon Brendan Johnston
á Hymn Borning Cry (ELW #732)
Ylvisaker
WE RESPOND TO THE WORD OF GOD
Offering Prayer
P God of all creation,
C All you have made is good, and your love endures forever. You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine. Nourish us with these gifts, that we might be for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen
Creed: Martin Luther on the God the Spirit
Regarding [the plan] to collect my writings in volumes, I am … not at all eager about it. [The only ones I wish to be remembered are] perhaps the one On the Bondage of the Will and the Catechism. – Martin Luther
Martin Luther, the reformer of the Church and founder of the Lutheran witness to Jesus, crafted explanations of the basics of faith, called the Catechism. For our confession of faith today, we are using Martin Luther’s explanation of the work of the Spirit.
P Do You believe God the Holy Spirit?
C 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.
P What does that mean?
C I believe that I cannot come to Jesus Christ, my Lord, by my own reason or strength. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, and makes holy the whole Church on earth. He daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal life to me and to all who are in Jesus. This is most certainly true.
Prayers of Bethlehem
Lord, Listen To Your Children Praying (#752)
Ken Medema
Lord listen to your children praying
Lord send your Spirit in this place
Lord listen to your children praying
Send us love send us pow’r send us grace
Meal
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ
Words of Institution
á Lord’s Prayer
C 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.
L These are the gifts of God for the people of God
C Thanks be to God
Distribution of Holy Communion
We believe that Jesus is truly present in the elements of communion – and all are welcome to receive Jesus in this food and drink.
Communion in the Pews
Prepackaged communion will be available in pews and as you enter worship. Please open and receive this sacrament after the Words of Institution.
Communion at the Table
Those who wish to receive Holy Communion at the tables in front of the sanctuary will be invited to come forward using the pulpit side aisle, and return to their seat using the piano side aisle.
As you come forward, one at a time, there will be two tables prepared for you. Wafers will be placed on plates on the first table for you to pick up and receive the Body of Christ. Cups of wine or grape juice will be placed on the second table for you to receive the Blood of Christ. Cups can then be placed in a bin.
Children not communing may come forward for a blessing.
Communion Music
á Post Communion Prayer
P Let us pray,
C Lord, it is good for us to be here, for we have tasted your glory in this holy meal. Continue your goodness as we go out from here. Open our eyes to see your face shining in every person, and send us to be your servants in every place, for you are the life and light of all, both now and forever.
Amen
LEAVE TO LIVE THE WORD
á Blessing
P May the God of glory dwell in you richly, name you beloved, and shine brightly on your path; and the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the ☩ Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always.
á Sending Hymn Let All Things Now Living (ELW #881)
á Dismissal
P Go in peace. Christ is with you.
C Thanks be to God!