Prelude Harbor Brass Quintet
Bells, Welcome, Announcements and Sharing
R It is written in the Scriptures that 16 “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.
C It is also written: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
R For preaching that we are saved by the grace of God alone, Martin Luther was
summoned to the court of the Empire. Before the Emperor and surrounded by
lords and princes, Luther was ordered to retract his preaching and writing. He
was afraid for his life, and given one day to answer. When the time came, he
prepared for the worst, and said this:
C Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear
reason, I am bound by the Scriptures and my conscience is captive to the
Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe
nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.
R This is the story of our faith heritage.
á Hymn Crown Him with Many Crowns (#855)
Bridges, Thring
1 Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne;
hark, how the heav’nly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless king
through all eternity.
3 Crown him the Lord of love–
behold his hands and side,
rich wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified.
No angels in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
but downward bend their burning eyes
at mysteries so bright.
4 Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o’er the grave
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save.
His glories now we sing,
who died and rose on high,
who died, eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.
á Confession and Forgiveness
P I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed. I pray God Almighty have mercy on me, forgive me all my sins, and bring me to everlasting life.
C Almighty and merciful God grants to you healing, pardon, and forgiveness of all your sins through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
C I confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed. I pray God Almighty have mercy on me, forgive me all my sins, and bring me to everlasting life.
P Almighty and merciful God grants to you healing, pardon, and forgiveness of all your sins through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn Change My Heart, O God (#801)
Eddie Espinosa
Change my heart, O God; make it ever true.
Change my heart, O God; may I be like you.
You are the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me; this is what I pray.
Change my heart, O God; make it ever true.
Change my heart, O God; may I be like you.
Litany
P We praise you, all-holy God,
C our Lord, our Redeemer, the Strength of Truth,
P for the universe beyond our knowing,
C for seas and forests and fields,
P for creatures seen and unseen,
C and for the places we humans call home,
P We praise you for your covenant people,
C for Moses and Miriam and Aaron, for Jeremiah and the psalmists,
P and for centuries of faithful Christians, for Mary Magdalene, Peter and Paul,
C for Martin Luther, Katie Luther, for Bach and Bonhoeffer and for all
servants of the Reformation.
P We praise you, O God, for Jesus Christ, who saves us from sin and from evil,
C embodying forgiveness, granting us grace, setting us free, Amen
Call to Worship
Prayer of the Day
R The Lord be with you,
C and also with you.
R Let us pray…
C Mighty Lord,
The splendor of Solomon’s temple cannot compare to the majesty of your heart. Show your heart in this place, that we might worship you with joy and gratitude. Amen.
Choir Anthem
Kids in the Kingdom
Gospel John 2:16–21
L The Holy Gospel from John in the 2nd Chapter
C Glory to you, O Lord
16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body.
L This is the Gospel of our Lord
C Praise to You O Christ
Reading 1st Kings 5:1-5, 8:1-13
Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram had always been a friend to David. 2 Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. 5 So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 All the people of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the festival in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. 4 So they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. 8 The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
12 Then Solomon said,
“The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
13 I have built you an exalted house,
a place for you to dwell in forever.”
L This is the Word of the Lord
C Thanks be to God
Sermon Brendan Johnston
á Hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (#504)
Creed: Martin Luther on the God the Spirit
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.
Offering Prayer
P Merciful God,
C we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayers of Bethlehem
During the prayers, there will be an opportunity for you to lift up a thanksgiving, a prayer concern, the name of someone on your mind today. All are encouraged to join in this time of public prayer.
L … Hear us O God…
C …Your mercy is great.
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.
P Come to the banquet, for all is now ready.
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 The Lord’s Prayer Brass Quintet
á Post Communion Prayer
P Let us pray… O God,
C we give you thanks
that you have set before us this feast,
the body and blood of your Son.
By your Spirit strengthen us to serve all in need
and to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
LEAVE TO LIVE THE WORD
á Blessing
P Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and forevermore.
á Hymn How Great thou Art (#856)
Carl G. Boberg
Dismissal
P Go in peace. Christ is with you.
C Thanks be to God!
Postlude Harbor Brass Quintet