4 Lent '24

GATHERING SONG “Let All Things Now Living” #881

CALL TO WORSHIP: Let the Redeemed of the Lord Offer Praise (Based on Psalm 107)

Let the redeemed of the Lord offer praise!

We praise you, O God, for life and breath and strength!

Let the redeemed of the Lord offer praise!

We praise you, O God for family and friends, for food and shelter!

Let the redeemed of the Lord offer praise!

We praise you, O God for a place to worship and friends on the journey!

Let the redeemed of the Lord offer praise!

We praise you, O God, for loving us and claiming us as your own. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Numbers 21)

God, we have sinned against you.

We have been bitten with the venom of hatred in our world.

We have oppressed the helpless.

We have been intolerant of others.

We have delighted in violence.

We have spent money foolishly.

Please, Lord God, forgive us our transgressions,

that we may be healed of our sin. Amen

WORDS OF ASSURANCE (John 3)

Hear now the loving truth of God:

God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

Those who believe in him are not condemned.

In Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.

Amen.

Call to worship; Copyright General Board of Discipleship. www.GBOD.org Used by permission. By Kwasi Kena and Safiyah Fosua.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. O God, rich in mercy, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world and rescued us from the hopelessness of death. Lead us into your light, that all our deeds may reflect your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

THE FIRST LESSON: Numbers 21:4–9

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

THE SECOND LESSON: Ephesians 2:1–10

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL INVITATION “Thy Word”

THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: John 3:14–21

The holy gospel according to Saint John. Glory to you, O Lord.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

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.

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. 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. 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. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 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."

The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON “Indeed” Pastor Phil Wold

HYMN OF THE DAY “Jesus Loves Me” #595

APOSTLES’ 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

THE SIGN OF PEACE IS SHARED

The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.

THE OFFERING AND OFFERING PRAYER

Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

LITANY OF THANKSGIVING (Psalm 107, John 3)