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About the Season of
Lent: Lent is the time in the church year when we
get a little bit more solemn and serious.
Ancient Christians used this time to contemplate the fragility of life,
serve the poor and reoriented their lives towards health, love and
wholeness. Some people choose to give
something up and remember the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Others choose to add rituals or practices to
their life that help them enjoy life, decrease their stress or improve their
ability to care for the world.
Regardless of how you celebrate in your day-to-day life, we
hope you will join us at Grace for worship.
Our services during this season will focus more on confession and
forgiveness than other times of the year.
This is not because we believe that we are more in need of
forgiveness. Actually, Lutherans believe
that everyone is equally a saint and a sinner.
We also believe that God’s grace is a gift that erases all the times
we’ve done the wrong thing - even when we’ve enjoyed it. Our congregation’s name is Grace because we
really love how God names, claims and loves everyone.
So why so serious this time of year? We know that life is rough sometimes. Cancer, HIV/AIDS, depression, debt, racism,
the death of those who leave us too soon, war, poverty and homelessness and
countless other things are very real and heartbreaking. Faith and worship that ignores all the rough
things in life, leaves us unprepared, unable to mourn and unable to respond to
the unjust parts of life.
During this time of Lent, we invite you to sit with all the
uncomfortable parts of your life. Our
worship is designed to help you notice that even during the rockiest times, God
is with you and loves you.
If you would like support during your Lenten journey, please
reach out to Pastor Megan for a special visit or phone call.
Confession and Forgiveness
Please
stand. The sign of the cross may be made
by all in remembrance of your Baptism.
P In
the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
P Almighty
God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets
are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy
Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
P If
we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if
we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Silence for reflection
and self-examination.
P Most
merciful God,
C we
confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned
against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we
have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved
our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy
on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen
P Almighty God, in his
mercy, has given his Son to die for us and, for his sake, forgives us all our
sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his
authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins,
in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Greeting
P The Grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C And
also with you.
Gathering Hymn
Prayer of the Day:
Creating
God, you formed us out of dust, blew the breath of life into our bodies and
called us good. Help us reorient
ourselves towards you, to respect the fragility of our lives and to care for
our fragile bones. Amen.
First Reading
15
Then God took the earth creature and settled it in the garden of Eden so that
it might cultivate and care for the land. 16 YHWH commanded the earth creature,
“You may eat as much as you like from any of the trees of the garden— 17 except
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. You must not eat from that tree,
for on the day you eat from that tree, that is the day you will die—yes, die.”
…
3:1
But the snake was even more naked: the most cunning11 of all the animals that God
had made. The snake asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from
the trees in the garden?” 2 The woman answered the snake, “We may eat fruit
from all the other trees in the garden. 3 But of the fruit from the tree in the
middle of the garden, God said, ‘Don’t eat it and don’t touch it, or you will
die.’” 4 The snake said to the woman, “Die? You won’t die! 5 God knows well
that on the day that you eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like
gods, knowing good and evil!” 6 The woman knew that the tree was enticing to
the eye, and now saw that the fruit was good to eat—that it was desirable for
the knowledge it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave
some also to the man beside her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them
were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves
together and made loincloths for themselves.
Psalm: 32
1
Happiness comes from having your rebellion taken away, from having your failure
completely covered.
2 Happiness comes from God
not counting your mistakes, from having nothing to hide.
3
As long as I kept my stubborn silence, my bones grew weak because of my
constant complaints. 4 Day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength
was sapped by a summer’s heat.
5 Finally I admitted my
sin to you, and stopped hiding my guilt. I said, “I confess my rebellion, God,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
6
That’s why people of faith everywhere should pray to you—they’ll find you. Even
when the flood begins rising, it will never touch them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you’ll protect me from trouble
12
Therefore, sin entered the world through the first humans, and through sin,
death—and in this way death has spread through the whole human race, because
all have sinned. 13 Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given,
even though it’s not called “sin” when there is no law. 14 Even so, death
reigned over all who lived from our first parents until moses, even though
their sin—unlike that of our first parents—was not a matter of breaking a law.
15 But the gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of one couple
all died, how much more did the grace of God—and the gracious gift of the One
Jesus Christ—abound for all! 16 The gift that came to us is not at all like
what came through the ones who sinned. In the one case, the sentence followed
upon one offense and brought condemnation; in the other, the free gift came
after many offenses and brought complete acquittal. 17 If death began its reign
through one person because of an offense, so much more will those who receive
the overflowing grace and the gift of justice live and reign through the One
Jesus Christ. 18 To sum up, then: just as a single offense brought condemnation
to all, a single righteous act brought all acquittal and life. 19 Just as through
one person’s disobedience, all became sinners, so through one person’s
obedience, all will become just.
Gospel Reading
Gospel Reading
Matthew 4:1-11
41Then Jesus was led into the
desert by the Spirit, to be tempted by the Devil 2 After fasting for forty days
and forty nights, Jesus was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached and said, “If
you are the only begotten, command these stones to turn into bread.” 4 Jesus
replied, “Scripture has it, ‘We live not on bread alone but on every utterance
that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Next the Devil took Jesus to the Holy City ,
set him on the parapet of the Temple
P The gospel of the Lord. C Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Silence for reflection follows the sermon. The assembly stands to proclaim the word of
God in song.
Hymn of the Day (see insert)
Prayers of Intercession
A During this season of Lent, we pray for all
who long for better days, suffer, mourn and for the church, the world and all
people in their need. A brief silence.
A Creating God, help us take the time to enjoy
the world, live greener and love the animals and pets in our lives. God in your
mercy, hear our prayer.
A Parent God, bless all who are parents, the
family and staff of the Grace
Infant Care
Center
A Help our civic leaders to bring justice to a
war torn world and cultivate love beyond borders. Be with our bishops Elizabeth and Mark, our
pastor Megan and all the staff and leaders of our congregation. Help us to follow your path towards wholeness. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
A Help us to love each other, our neighbors
and care for the poor. We pray
especially for the homeless and hungry and those who care for them. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
A For whom and what else do the people of
Grace pray?
(Please offer - silently or aloud- petitions to God. End spoken petitions with “God in your mercy.”)
P Our prayers rise like
incense and are held by a loving God who yearns for us to be our best. May we find comfort, hope and love in our
days to come. Amen.
Peace
The presiding minister and the assembly greet each
other in the peace of the risen Christ.
P The peace of Christ be with you always. C
And also with you.
The people may greet one another with the sign of
Christ’s peace, and may say, “Peace be with you” or similar words. Then,
the assembly is seated.
Offering
An offering is gathered for the mission of the church,
including the care of those in need. After
the offering is gathered, the assembly stands.
Offering Prayer
A Let us pray. God,
bless our diversity gifts. Beyond our times, talents and treasures, we
give thanks for the relationships and visions that we bring into this holy
place. May our relationships with money, giving and receiving become one
of the ways we live our faith in the world. Amen.
Communion
P
It is indeed right, our duty and our
joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise . . .
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
P On 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.
The
Lord’s Prayer
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
Blessing
Dismissal
A: Go in peace and serve our God.
C: Thanks be to God.
Please join us for coffee and refreshments downstairs
in the Fellowship Hall.
To get to the Fellowship Hall, exit to the right of
the communion railing at the front of the church.
Important
Dates and Events Worship Services and Events in the Season of Lent:
·
Thursday Lenten Potluck Eucharist:
Each Thursday from March 13 to April 10, 6:30 pm at Grace (@3201 Ulloa St
·
March 22nd and 23rd,
JOB Conference: JOB (pronounced like the book of the Bible)
stands for Journey Outside the Box and is a conference planned by Pastor Megan
to provide an opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds to share
stories about faith, life and scripture.
Modelled after the TED talks, the JOB Conference continues the storytelling
style of scriptures and allows ordinary and extraordinary individuals to share
how God is working through their hands in the world. This event will be held at St. Paulus
Lutheran Church (@ 1541 Polk St
·
April 12th, Health and
Vision Event: This
Saturday from 10am -4pm Grace, in collaboration with SF CARES (Welcome, the
Night Ministry and St. Paulus Lutheran Church) will take our Lenten obligation
to serve the poor seriously. Free eye
exams and prescription glasses will be given away, along with lunch, clothing,
toiletries, books and other opportunities for whole body health care.
·
April 17th, Maundy
Thursday: This is
the night that we remember the woman who washed Jesus’ feet and Jesus’ request
that we serve others. This service will
include a special hand washing and blessing ritual. Join us for a joint worship
with St. Paulus Lutheran Church (@ 1541
Polk St
·
April 18th, Good Friday: This is the night that we remember
the death of Jesus on the cross. This
dark worship services helps us practice journeying through the darkest nights
of our soul. Join us for a joint worship
with St. Paulus Lutheran Church (@ 1541
Polk St
·
April 19th, Saturday
Easter Vigil: This
is the night that we journey from darkness towards light. This service is great for people who are
unfamiliar with Christian History or the Bible.
Over the course of a few hours, you can hear many of the most important
biblical stories and get a feel for how the ancient stories of the Hebrew Bible
weave into the story of Jesus life, death and resurrection. This is the traditional night when
individuals who are new to the faith are baptized. Join us for a joint worship with St. Paulus
Lutheran Church (@ 1541 Polk St
·
April 20th, Easter Sunday: This worship service is a
celebration! All are welcome to join
us. Whether you’re a regular at worship
or you only come once a year, the Grace family is glad to have you join
us. Join us at 10 am at Grace (@ 3201 Ulloa St
Pastor
Megan Rohrer’s contact info: pastor@gracesf.com
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