March 29, 2015
10:30 am Holy Communion Service
Grace Evangelical Lutheran, San Francisco
Welcome to worship at
Grace! Welcome to long-time
Lutherans, Christians from every tradition, and people new to faith. Welcome to
all who have no church home, want to follow Christ, have doubts, or do not
believe. Welcome to new visitors and old friends. Welcome to people of every
age and size, color and culture, every sexual orientation and gender identity,
socio-economic status, marital status, ability and challenge. Welcome to
believers and questioners, and to questioning believers. This is a place where
you are welcome to celebrate and sorrow, rejoice and recover. This is a place where lives are made new.
Special Welcome to
Newcomers Welcome
to our small community of faith. While
we are small in numbers, we have big hearts and a desire to grow. In order to help you follow along, we have
included all the materials you need for worship in this bulletin.
Please join us for worship any Sunday at 10:30am
that you are able. If you cannot join us
in person, you can also join us online via live stream or by watching the
archives of our worship and Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck anytime during the
week at our website (www.gracesf.com), or on our mobile phone app, Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck, is
available on Google Play and ITunes.
If you have any questions about the service
or about Grace, you can fill out the form in pew to let our pastor know you’d
like to chat. Or you can contact Pastor
Megan Rohrer at pastor@gracesf.com.
Prelude:
Palm Sunday Procession
When they were approaching
Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of
his disciples 2and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you,
and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never
been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3If anyone says to you, ‘Why are
you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here
immediately.’” 4They went away and found a colt tied near a door,
outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5some of the
bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6They
told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7Then
they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8Many
people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that
they had cut in the fields. 9Then those who went ahead and those who
followed were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11Then he
entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and
when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to
Bethany with
the twelve.
The congregation
processes and sings as they are able.
Gathering Hymn
Prayer of the Day: Marching God, be with us on our
journey. Amen
Welcome
First Reading
Isaiah 50:4-9
4The
Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may
know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens— wakens
my ear to listen as those who are taught. 5The Lord God
has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. 6I
gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the
beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. 7The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I
have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; 8he
who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. 9It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will
wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
Word of hope, word of
life. Thanks
be to God
Second Reading Philippians
2:1-13
2If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from
love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make
my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full
accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or
conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let
each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let
the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he
was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be
exploited, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being
born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled
himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9Therefore
God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10so
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, 11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12Therefore,
my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but
much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both
to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Word of hope, word of
life. Thanks
be to God
Special Music: Shepherd Me O God ELW 780
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel Reading Mark 15:1-39
As
soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders
and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed
him over to Pilate. 2Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the
Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” 3Then the chief priests
accused him of many things. 4Pilate asked him again, “Have you no
answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5But Jesus
made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
6Now
at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they
asked. 7Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who
had committed murder during the insurrection. 8So the crowd came and
began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. 9Then he
answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10For
he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him
over. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him
release Barabbas for them instead. 12Pilate spoke to them again,
“Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13They
shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil
has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” 15So
Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after
flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
16Then
the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s
headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. 17And they
clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown,
they put it on him. 18And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of
the Jews!” 19They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and
knelt down in homage to him. 20After mocking him, they stripped him
of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to
crucify him.
21They
compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross;
it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. 22Then
they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha
(which means the place of a skull). 23And they offered him wine
mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him,
and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should
take.
25It
was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26The
inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27And
with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. 29Those
who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would
destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30save yourself, and
come down from the cross!” 31In the same way the chief priests,
along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He
saved others; he cannot save himself. 32Let the Messiah, the King of
Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those
who were crucified with him also taunted him.
33When
it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34At
three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema
sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35When
some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.”
36And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a
stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah
will come to take him down.” 37Then Jesus gave a loud cry and
breathed his last. 38And the curtain of the temple was torn in two,
from top to bottom. 39Now when the centurion, who stood facing him,
saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s
Son!”
The gospel of the Lord. 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
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.
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.
Parent God, bless all who are
parents, the family and staff of the Grace
Infant Care
Center and all who have
created families. Take special care of
all who have lost children, parents or partners before their time. Help us to love the best we can. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
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 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 immigrants, refugees, the homeless, hungry and all who care for
and advocate for them. We pray for the
members of our congregation, their family and friends, who are need
healing. We pray especially, during this
season of Lent, for Anna Marie* who has requested our prayers for her
health. 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 diverse 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
Announcements
Sending Hymn
Dismissal
A: Go in peace and serve our God.
C: Thanks be to God.
Announcements: You can find
more information and find archived sermons and worship live streams at our
website: www.gracesf.com or on our blog:
www.sfgrace.blogspot.com
There will be no Bible Study
this week, due to the death of Pastor Megan’s grandfather, Ethan Audus. Pastor will be in South Dakota for the funeral Monday -
Thursday this week. Please don’t
hesitate to be in touch by phone (415-827-2587) or email (pastor@gracesf.com) if you need anything.
*Please let Pastor Megan know if you would like your
name to be included in Grace’s public prayers.
You may also add names of others to Pastor Megan’s private prayer list,
by giving Pastor a note with your prayer request on it. Special prayer requests in today’s bulletin
were submitted during our Ash Wednesday service.
Upcoming
Special Worship Dates
·
Sadder
with St. Paulus Lutheran @ Grace: the Evening of April 2nd
(worship)
·
Good
Friday April 3rd, 12pm
(worship)
·
Easter Sunday April 5th (worship)
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.
Scripture in this service is adapted from The
Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation, by Priests for Equality. 2009, Sheed & Ward. Kindle Edition.
The
traditional Lutheran liturgy is from Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2014
Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress
Liturgies Annual License #28429.
Hymns used
with permission for worship and podcast
under OneLicense.net #A-723548.
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.
Pastor
Megan Rohrer’s contact info: pastor@gracesf.com 415-827-2587
