Description
Exodus 3:1-15 & Luke 20: 27- 40
What’s in a name? Although our parents chose our given names, most of us have spent time contemplating and formulating names for social media and the like. Names can say a lot about someone. Moreover, how someone is introduced is even a bigger deal. How would you like to be introduced?
Today in our Old Testament lesson, Moses finds out what God’s name is and how He wants to be introduced. Many generations later, in our Gospel lesson, we hear Jesus silence ridiculous questions meant to distract His ministry by talking about that very introduction God spoke to Moses. Our God is the God of the living – and that includes all who have died in faith and now rest with Him.
We Lift Our Hearts in Worship
[Preservice options include videos (countdowns, worship music, welcomes), worship music CD, or live music by worship band.]
Time of Praise and Worship
Your Name
Glenn Packiam & Paul Baloche, ©2006 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music; Vertical Worship Songs (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)
How Great Is Our God
Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, & Jesse Reeves ©2004 worshiiptogether.com songs/Sixsteps Music/ASCAP
Forever Reign
Jason Ingram & Reuben Morgan, ©2009 SHOUT! Music Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Sony/ATV Timber Publishing (Admin. by Sony/ATV Sounds LLC) Windsor Hill Music (Admin. by Sony/ATV Sounds LLC) West Main Music (Admin. by Sony/ATV Sounds LLC)
[Traditional Options]
Alleluia! Jesus is Risen
ELW 377; LSB 474; WOV 674; WAR 306
Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love
BH75 74; EH 252; LSB 900; LW 182
O Savior, Precious Savior
ELW 820; HLC 98; LBW 514; LSB 527; LW 282
Invocation
Deuteronomy 6:4
Pastor We gather together in the name of the great I AM!
ALL Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Opening Prayer
Pastor Lord God Heavenly Father, we praise you for gathering us this day in your presence. This is holy ground because you have come to us and called out, “Here I am.” We pray that you would remove distractions from us during this time together, that we may fully enjoy and grow in your presence.
ALL Guide us and bless us Lord. Amen.
Time of Greeting
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
Pastor Our Holy Lord is in our midst! It is just at this moment when we realize that we are not worthy to stand on His holy ground. Our sin separates us from His holiness and prevents us from living in His glorious light. Yet our Lord still comes to us, seeking us, desiring to be among us. Let us then confess our sins to our Merciful Lord. Take a moment to recall who you are in the midst of our Holy God.
(A time of personal reflection and confession)
Lord God, Merciful Father,
All I don’t deserve to be in your presence. I shouldn’t even be allowed to speak your name. I have sinned against you and not loved my neighbor as I should. I have ignored your love for me and presence in my life. But you have come to me this day and I trust in your promises. Forgive me Lord, have mercy on me for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Pastor The apostle Paul says in Ephesians:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
Jesus proclaims in our Gospel lesson today that our God is a God of the Living. Although we were dead in our sin, our Lord has raised us to new life. In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of the Living, I forgive you all your sins in the name of The Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All Amen! Praise be to God!
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Exodus 3:1-15
The Lord has heard the calls from His people in slavery in Egypt. He comes to Moses, now a shepherd, in a burning bush and sends Him to save God’s chosen people. Moses is bold enough to ask of God what His name is so Moses can declare properly who is saving the people. God answers and we hear God’s personal name: “I AM.”
1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Mose
s, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.
