The Covenant Keeper-2nd Sunday in Lent-LCMS Readings

Description

Luke 13:31-35 

God is in the business of making covenants.  The one He makes with Abram in Genesis 15 is a unique covenant because He doesn’t actually require anything from Abram.  In fact, when it comes time to make the covenant through the shedding of blood, Abram is completely asleep and unable to even make a vow to the Lord.  This is a great foreshadowing of the covenant that God makes with us through Jesus.  He gives us the blessing of Jesus through His sacrifice.  And He makes it unilaterally, meaning we cannot participate or add to the covenant through our own promises.  He gives it freely because of His grace.

 

… 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

Beautiful News

Matt Redman, ©2006 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

God With Us

Barry Graul, Bart Millard, Jim Bryson, Mike Scheuchzer, & Nathan Cochran, ©2007 Simpleville Music (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.) Wet As A Fish Music (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.) Catalogs Simpleville Music 

All Because of Jesus

Steve Fee, ©2007 Worship Together Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Six Steps BMI Designee (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

[Traditional Options]

O Love, How Deep

EH 448/449; ELW 322; LBW 88; LSB 544; LW 275; NCH 209; PH 83; WC 193; UMH 267; WR 244

Glory Be To Jesus

EH 479; HLC 143; LBW 95; LSB 433; LW 98

Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus

EH 495; HLC 95; UMH 325

  

Invocation and Introduction of Today’s Theme

Pastor:             O Lord God, we prepare our hearts and minds to worship You this day. 

ALL:                 Praise be to You, O God.

Pastor:             You have shown faithfulness to Your people through Your promises, from the covenant You made with Abram to the covenant made through Your only-begotten                                     son,  Jesus Christ.

ALL:                 Praise be to You, O God.

Pastor:             There is nothing we need to do to earn that blessing. You have given it to us freely. Even when we turn from You, Your boundless love and mercy is continually                                        offered to us. 

ALL:                 Praise be to You O God. 

Pastor:             We are also blessed to be a blessing to others who have not experienced the joy of Your salvation.  

ALL:                 Praise be to You O God. 

Pastor:             We give You praise, almighty God, now and forevermore!  

ALL:                 Praise be to You O God. 

Pastor:            Great are You LORD and worthy of glory! I lift up my voice and proclaim Your majesty and all that You have done for Your people. Great are Your promises, O                                          LORD. The covenant You make with Your people is strong and steadfast. You delivered Your promise to Abram that he would become a great nation, one whose                                      number would rival the stars in the sky. You delivered that promise to set up Your ultimate promise; a shoot from the stump of Jesse that would take on the yoke of                                all the world’s sins. It is through His death and glorious resurrection that the covenant has been restored, and that His people can revel and find joy in his salvation,                                and peace through life everlasting.  Holy is the LORD God Almighty! May You be worshipped and adored for all eternity!

  

Time of Greeting

 

Time of Confession and Forgiveness

[Alternate location:  following Message] 

Pastor:             Almighty God, we have acted as if Your covenant isn’t good enough for us. 

ALL:                 Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord. 

Pastor:             We have let our sinful nature and our spiritual laziness take precedent over Your word and Your ways.

ALL:                 Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord.

Pastor:             Our actions have also kept us from sharing the promise of Your covenant with others. We have hoarded a gift, even though we act as if we don’t want it. 

ALL:                 Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord. 

Pastor:             We don’t deserve Your covenant relationship. We deserve Your temporal and eternal punishment. Yet in Your divine wisdom, You know what we have done, even                                   when we try to keep these things a secret. We lay these sins out before You and repent of them. 

ALL:                 Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord. 

Pastor:             We pray for Your boundless mercy, for the sake of Your precious son Jesus Christ, so that we may once again enjoy the covenant relationship You have created. 

                                                    (pause for silent reflection) 

Pastor:             Almighty God has heard your cries for mercy, and has met your confession with compassion. I, as a called and ordained servant of the word, announce the grace of                                 our Lord and savior Jesus Christ to all of you. Your sins have been forgiven by His death and glorious resurrection. May the good tidings of God’s grace provide you                                 a  sense of spiritual renewal. Amen. 

 

… We Hear God’s Word …

[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]

  

First Reading:  Jeremiah 26:8-15 

Jerem iah is one of the prophets who spoke against the corruption of the temple and the priesthood.  It was blasphemous to say such harsh things against the religious establishment.  Jesus encounters this same resistance and is accused of the same thing as people talk about the destruction of the temple. 

 

⁸ But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! ⁹ Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house. ¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!” ¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard.¹³ Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you.¹⁴ As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵ Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”