FOLLOWINGTHE LEADOF JESUS
Lent is, first of all, about God baptizing us into a life of faithful discipleship. Lent attests to the power of the cross through word and water, bread and wine to conform the lives of God’s people to the image of Christ. Lent prepares us and leads us to the life-giving cross which ends not in death but resurrection. The tone of this Lenten order of worship—in the midst of its call to turn, repent, and be cleansed of sin— is one of promise and hope. Sunday after Sunday the Scripture Readings reflect God’s promises. These promises are centered in the fact that God sends Jesus not to condemn the world but to invite, seek, heal, and raise those entombed in tradition, culture, sickness, and death. Over and over we will see, hear, touch, and taste, how the impossible difficulties of sin are met with the promise of God’s saving action.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
WE REMEMBER OUR BAPTISMS, CONFESS OUR FAITHLESSNESS,
AND HEAR GOD’S FAITHFUL PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS
Pastor: Let us return to our gracious and merciful God,
remembering God’s life-giving promises declared at our baptisms,
and confessing our need for God’s continual healing.
Ever-loving God,
People: through the gift of baptism
you give new birth to your children
by water and the Spirit.
Yet we seem to remember only that we
come from dust and return to dust.
We forget that we are also born from grace.
We prefer to hide in our darkness,
rather than receive your gracious light and life.
We thirst for all those things and desires that can never satisfy.
We are blind to all the ways you invite us to come and see your goodness.
We wander from your promises and
find ourselves entombed in the ways of death.
We use your gifts to our own ends,
are reluctant to share these gifts with others,
and treat the gifts of your creation with carelessness.
Turn us again, O God.
Renew us.
Forgive us our sin,
and gather us again into your abundant life.
Pastor: A world cut off from God can never hope to be a place of life.
But God is not cut off from us.
God so loved the world that having sent the Son, Jesus,
we are gathered into God’s embrace of forgiveness and abundant
life.
We are reconciled to God.
Once lost, we are now found.
Once dead in sin we are now alive.
For the sake of Jesus Christ,
I declare to you the good news that
grace, mercy, forgiveness, and peace are yours.
People: Amen.
GATHERING
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL WITH PRAISE AND PRAYER,
AND PREPARE TO HEAR GOD’S WORD OF LIFE
GREETING
Pastor: From our God who loves us with an everlasting love
who brings forth a new creation in Christ,
who leads us by the Spirit in the wilderness,
grace, love and abundant peace be with you all.
People: And also with you
KYRIE [click on the link below] https://youtu.be/b8WdyJHLUgg
Kyrie eleison Lord have mercy,
Christe eleison Christ have mercy
Kyrie eleison Lord have mercy
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us pray:
People: O God, our leader and guide, in the waters of baptism you bring us to new birth to live as your children. Strengthen our faith in your promises, that by your Spirit we may lift up your life to all the world through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
WORD
THE CHURCH HEARS THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD ACTING
IN THIS AND EVERY TIME AND PLACE
FIRST READING
Genesis 12:1-4a
Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.
SECOND READING
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
THE GOSPEL
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the third chapter.
People: Glory to you, O Lord.
John 3:1-17 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 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.
Pastor: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
[click on the link below]
HYMN OF THE DAY
“When Pain of the World Surrounds Us”
[click on the link below]
When pain of the world surrounds us with darkness and despair,
when searching just confounds us with false hope everywhere,
when lives are starved for meaning and destiny is bare,
we are called to follow Jesus and let God’s healing flow through us.
We see with fear and trembling our aching world in need,
confessing to each other our wastefulness and greed.
May we with steadfast caring the hungry children feed.
We are called to follow Jesus and let God’s justice flow through us.
The church is a holy vessel the living waters fill
to nourish all the people, God’s purpose to fulfill.
May we with humble courage be open to God’s will.
We are called to follow Jesus and let God’s Spirit flow through us.
We praise you for our journey and your abundant grace,
your saving word that guided a struggling human race.
O God, with all creation, your future we embrace.
We are called to follow Jesus and let God’s changes flow through us.
APOSTLES’ CREED
Pastor: Let us confess our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
All: 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 again 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.
TODAY IN OUR PRAYERS
Bill, Carol, Curtis, and Christine Buchkowsky, Teri Peterson, Wayne Turner, Janet Gregory, Marge McMillan, Kyrie Parimi, Doris Turner, Hilda Anderson, Linda Wolfe, Naomi, Bev Gregory, Dale Robinson, Audrey Hedlin, Mona Neher, Oma Ywo, Owen Peterson, Helga Halldorsdottir, Evaline Sanders, Wayne Andre, Pat Sarich, Lauren and Brandon Pelletier and baby Grace, the family of Norm Gregory, the family of baby Mavrick Gallant (Bev Gregory’s great-grandson), the family of Katherine Meger (Joshua Bratvold’s great grandmother), the family of Lois Jenkins (Ann Salmon’s mother), the family of John Beaven (Bev Gregory’s brother), and the family of Carl Rausch.
We remember the missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, the children and people buried in unmarked graves at residential schools and First Nation lands, and all those who have suffered the trauma of residential schools, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the people of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, the Palestinians and Israelis, Ethiopia and Tigray, Myanmar and the Rohingya Muslim refugees, Lebanon, all at the Mexico/United States border seeking refuge, the 100 million refugees and displaced persons, the people of Haiti suffering from political disasters, the victims and communities in Turkey and Syria devastated by earthquake, the people of New Zealand recovering from a cyclone, the victims and families of the train crash in Greece, those in the United States, Canada, and throughout the world caught up in racism and injustice and the resulting violence, and those throughout the world, in Canada, in our province, and in our community still threatened by the coronavirus and the many omicron variants.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE OF FAITH
[The congregational response after each petition is: “ GRANT US YOUR PEACE.”]
Pastor: As we journey with Jesus to the cross, the tree of life, witnessing to the transformation of life that comes with faith, repentance and forgiveness, let us pray for the renewal of the Church and the restoration of the whole world to the life of God, saying, “O God, in your compassion” and responding, “Grant us your peace.”
Petitioner: Merciful God, sustain your people by your Spirit as they often walk in doubt and darkness. Remind us of your promises in baptism to raise us up with Christ to new life, so that we may boldly spread the good news of new life in Jesus Christ and may be both a prophetic witness and a pastoral presence in a needy world. O God, in your compassion …
Petitioner: God of wisdom, through remembering our baptism you give us faith to repent, to turn to you, to rid ourselves of everything that is unfruitful in our lives. Cleanse us from being distracted by the darkness of this season, even by the thoughts of our own worthiness, and turn us toward the light of Christ and the abundance of his gifts. O God, in your compassion …
Petitioner: Righteous God, bring peace to all the peoples who strive with one another and others, who exploit and oppress. Restore your blessing promised to Abraham and Sarah for all the nations, bring aid and care to the hungry, poor, and oppressed, so that mercy, peace, and justice might reach to the ends of the earth. O God, in your compassion …
Pastor: Comforting God, you are a light to those who live in times of darkness. Be present with all who watch or worry in these times of night, with those beset by doubt, despair, illness, conflict, loss, and grief. We remember especially before you …. Bring them healing and restore their trust in you. O God, in your compassion …
Petitioner: God of new life, we give you thanks for water and wind in their many forms that nourish and renew the earth. Renew the creation, so that barren fields and burdened cities may become a blessing to all generations in every place. Renew all people that the goodness of creation might bear witness to your love for all that is yours. O God, in your compassion …
Petitioner: Praiseworthy God, you show us how to live in joy and peace. Raise us up from the waters of our baptism to be a new people sent forth into the world, not to condemn but to offer mercy. Lead us all through our times of barrenness and blindness to see that Christ was lifted up in death so that we might know God’s love and mercy for all creation. O God, in your compassion …
Petitioner: Sustaining God, Jesus through his suffering death shows us a new way of love and invites us to love one another as he loves us. Plant this Word in our hearts, so that in its power and love, our love may not grow cold in your service, nor that we may be tempted to fail, deny, or leave you, but in faith, cling to the cross and its way to life. O God, in your compassion …
Pastor: Gracious God, hear us as we pray. As you have made us and redeemed us, so now sustain us with your hope, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
THANKSGIVING
THE COMMUNITY PRAISES GOD FOR THE GRACIOUS GIFTS OF CREATION
AND THE SAVING DEEDS OF JESUS CHRIST
THE GREETING AND SHARING OF PEACE
Pastor: Sisters and brothers, rejoice, encourage one another, live in peace.
God through Christ has given us the gift of reconciliation.
People: Therefore, let us be reconciled to God and to one another.
Pastor: The peace of the Christ be with you always.
People: And also with you.
(If with others greet one another with a gesture of peace, using these or similar words: “Christ’s peace be with you.”)
THE OFFERING
(We worship God with the offering of our selves, our time, our talents, and our possessions.)
OFFERTORY SONG
“Create In Me”
[click on the link below]
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
Let me be like you in all my ways.
Give me your strength,
Teach me your song,
Shelter me in the shadow of your wings.
For we are your righteousness.
If we die to ourselves and live through your death,
We shall be born again to be blessed in your love.
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Pastor: Let us pray.
God our abundant Giver,
People: you provide us with every gift of creation,
and you quench our thirst with living water.
You have not fed us with bread alone,
but with words of grace and life.
Receive these tokens of your goodness to us.
May our lives be bread for the hungry
and streams in the wilderness,
signs of the abundance of your grace
in Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Pastor: Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:
People: 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.
SENDING
ALL RECEIVE THE BLESSING OF GOD, LEAVE IN PEACE,
AND ARE SENT OUT TO SERVE
BENEDICTION
Pastor: God give you the strength to raise up the cross of Christ,
wisdom to follow in the cross of Christ,
and the guidance of the Spirit to carry the cross of Christ
into our world.
People: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN
“The God of Abraham Praise”
The God of Abraham praise,
Who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days,
And God of Love;
I am the One I AM!
By earth and Heav’n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
Forever blessed.
The God of Abraham praise,
At whose supreme command
From earth I rise—and seek the joys
At your right hand;
I all on earth forsake,
Its wisdom, fame, and power;
And you my only portion make,
My shield and tower.
The God of Abraham praise,
Whose all sufficient grace
Shall guide me all my pilgrim days,
In all my ways.
You deign to call me friend,
You call yourself my God!
And you shall save me to the end,
Thro’ Jesus’ blood.
Your promise you have sworn;
I on your oath depend,
I shall, on eagle wings upborne,
To Heav’n ascend.
I shall behold your face;
I shall your power adore,
And sing the wonders of your grace
Forevermore.
DISMISSAL
Pastor: Reconciled to God through the life-giving cross of Christ,
let us go out into the world in peace..
People: Thanks be to God.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
TODAY AT KOG
– Sunday March 5, Coffee Social Hosted by Pastor Michael.
THIS WEEK AT KOG – Tuesday, March 7, Church Council meeting via Zoom, 7:30 p.m. – Thursday, March 9, Bev Gregory is hosting (154 Arrand Crescent) quilt-making bees every Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
COMING UP AT KOG – Thursday, March 16, Bible Study, “A Short History of Grace,” 7:30 p.m. Hosted by Karen McKenzie. We meet in Pastor Michael’s home, 1010 Duke Street. – Sunday March 19, Annual General Meeting. Potluck at 5:00 p.m. Meeting at 5:30, Worship at 7:00 – Wednesday, March 22, Women’s Breakfast Out, at 10:00 a.m. – Saturday, March 25, Men’s Breakfast Out at Mulberry’s Restaurant 2326 B Millar Avenue, 8:30 a.m. – Thursday, April 6, Bible Study, “A Short History of Grace,” 7:30 p.m. Host needed. We meet in Pastor Michael’s home, 1010 Duke Street.
January, February, and Year-to-Date Budget and Contribution Report for KOG
2023 Budget: $50,471 Monthly Budget: $4,260 Weekly Budget: $971
2022 income/expenses: $8,932.96
December income/expenses: $3,966.32
Weekly contributions for January: January 1: $470 January 8,15,22: $640
January 29: $0
Weekly contributions for February: February 5: $13,050 February 12: $250
February 19 and 26: $140
Thank you to all who shared their talent, brought baked goods, and/or attended the RESURRECTION/KING OF GLORY MUSICAL TALENT NIGHT
“A Short History of Grace”. This Bible and theology study looks at the ways grace is interpreted from the time of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, through St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther and to contemporary theologies of liberation.
Emergency Appeal – Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria: Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR), along with other leading Canadian aid agencies in the Humanitarian Coalition, is appealing for funds to assist those in need in Turkey and Syria affected by the earthquake and to support rescue efforts. Our focus right now is to provide blankets, shelter, life-saving clean water, food and healthcare. Please give what you can by donating at clwr.org/earthquake or by calling 1-800-661-2597 (office hours Mon-Fri, 9 am-4 pm), and pray for all those who are affected.
LENTEN SCHEDULE NTEN SCHEDULE
WEEKHOSTPREACHERStart timeWeek #2 (March 8) Augustana King of Glory7:30 PMWeek #3 (March 15) Resurrection Good Shepherd7:30 PMWeek #4 (March 22) Good Shepherd Zion7:30 PMWeek #5 (March 29) Redeemer Resurrection7:30 PM
St. David’s Trinity United Church
IRISH STEW SUPPER
Saturday, March 18th
Takeaway Meal Tickets: $20
(Curbside Pick-up from 3:30-5:00)
Extra dinner rolls and cookies are provided for
children’s shared meals.
Meal includes 12 oz. beef stew, soda bread, shamrock cookie
OR: Sit down Meal at 5:30 p.m.: $25
Sit-down meal also includes
dessert & coffee, tea, juice
Gluten free options are available.
You may order your tickets through Interac e-transfer to st.davidstrinityuc@sasktel.net or by cash or cheque during office hours
at 306 978-0707
(catered by Mulberry’s Catering)
St. David’s Trinity United Church
Music, Meditation and Muffins
Join us for 30 minutes of quiet reflection
every Wed. morning at 10:00 a.m.
for the 6 weeks of Lent (starting Feb. 22nd).
You are invited to stay for coffee to enjoy your muffin following your quiet time,
or you may take it home to enjoy.
Offerings.
(Please no cash for mail security reasons)
Send your contributions to: King of Glory Lutheran Church
3318 Merritt Street
Saskatoon, SK S7M 3P6
Thank you for your generosity.
King of Glory Lutheran Church 