Call to Confession, Prayer of Confession, and Assurance of Pardon
Let us confess our sins before God, our help in times of trouble.
God of mercy, we begin this Lenten season in confession.
We do not live according to your ways, but according to our own.
We condone violence, participate in systems of injustice, and use power to our own advantage at the expense of others.
Forgive us, we pray, when we are tempted to follow paths other than those you set before us.
Teach us your commandments; help us to turn from evil in its many guises,
and turn us toward your kingdom drawing near.
In the waters of baptism, we are brought to new life Christ.
This is the good news of the gospel: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
Response
O Lamb of God
American fold melody, arr. Proulx
Jusun Kim, Piano and Voice
O Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us, Lamb of God,
and grant us your peace.
Prayer of the Day - Shari Durdin
Gracious God, in rushing waters and in dry wilderness, in every season and circumstance,
we need your sustaining word.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
proclaim the good news among us today so that we may repent and
believe and see anew how the time is fulfilled and the kingdom has come near;
in Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior. Amen.
1st Scripture Reading: Mark 1:9-15 - Shari Durdin
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
13He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,
15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
2nd Scripture Reading: Genesis 9:8-17 - Jeff Foels
8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
9“As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you,
10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.
11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,
15I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Sermon: “A Covenant without Condition” - Jeff Foels
Music: The Glory of These Forty Days
