MAR 9, 2022 - Lenten Worship

Preparing for the Journey: Who is God? March 9, 2022 - 7 PM Lent 2022 – Wednesday Worship – 7 PM March 16

The Journey In: Who are we?

March 23

The Center: Where we encounter God

March 30

The Journey Out: Women who have guided us in the wilderness

April 6

The Journey Beyond: Moving Forward

Holy Week Worship Sunday, April 10 8:15, 9:45, 11 am

Palm Sunday / Sunday of the Passion

Thursday, April 14 12 noon, 7 pm

Maundy Thursday

Friday, April 15 12 noon

Stations of the Cross

7 pm

Choral Tenebrae with folk hymns and spirituals

Saturday, April 16 10 am

Family Easter Celebration

7 pm

The Great Vigil of Easter

Standing

Invocation of the Holy Spirit / Procession of Fire and Water Hymn 577

Creator Spirit, heavn’ly dove Stanzas 1-2: Cantor and Choir Stanzas 3-7: Congregation

Thanksgiving for Baptism Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, the fountain of living water, the rock who gave us birth, our light and our salvation. | Amen.

A reading from the Psalms: The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is upon the mighty waters. O LORD, give strength to your people; give them, O LORD, the blessings of peace. (Psalm 29:3, 11) Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God’s mercy and forgiveness. Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.

We give you thanks, holy and gracious God, for you created the waters of the earth: wide oceans, rushing streams, clear lakes, mighty rivers. For the Chattahoochee River which brings life to this land, the traditional homeland of the Muscogee People.

You led your people through the sea and called them to life in covenant with you. Your Son was baptized in the river Jordan to begin his mission among us. You pour out your Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth. Through this water remind us of the gift of baptism.

Renew us in your promise so that we may serve this world in all its need; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. | Amen.

Almighty God, who gives us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit and forgives us all our sins, strengthen us in all goodness and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. | Amen.

Prayer of the Day Seated A period of silence will be kept, ending with the sound of bells.

Reading Exodus 3:1-14 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer!

Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

A period of silence will be kept, ending with the sound of bells.

Reflection

Pastor Ron Bonner

A period of silence will be kept, ending with the introduction to the hymn.

Remain seated

Hymn 326

Bless Now, O God, the journey

A period of silence will be kept, ending with the introduction to our song.

Kneeling or seated

Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

Standing

Blessing Peace The greeting of peace may be shared by all.