First Lutheran Church
1663 Main St W Barnstable, MA 02668 office@firstcapecod.org
During Lent we are using:
The Divine Liturgy of Eastern Rite Lutheran Congregations
This is an abbreviated version of the Divine Liturgy used by the Ukrainian Lutheran Church. Mar 10
Please note our services are both live streamed and video recorded, your image may appear online.
Pastor: Rev Dr Derek J Cheek; Music Minister: Eric Williams; Office Administrator: Laurie Fogel; Sexton: Chuck Fillian One License # A728-108
Prelude
*** Show us Jesus *** Welcome
Please stand as you are able.
The Confession & Absolution
P: Beloved in Christ! Because you wish to partake of the holy body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, I call on you to insure you are worthy participants in this holy Mystery. Three things are necessary for worthy reception of the Lord’s Supper:
AM: First, you are not to take lightly your sins of thought, word or deed. Instead recognize that you have fallen short of God’s holiness. Such recognition should move in you a sincere sorrow.
Second, you should recognize this truth: by your own works you cannot blot out your flaws; or earn God’s forgiveness. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is the only sufficient ransom for our sins. Rest in this hope, and he will forgive you.
Third, desire to amend your life! Put aside anger and hatred; forgive; and call upon God, who will bestow on you his Holy Spirit. Then you will worthily receive the Mystery of the Lord’s Supper!
P: As a servant of Christ, and in the name of the Lord our God, I ask you, beloved in Christ: Do you believe that Jesus Christ is our only Savior? If so, then declare it by saying: I do so believe!
C: I do so believe!
P: Are you truly sorry that you have offended the Lord your God, the highest Good and the greatest Love? If so, declare it by saying: I am sorry!
C: I am sorry!
P: Do you reverently intend to amend your sinful life? If so, then declare it by saying: I do so intend!
C: I do so intend!
P: Because you are truly sorry for your sins, and in faith seek comfort in the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, I, called and ordained to proclaim the Word of God, declare to you the mercy of God and the forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
P: Let us bow our heads in prayer…Merciful God, heavenly Father, we thank you that you have not turned away from us, but have sent your only-begotten Son for our salvation. Through Christ you have shown us your great favor and tender mercy. We implore you: give each of us your divine strength, that we may resist all temptation and serve you alone! Amen.
The Invocation
P: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Blessed be the kingdom of the Father and of the Son + and the Holy Spirit, now and evermore.
C: Amen.
The First Litany
AM: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For the peace from above and the salvation of our souls, for the peace of the whole world, the welfare of the churches of God, and the unity of all people in the Holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For all people, that they, through faith in Jesus Christ, become children of our heavenly Father, and lead wise, honest, and truthful lives, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For our city and country, and for those who with faith, reverence, and the fear of God are gathered for this service, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For seasonable weather, for the abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for sound spiritual nourishment for our nation, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For those who travel, for the sick and the suffering, for captives, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For the pastors, teachers, and ministers of the church, and for all who serve others in the name of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
P: Remembering the examples of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and of all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and all our life, to Christ our God.
C: To you, O Lord.
The Antiphon
AM: Bless the Lord, O my soul; blessed are you, O Lord.
C: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
AM: He satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
C: He executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He is slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
AM: Only-begotten Son and immortal Word of God, who for our salvation became incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and become man, and was crucified,
C: O Christ our God, you trampled down death by death, to save us! 3
AM: You are worthy of all glory, honor, and worship, now and evermore.
C: Alleluia!
The Penitential Prayer & The Trisagion
P: O holy God, who out of nothing brought all things into being; who created man after your own image, and adorned him with wisdom and understanding; you do not despise the sinner, but instead appointed repentance unto salvation. O Master, visit us in your goodness, forgive us our sins, sanctify our souls and bodies, and accept from our mouths the thrice-holy hymn; for you are holy!
C: Holy God! Have mercy on us. Holy God! Have mercy on us. Holy God! Have mercy on us.
The Prayer of the Day
LP: O God, rich in mercy, by the humiliation of your Son you lifted up this fallen world and rescued us from the hopelessness of death. Lead us into your light, that all our deeds may reflect your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever
C: Amen.
Please be seated.
The Lessons
L: Let us be attentive to the reading of Genesis chapter 18.
L: And the LORD appeared to Abram by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three measures of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” …This is the Word of God.
C: Thanks be to God.
L: Let us be attentive! We hear the Wisdom of God from Ecclesiastes chapter 7.
Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. …This is the Word of God.
C: Thanks be to God.
The Holy Gospel
P: Let us stand attentively for the reading of the Gospel from John chapter 18.
P: Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. 5
They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. …This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
C: Praise to you, O Lord.
Please be seated.
The Sermon
The Creed
AM: Let us stand attentively, as we are able, and proclaim our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He 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, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We 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.
The Second Litany (the Prayers of the People)
Stand or sit as you prefer.
AM: Creator God, we are in awe of your handiwork. Grant us the wisdom to care for your creation by living in a way that honors it, renews it, and sustains it. Lord, in your mercy,
AM: God of peace and justice, show your mercy to people suffering from anarchy and oppression. Keep
us mindful of victims of war and violence in Ukraine and Russia, Palestine, Gaza, and Israel, Sudan, Myanmar, Iran, and all areas of conflict. Be with national and world leaders so they will advocate. for dignity and justice for every person. Lord, in your mercy,
C: We sing
AM: Compassionate God, you come to us in our suffering. We pray for any who are ill or in distress, especially our friends Michelle, Gabe, Maddie, Tina, Tommy, Barbara, Judy, Jeanne, Bobby, Lori, Paul, Al, John, Charles, Peter, Kelly, Carol, Prudence, Wisam, Nan, and those we now name out loud or in the silence of our hearts. Pause. We pray for those who have no one to pray for them. Lord, in your mercy,
C: We sing
AM: Holy God, we stand before you with humility and gratitude. We pray for our congregation and its ministry. We pray for our friends at St Mary’s Episcopal Church as they search for their next pastor. We come in reverence as we journey through Lent and as we gather for the word and the holy meal touch us with your love and mercy. Guide us to offer hospitality, friendship, and care to those in need. We thank you for the children in our congregation. Lord, in your mercy,
C: We sing
AM: Eternal God, trusting that the saints, prophets, and those who die in faith are held in your care, we remember them in thanksgiving. We ask you to place your compassionate hand on all who mourn. Lord, in your mercy,
C: We sing
P: Knowing the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, we offer these prayers and the silent prayers of our hearts in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
C: Amen.
The Cherubic Hymn
P: Let us with one voice glorify the majestic name of God.
C: Amen! Let us lay aside all earthly cares, and praise God: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Consecration
P: Stand with dignity! Stand with reverence! Ponder the great Mystery of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ!
C: May our worship be filled with repentance, love, and peace.
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, & the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: And with your spirit.
P: Let us lift up our hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to God.
C: It is good and right to worship the Father, the Son +, and the Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one God.
P: It is good and right to bless you, to praise you, and to worship you in every place of your dominion, for you are God ever-existing and eternal. You are worshiped by legions of archangels and angels, cherubim and the seraphim, who sing the triumphant Hymn:
P: You are indeed holy; you are most holy! You so loved your world that you gave your only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
C: Alleluia!
P: On the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you; Do this in memory of me.”
C: Amen.
P: In the same manner, after supper, he took the cup, and hallowed it. He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you, and for all people, for the remission of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of me.”
C: Amen.
P: Lord: Send down your Holy Spirit on all who will partake of your gifts, for the strengthening of their faith. By your Spirit renew us, who pray to you, and grant that with one mouth and one heart we may praise and glorify your most holy name, now and evermore.
C: Amen.
P: Again, in peace let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
The Third Litany
P: That the whole day may be perfect, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
C: Grant it, O Lord.
P: In unity of faith and in communion with the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life, to Christ our God.
C: To you, O Lord.
P: And make us worthy, O Master, that with boldness we may dare to call on you, O heavenly God, as Father, and pray:
The Lord’s Prayer
C: 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.
The Peace
P: Peace be to all of you.
C: And to your spirit.
We Greet one another with the Peace of Christ
Shake hands, fist bump, or other acknowledgments as you prefer.
The Children’s collection will be donated to Sharing Kindness, supporting those grieving or facing mental health challenges. If you have a gift for the church please place it in the plate in the Narthex.
The Communion Prayer
P: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
C: To you, O Lord.
The Invitation
AM: Let us be attentive! The holy things for the holy!
C: One is holy: the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
AM: In reverence of God, and with faith and love, draw near!
C: You are here in, with, and under this bread and wine. May the communion of your holy mysteries heal my soul and body. Amen.
If you have need of gluten free bread, please come first to receive
Please form a “circle” on the gold part of the carpet
You are welcome to light a candle in the middle window after you have received Communion.
The Post-Distribution Versicles
AM: O God, save your people and bless them!
C: We have seen the true Light and received the Holy Spirit! We have found the true faith!
AM: Blessed be our God always, now and evermore.
C: Amen.
The Concluding Prayer & Benediction
P: O Lord, Save your people, and bless them. Sanctify those who love the majesty of your house, and place their hope in you. Give peace to your world, to your church, to our nation, and to all your people. For every good gift is from above, coming down from you, the Father of Lights;
C: Amen. Blessed be the name of the Lord, evermore.
P: The blessing of the Lord be upon you through his grace and love, now and ever.
C: Amen.
Announcements
P: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.