The Celebration of the Gospel
March 9 , 2014— First Sunday in Lent
Jesus in the Wilderness, Stanley Spencer
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
— Matthew 4.1
We Gather as the Body of Christ
GREETING
PRELUDE Pie Jesu Andrew Lloyd Weber
* CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Gentle God, we are searching.
All: We come out into the wilderness with Jesus to find you.
Loving Christ, we are tempted.
We come out into the wilderness with you to find our way.
Holy Spirit, we are yearning for life.
You lead us out into the wilderness to find life.
We come to worship, to be filled with your Spirit, and to be changed.
Grant us your blessing. Grant us your mercy. Grant us your grace. Amen.
* SONG Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days Blue hymnal # 269
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
We Attend to the Word
(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG Amazing Grace
Arr. Alice Parker and Robert Shaw (Rich Dickey, solo)
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,
to see all that is in us that is loving,
and all that is not loving.
By the grace that we know in Christ,
forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us.
SILENT PRAYER … THE WORD OF GRACE
RESPONSE
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Loving God, Jesus went out into the wilderness to face his temptations. Help us go with him, to see ourselves clearly, to know your love for us, and to let ourselves be changed by your Spirit at work in us. We enter the desert silence to hear your grace. Jesus, help us listen. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Genesis 2.15-17; 3.1-7
[Sin is the fear, distrust and attachments that lead us away from God and away from life. Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil—not the tree of life.]
Yahweh took the earth creature and settled it in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And Yahweh commanded the earth creature, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Now the serpent was more of a smooth operator than any other wild animal that Yahweh had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
* PSALTER Psalm 32
[We confess that when we hide our sin it eats away at us; but when we confess it, God forgives us.]
How blessed we are, that you forgive us so completely!
When we’re honest, we know our sin,
yet you treat us as if we have none.
When I tried to deny my brokenness
the wound ate me up from within.
Then I got honest with myself.
I stopped trying to hide.
I confessed my waywardness to you,
and you forgave me— you forgave me!
Therefore we have come to trust you deeply,
and we offer prayer to you.
Even in this anxious flood
the seething waters won’t reach us.
You are our hiding place, our safe place.
You surround us with songs of deliverance.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!
Oh, sing for joy, you whose hearts have been saved!
GOSPEL Matthew 4.1-11
[Jesus, in solitude, faces his temptations. He desires power, comfort, security, wealth, belonging, superiority—things we all crave—but he can only receive them from God; any effort to secure these for himself lead him away from God and away from authentic life.]
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Only Begotten, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “Scripture says, “We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Only Begotten, throw yourself down; for scripture says, “God will command angels concerning you,’ and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “You will worship the Most High God; God alone will you serve.’ “Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
SERMON
SONG Jesus, Tempted In the Desert Black hymnal # 2105
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
PASSING THE PEACE
We Share at Christ’s Table
OFFERING OUR GIFTS A Prayer Of Need Penny Rodriguez
* COMMUNION SONG
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Blue hymnal # 626 vv. 1-2
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is good to give God thanks and praise
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
SHARING THE HOLY MEAL [Everyone is welcome at the table of Christ’s self-giving love.
The bread is wheat-, soy- and dairy free. We dip the bread in the juice.]
PRAYER OF BLESSING
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us, for we live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. Send us into the world in the power of your Spirit alone, to love and serve you in the name of Christ. Amen.
We Are Sent in Ministry to the World
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG Lead Me, Guide Me Black hymnal # 2214
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE [8:15- Please turn across the aisle and sing to one another.]
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you, my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
[10:30 Choir]
POSTLUDE The Lord Reigneth Lani Smith