https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWX_4BMjb-o&t=7s

God counts faith as Righteousness! –  SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT  March 5, 2023

ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH – LCMS – 700 Main St.  P.O. Box 220   Clyman, WI  53016

Pastor Dan 1-(920)-341-2025       shepherdatzion@gmail.com

 Bulletin Announcements –  email: zionclyman@gmail.com

AS WE GATHER – A lesson from our Confessions about  The power of the Cross of Christ-  One of the original purposes for the Lutheran Confessions was to respond to questions about what Lutherans believed, taught, and confessed regarding Christian doctrines.  The Apology of the Augsburg Confession addresses the teaching about the sufficiency of the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ in this way: “We teach that the sacrifice of Christ dying on the cross has been enough for the sins of the whole world.  There is no need for other sacrifices, as though Christ’s sacrifice were not enough for our sins.  So people are justified not because of any other sacrifices, but because of this one sacrifice of Christ, if they believe that they have been redeemed by this sacrifice.”  For those who realize the price paid by Jesus on the cross to win salvation, the cross itself becomes a source of wonder and praise. That sense of holiness found in the cross is lyrically presented in the great Lenten hymn by John Bowring, “In the Cross of Christ I Glory.”(A distribution hymn today)

Ringing of the Bell and Welcome

Hymn  “The God of Abraham Praise”                     LSB 798

Invocation- In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.    Amen

 Opening Sentences  Psalm 25:1, 2a, 4–6, 7b-   Men: To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.   Women:  O my God, in You I trust.  Men: Make me to know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.  Women: Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long.  Men: Remember Your mercy, O LORD, and Your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.   Women: According to Your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of Your goodness, O LORD!

Confession and Absolution-  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.        Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean.  We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment.  For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.  Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name.  Amen 

Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins.  As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the X Son, and of the Holy Spirit.     Amen.

Introit     Psalm 121; antiphon: v. 8-    The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.  Men:  I lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from?    Women: My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber;  indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  Men The Lord watches over you–the Lord is your shade at your right hand;   Women: the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
Men: The Lord will keep you from all harm–he will watch over your life;   Women: the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.      Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.  The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Kyrie LSB 152     In peace let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.  For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, have mercy.   For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, have mercy.  For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, have mercy.  Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.  Amen.   

Salutation –   The Lord be with you.     And with thy spirit.

Prayer of the day –   O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength to save ourselves or defeat satan.  By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts and temptations that may assault and hurt our soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.    Amen.

Old Testament Reading   Genesis 12:1–9     (God promises to bless the world through Abram)     The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.  “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.  Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.  Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.  At that time the Canaanites were in the land.  The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.”  So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.  From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.  There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.  Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

 Epistle Romans 4:1–8, 13–17    (The faith of Abraham, who believed God, is remembered.)     What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?  If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about–but not before God.  What does the Scripture say?  “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.  However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.  David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.   Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”  It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.  For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath.  And where there is no law there is no transgression.  Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring–not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.  He is the father of us all.  As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed–the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Gradual and Verse  John 3:16; Hebrews 12:2    For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  Women:  O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,     Men:  who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Holy Gospel  John 3:1–18    (Jesus teaches Nicodemus about being born again.)      Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.  For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”  In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  “How can a man be born when he is old?”  Nicodemus asked.  “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”  Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”   “How can this be?”  Nicodemus asked.  “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?  I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.    This is the Gospel of the Lord.   Praise to You, O Christ.

 Hymn  **vs 5-10** “Salvation Unto Us…”           LSB 555

Sermon

Apostles’ Creed-    I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.  And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the Church

** We gather our Tithes and Offerings **

 X Service of the Sacrament X 

Preface   2 Timothy 4:22 – The Lord be with you.  And also with you.  Lift up your hearts.  We lift them to the Lord.  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.  It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

Proper Preface-   It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for You have brought to us the gift of Your salvation in our lives.  Above all, we bless You and give thanks for Your love for the world shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son not to condemn the world but as the conqueror of death.  Through the working of Your Holy Spirit, bestow upon us Your peace and abiding joy, Lord, now and forever.  Together with angels and archangels and with all that rejoice in the courts of heaven we praise Your glorious name and sing:

Sanctus  LSB 161

Prayer of Thanksgiving –   O Lord of heaven and earth, we bless You for the gift of faith that clings to Your gracious promises in Jesus Christ, our Lord, who gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice for us so that our lives may know true peace and endless joy.  Invited by Your grace, we come to Your Table with thankful hearts.  Strengthen us through Christ’s body and blood that we may continue living as Your children before the world, joyfully awaiting the eternal feast in glory everlasting.     Amen.

The Words of Our Lord – Consecration of the Elements

 Proclamation of Christ     1 Corinthians 11:26; Revelation 22:20 –     As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.   Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

Lord’s Prayer –   Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.       Amen.

 Pax Domini  LSB 163 –  The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Agnus Dei                                                                     LSB 163

We Celebrate our Lord’s Supper

Distribution Hymns:   “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer”   LSB 918   “In the Cross of Christ I Glory”                    LSB 427     “Jesus Lead Thou On”                                             LSB 718

Post-Communion Canticle –   Thank the Lord LSB 164

 Post-Communion Thanksgiving –   Gracious God, we thank You for having welcomed us at Your Table, showing Your wondrous love and giving us a foretaste of the feast to come in Your eternal kingdom. Grant that what we have received with our lips we may keep with pure hearts, and that through the gift imparted to us in this present life we may hereafter receive life everlasting. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Savior.     Amen.

Benedicamus –  Let us bless the Lord.     Thanks be to God.

 Benediction –   The blessing of almighty God, the Father, the X Son, and the Holy Spirit be and remain with you always.     Amen.

 Hymn:  “Jesus, Refuge of the Weary”                 LSB 423

_______________________________________________

 *Announcements*

From the Board of Stewardship and Evangelism: –    John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This is perhaps the most well-known and beloved verse in the New Testament, for good reason. This simple Gospel message is the foundation for our whole life, including our new life in Christ. This new life is characterized by thankfulness and devotion to our Father who has provided for us so lavishly in Christ.

The Pewpoint –   THEME OF THE DAY – The Word of the Gospel Opens the Eyes of Faith and Fixes Them on Christ Jesus –    The Lord called Abram (Abraham) to leave his home and go to a land that God would show him. He also promised to make of Abram “a great nation,” to bless him and make his name great as a blessing to “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12:2–3). “Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Gen. 12:4), and in Canaan “he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord” (Gen. 12:8). He “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). Here the grace of God is manifested, that He “justifies the ungodly” (Rom. 4:5), not by works of the Law, but through faith in His promises. He removes all of our sins and lawless deeds through Jesus Christ, the offspring of Abraham in whom all the Lord’s promises are realized. This forgiveness of sins is the Word of the Gospel, the voice of the Holy Spirit, which “gives life to the dead” (Rom. 4:17). It opens the eyes of faith to behold Christ Jesus, the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14–15).

 YES IN CHRIST  —  Saying Yes With Our Treasures      Needed per week to make budget: $3,072

Envelopes $1,320     Plate $5       General Memorial: Eli Dornfeld $50

Attendance:     Sunday Service: 44  Communed:  35    Lent Service:  31   Communed:    27

Upcoming Opportunities

March 8th    –  NO Voice Choir

March 8th    –  Soup Supper 6pm

March 8th    –  Lent Service 7pm

March 12th    –  Daylight Savings – Spring  ONE HOUR Ahead SATURDAY WHEN YOU GO TO BED

March 15th    –  Voice Choir 545pm

March 15th    –  Lent Service 7pm

March 22nd    –  Voice Choir 545pm

March 22nd    –  Soup Supper 6pm

March 22nd    –  Lent Service 7pm

March 23^rd – Bread & Roses 430pm to 6pm

March 29th – Lent Service 7pm

April 6^th – Maundy Thursday @ 7pm

April 7^th – Good Friday @ 1pm

April 9th EASTER SUNDAY!!   Services at 6:30am & 8:30am

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

 

Karen R	3/5
Jayne G	3/6
Caden B	3/8
Donna M	3/9
Wyatt H	3/14
Ashley	3/15
Theo A	3/17
Thomas G	3/18
Bria C	3/19
Jennifer S	3/20
Lana S	3/24
Debby W	3/26
Ruth Z	3/26
Seth D	3/27
Steven S	3/27
Cameron C	3/27
Mary K	3/30
Nancy S	3/30
Levi M	3/31

 

Thomas & Jayne G

3/22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We received a letter from Janis Mikits which is the seminary student that we have for our mission work. Copies are in the back and in the narthex if you want a copy to see where he is in his work for God and also his family.