https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iTLPwEoZN4

Walking as Children of Light means doing what is Good, Right, and True!

 OURTH SUNDAY IN LENT – March 19, 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 Announcement email: zionclyman@gmail.com

AS WE GATHER – Recently published health guidelines suggest that it is of significant benefit that adults walk about 10,000 steps each day. The guidelines do not suggest where or how or even when that walking should be done during the course of a day. It simply states that walking is good for us and our health.  In the same way, walking spiritually in Christ is good for us!  Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus-“walk as children of light” and “seek what is good and right and true” (Ephesians 5:8b, 9b). As we daily walk with our Lord, God has promised that we will be blessed each day—no matter how many steps we take along the way!

Ringing of the Bell and Welcome

 Hymn  “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus”                    LSB 685

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

  Opening Sentences    Psalm 119:33–35, 40–41 –   Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.  Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law and observe it with my whole heart.  Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.  Behold, I long for Your precepts; in Your righteousness give me life!  Let Your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your promise.

Confession and Absolution-   Let us confess our sin to God, our gracious, heavenly Father.   Eternal God, I confess that I have sinned and need to be forgiven.  By nature, I am sinful from the very beginning of my life.  Through my thoughts, words, and deeds, I daily sin against You.  I have lived for myself in many ways, breaking Your commandments as I have lived against Your holy will.  I have walked in the darkness of bad choices and have left unfulfilled opportunities to do good and be a blessing to others.  O God, in Your mercy forgive my sin and free me from selfishness and indifference, that I may joyfully follow Your will and gladly obey Your commandments.  Graciously forgive my sin in Your Son, my Lord, Jesus Christ, and direct me in Your ways of compassion and love. 

God promises to hear those who turn to Him with repentant hearts.  He has heard your repentant cry.  Upon this your confession, in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. Go in X His peace.    Amen.

Introit Psalm 27:4–6; antiphon: Psalm 25:15 – My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.  Lectern:  One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.  Pulpit: For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.  Lectern:  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, Pulpit: and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.  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.  My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.

 Kyrie LSB 186

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

 Prayer of the day –  Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You in Your grace love us and receive us as Your children providing for all our needs of both body and soul.  Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; 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   Isaiah 42:14–21 – (The Lord turns darkness into light.)

  “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back.  But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.  I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools.  I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.  These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.  But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame.  “Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!  Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the Lord?  You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing.”
It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.

 Psalm Psalm 142; antiphon: v. 5 – I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”   Pulpit: I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.  Lectern: I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.  When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.  In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.  Pulpit: Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me.  I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.  Lectern: I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”  Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.  Pulpit: Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.  Lectern:  Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.  I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”  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.

Epistle Ephesians 5:8–17   (Walking as children of the light) –   For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.  This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Gradual and Verse Psalm 36:9, Hebrews. 12:2 – You, O Lord, are the light of the world!  Let us walk as children of Your Light!  Pulpit: O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,   Lectern:  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.  You, O Lord, are the light of the world!  Let us walk as children of Your Light!

Holy Gospel  John 9:1-7, 13-17, 28-41  (Jesus heals a man who had been born blind.)

The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the ninth chapter.  Glory to You, O Lord.

 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.  As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent).        So, the man went and washed, and came home seeing.  They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.  Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.  Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.  “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”  Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”  But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?”  So they were divided.  Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him?  It was your eyes he opened.”  The man replied, “He is a prophet.”        Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple!  We are disciples of Moses!  We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”  The man answered, “Now that is remarkable!  You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does his will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”  To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!”  And they threw him out.  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  Who is he, sir?” the man asked.  “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”  Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”  Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.  Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”  Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.     This is the Gospel of the Lord.   Praise to You, O Christ.

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.

Hymn  “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”     LSB 411

Sermon

Prayers of the Church

** We gather our Tithes and Offerings **

Offertory                                                                       LSB 192

Service of the Sacrament

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, Lord our God.  You call us to be Your people who acknowledge our sin and who find our hope of salvation in You alone.  Direct our lives in ways of faithfulness, discovering what is good and right and true and rejoicing in Your undeserved love for us.  Grant that we may receive the body and blood of our Lord here given as the guarantee of our salvation and as a foretaste of the feast to come in Your eternal kingdom.  To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and praise, together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.   Amen

 Sanctus  LSB 195

 Prayer of Thanksgiving – Lord God Almighty, we bless You for the gift of light eternal that is ours in Christ Jesus, who has called us into the brilliance of His eternal kingdom.  Now gathered at Your Table, grant that we be strengthened in faith toward You and in an active love for one another as we await Your final coming in glory.  Send Your Holy Spirit upon us to sanctify us, leading us into discovering what is good and right and true and renewing us in body and soul for the sake of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we offer our thanksgiving.     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 197    P    The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Agnus Dei                                                                     LSB 198

We Celebrate our Lord’s Supper

Distribution Hymns:  “O Son of God, in Galilee”    LSB 841    “Glory Be to Jesus”   LSB 433                                “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed”   LSB 398

 Post-Communion Canticle –    Nunc Dimittis  LSB 199

Post-Communion Thanksgiving – Blessed are You, almighty God, for by You we have been fed and nourished with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Strengthen us through this Holy Meal in faith toward You and in caring love toward one another as we live out our callings.  With Your loving grace, hear our prayers and grant all that is best for us according to Your good and gracious will.  Grant us Your abiding peace as we await Your eternal kingdom.  In the name of Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life, we pray.    Amen.

Benediction – The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.  The Lord look upon you with favor and X  give you peace.     Amen.

Hymn:  “Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies”      LSB 873

_______________________________________________

 *Announcements*

From the Board of Stewardship and Evangelism:   Psalm 142:5 – “I cry to you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’” The Lord is our portion, our refuge, our everything. His mercy preserves us through all our days in the land of the living. This confidence frees us from the fear that so often leads to sins of greed and coveting. We have the Lord, we have a Father, He is in control, so we can follow His Word in confidence.

The Pewpoint – THEME OF THE DAY – By His Word of the Gospel, Jesus Calls Us Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light –  The Lord is grieved by the spiritual blindness of His people, yet in mercy He does not forsake them. He restrains His anger and keeps His peace, until He opens their ears and eyes to hear and see Him. “For his righteousness’ sake,” He magnifies His Word and makes it glorious in the coming of Christ Jesus (Is. 42:21). Jesus turns “the darkness before them into light” (Is. 42:16) because He is “the light of the world” (John 9:5). The incarnate Son of God does the works of His Father and displays the divine glory in His own flesh “while it is day,” until that night “when no one can work” (John 9:4). By the washing of water with His Word, He opens the eyes of the blind and grants rest to the weary. Therefore, though “at one time you were darkness,” now “you are light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8). By our Baptism into Christ, we live in the eternal day of His resurrection, wherein He shines upon us. As often as we fall back into the darkness of sin, He calls us by the Gospel to “awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead” (Eph. 5:14).

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

Envelopes $9488.95  Plate $112  Music Fund $20    General Memorial: Eli Dornfeld $50

Attendance:  Sunday Service: 44   Communed: 38     Lent Service:  26    Communed:    24

Upcoming Opportunities

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 9^th –Easter Services @ 630am & 830am – with Easter    Breakfast between services

 Birthdays

 

Bria	3/19
Jennifer	3/20
Lana	3/24
Debby	3/26
Ruth	3/26
Seth	3/27
Steven	3/27
Cameron	3/27
Mary	3/30
Nancy	3/30
Levi	3/31

Wish a Happy Anniversary to:

Thomas & Jayne

3/22

The new April thru June portals of prayer are available in the narthex or back of church.

We also received the March Lutheran Witness which also are located in the narthex and back of church for you to pick up a copy.

One more thing that we received in the mail. St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Hustisford is having a St. Patrick Day Dinner with Irish Dancers on March 19th. Menu items are traditionally corned beef and cabbage along with other sides such as carrots, boiled potatoes, salad etc.

For more information, please see the announcements posted on the doors in the narthex and the back of church.

There’s an Easter Sign-up sheets for the Breakfast. If you can spare time to set up or work for the breakfast please put the time that works for you. Also if you want to donate for the breakfast you sure can do that.

There’s also a sign-up sheet for Easter Flowers – let’s make the altar as beautiful as we can.