St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church

First Sunday in Lent
February 21, 2010


Prelude I Call to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ J.S. Bach
Organ

Welcome

We’re delighted to greet everyone in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who takes away our sin and offers grace to all people. If you are a guest, please fill out the Guest Form. If you’re looking for a meaningful ministry with which to become involved, you are encouraged to speak with the Pastor.

Gathering

(Please stand)
Brief Order for Confession & Forgiveness

P We gather in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
C Amen.

(Please kneel)
Confession
P Most merciful God,
C we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. 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. 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.

Absolution
P In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the ς Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.


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(Please stand)
Entrance Hymn The Glory of These Forty Days Hymn 320

Greeting
P The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all!
C And, also with you.

Kyrie Music on page 138
P In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P 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.
C Lord, have mercy.
P For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
C Lord, have mercy.
P Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
C Amen.

Prayer of the Day
P O Lord God, you led your people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide us now, so that, following your Son, we may walk safely through the wilderness of this world toward the life you alone can give, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.

Word

Lesson
(Please sit) Deuteronomy 26:1–11

When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.” When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land

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flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.” You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

P The Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.


Psalmody Psalm 91





You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty—
you will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my stronghold,
my God in whom I put my trust.”
R
Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
and the Most High your habitation,
no evil will befall you, nor shall affliction come near your dwelling.
For God will give the angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways.
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
R
You will tread upon the lion cub and viper;
you will trample down the lion and the serpent.
I will deliver those who cling to me;
I will uphold them, because they know my name.
They will call me, and I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue and honor them.
With long life will I satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
R

Lesson Romans 10:8b-13

“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

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Children’s Message

Lenten Acclamation
(Please stand)




Gospel Luke 4:1-13
P The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke, the twenty-first chapter.
C Glory to you, O Lord.

After being filled with the Holy Spirit at his baptism, Jesus is led in the wilderness. Through his responses to the temptations of the devil he defines what it means to be called “the Son of God.”

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
P The Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to you, O Christ.

(Please sit)
Sermon Listen to Jesus . . . To His Stand Against Temptation Pastor Robert Wallace

(Please stand)
Hymn of the Day Bless Now, Oh God, the Journey Hymn 326


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Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,* who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayer of the People (Please kneel)
The prayers conclude:
P Receive our prayers, holy God, and give us all we need for this day and the days to come, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
C Amen.

Peace (Please stand)
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C And also with you.
(Please feel free to move about and share God’s Peace with one another!)

Meal

Offering (Please sit)

Anthem (8:30 am) How Firm a Foundation American Tune
Family Choir

Anthem (11:00 am) Lamb of God Most Holy Paul Christiansen
Gallery Choir

Offering Response (Please stand) Tune: Passion Chorale

C What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend.
For this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
Oh, make my thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee.

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Offering Prayer

P Holy God, gracious and merciful, you bring forth food from the earth and nourish your whole creation. Turn our hearts toward those who hunger in any way, that all may know your care; and prepare us now to feast on the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
C Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving Music on Page 144
P The Lord be with you.
C And also with you.
P Lift up your hearts.
C We lift them to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Proper Preface

Sanctus Music on Page 144
Holy, holy, holy Lord. God of pow’r and might
heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosanna, Hosanna.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Words of Thanksgiving
P . . . as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
C Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
P . . . Grace our table with your presence.
C Come Holy Spirit.
P . . . Send us forth . . . peace and love.
C Come Holy Spirit.

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.






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Communion
All baptized Christians are invited to share in the Eucharist. Those who are not baptized, or wish to receive only a blessing, are asked to fold their arms over their chest. Communion will be by intinction (dipping). Please follow the usher’s direction. If you are not physically able to come forward to receive communion, please inform the usher and someone will come to you.

Music at Distribution (Please sit)

Agnus Dei Music on page 146

Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world: grant us peace.

Hymns 522, 319

Post Communion Blessing and Prayer (Please stand)

P Compassionate God, you have fed us with the bread of heaven. Sustain us in our Lenten pilgrimage: may our fasting be hunger for justice; our alms, a making of peace; and our prayer, the song of grateful hearts, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
C Amen.
P The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and ς give you peace.
C Amen.

Sending Hymn When Peace Like a River Hymn 785

Dismissal
P Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.

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Today, with the beginning of Lent, we will use a different musical setting of the liturgy. It is setting 3 in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship beginning on page 138.


Music reproduced with permission by Augsburg Fortress.
Liturgies License # 23349


You may use this Bulletin to cover your parking in the Francis Marion or
Hutson Street Garage.

St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church * 405 King Street * Charleston, SC * 843.723.1611

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