A Praying
Church
651.645.2575
www.mtolive-wels.net
Carl R. Henkel, pastor
651.631.8625
The Third Sunday in Lent
Thank You for sharing this time of worship with us. We're glad you're here! Please sign the Friendship Register. Do come
again! If you do not have a local church
home, we invite you to make your home with us.
Here you will find Christian love, opportunities for spiritual growth,
warm friendships, and a feeling of being part of the family of God.
Assisting Us In Worship This Morning
Florence
Juth, greeter
Greg
Schuyler, head
usher
Nicole
Burkhardt, organ & Clavinova
WORDS OF WELCOME
Today we are
again given the privilege to gather as the people of God to worship and honor
Him. As we do so, we want to open our
hearts to hear His Word, and we want to share what is on our hearts with Him in
prayer. His Word will remind us this
morning that history is filled with examples that are meant to serve as both
warning and encouragement for us. His
Word will also remind us that God often uses extraordinary measures to get our
attention. He wants us to be productive
participants in the pageant of life. As
we prepare for worship, let us spend a few moments in prayer. (You may use
the “Worshiper’s Prayer” as a guide.)
TIME FOR PRAYER
WORSHIPER'S PRAYER
Pray to God the Father, Jesus, Holy
Spirit
· Ask to be
made conscious of His presence
· Praise Him
for a specific attribute
·
Thank Him for His forgiveness
·
Thank Him for a specific blessing
·
Ask to be led by the Spirit as you worship
· Ask for help
to focus on worshipping God
not on pleasing self
· Thank for
opportunity to gather for worship
…with others
here
...with others
in community
...with
others in country
...with
others throughout world
...with
the angels in heaven
· Ask for Word
to be planted in your heart
· Ask for Word
to produce fruit in your life
· Ask for
awareness as you sing the hymns
· Ask for a
genuine amen to the prayers
· Ask for the
Spirit's presence in the pastor
· Ask for the
Spirit's gifting of the organist
· Ask for the
Spirit's help of each worshipper
May God answer your prayer so that He
may be glorified
in you and through you.
OPENING HYMN Hymn
#478
“With the Lord Begin Your Task”
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Pastor: For the times we have failed to live up to
the name of Christ in which we have been baptized,
People: forgive
us, O Lord.
Pastor: For the times we have lacked humility and
gentleness,
People: forgive
us, O Lord.
Pastor: For the times we have displayed impatience
and intolerance,
People: forgive
us, O Lord.
Pastor: For the times we have forgotten our
purpose for living as members of the body of Christ,
People: forgive
us, O Lord.
Pastor: For all the sins which rest heavily upon
our hearts...(silence for reflection) we turn in
repentance and ask that You would
People: forgive
us, O Lord.
Pastor: Receive the forgiveness Jesus won for you
by His suffering, death, and resurrection.
By the command of the Lord Jesus Christ, I announce to you that all your
sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.
And all God’s people said
People: Amen!
PRAYER
Pastor: The Lord be with
you.
People: And also
with you.
Pastor: Let us pray: Almighty God, gracious
Father, look with mercy upon those gathered in this place and send Your Holy
Spirit among us to unify us in Jesus. Enable us to live in a manner worthy of
our calling as Christians so that those who come into contact with us would see
in us the faith that is begun, established, and sustained through You, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CHORAL ANTHEM “Ah, Jesus Lord Thy Love to Me”
OLD TESTAMENT Exodus 3:1-8, 10-15
(God calls Moses to lead the Children of
Now Moses was tending the
flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert
and came to Horeb, the
When the Lord saw that he had
gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses!
Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." "Do not come any
closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are
standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses
hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of My people in
So now, go. I am sending you
to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of
Moses said to God,
"Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers
has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' Then what shall I
tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are
to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites,
'The Lord, the God of your fathers-- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and
the God of Jacob-- has sent me to you.' This is My
name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to
generation.”
PSALM (page
81 in front of the hymnal)
Psalm
38
EPISTLE LESSON I Corinthians 10:1-13
(God promises strength to resist temptations of all kinds.)
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact,
brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all
passed through the sea. They were all
baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same
spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the
spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless,
God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the
desert.
Now these things occurred as
examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not
be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down
to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." We should not
commit sexual immorality, as some of them did-- and in one day twenty-three
thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-- and
were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did-- and were
killed by the destroying angel.
These things happened to them
as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment
of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that
you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And
God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up
under it.
HYMN OF RESPONSE Hymn #272
“Create in Me a Clean Heart, O
God”
GOSPEL LESSON Luke 13:1-9
(The parable of the fig tree.)
Now there were some present at
that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with
their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I
tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
Or those eighteen who died
when the tower in Siloam fell on them-- do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in
Then He told this parable:
"A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for
fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the
vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig
tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
"'Sir,' the man replied,
'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around
it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it
down.'"
Pastor: This is the Gospel of our Lord.
People: Praise to You, O
Christ.
CONFESSION OF FAITH (sung
to the tune of Hymn #280)
I
believe in God the Father, Maker of the heaven and earth.
And in
Jesus Christ, our Savior, God's own Son, of human birth.
Virgin-born,
the Lord incarnate, Whom the Spirit did conceive,
Suffered
under Pontius Pilate; He's the God whom I believe.
Crucified,
was dead, and buried; down to hell in victory;
From the dead He rose the third
day; up to heaven triumphantly.
There
at God's right hand He's ruling; by His will the world is led.
He
will come to judge the nations, both the living and the dead.
I
believe in God the Spirit; in His church, His chosen band,
They
are joined in sweet communion; holy in His sight they stand.
I
believe in sins forgiven; I believe I'll rise again;
I
believe in life eternal. Amen! Amen!
Amen!
HYMN OF RESPONSE Hymn #386 stanzas 3 & 2
Our ruin God has
not intended; for our salvation He has yearned.
For this His Son to earth
descended, and then again to heav’n returned;
For this so patient evermore
He’s knocking at our heart’s closed door.
It is that mercy never ending,
which human wisdom far transcends,
Of Him, who loving arms
extending, to wretched sinners condescends.
His heart with pity still will
break whether we seek Him or forsake.
GATHERING OF OFFERINGS FOR THE LORD’S WORK
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: O Lord, those
who trust in You are blessed, no matter what trouble or trial comes their way;
lead us to know this blessedness with faith that we may be sustained amid all
the struggles of this life. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: As we read the
daily headlines, remind us that when bad things happen, it is not because of
divine retribution but a call to personal repentance. May we always seek to walk according to Your commands. Lord,
in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Help us amid
things we cannot understand, yet to cling to Your
mercy and to serve Your holy purpose, for which we have been set apart in
Baptism. Lord, in Your
mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Lead us to see
that when we produce good fruit it is You living in us
and living out Your life through us, and fill us with Your power that we may
honor You with lives of faithfulness and obedience all our days. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Knowing the
poverty of life apart from You, inspire us to proclaim
with energy the good news of Jesus Christ, that all people may know You, love
You, and serve You. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Make wise and
honorable those who lead our nation, our
world, and our church, that they may be guided by Your
wisdom and supported by our prayers, so that the poor may be uplifted,
the weak protected, and the cause of virtue honored among us. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Show to the
sick Your healing grace, to the suffering Your
comfort, and to the dying Your peace. Be with those we now name before You… Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: We
pray for the continued safety of all Your faithful workers scattered throughout
the world, and for all whom they are sharing the precious Word of God,
especially those known personally to us: E. John & Alex and their family in
Antigua, Terry & Mary in Peru, Karuna in India,
our Cameroonian pastors and their families including Pastor Daniel Myers who
has just accepted the Call to Cameroon, and the Friends of China teachers. Be
with all of them and keep them safely in Your tender
care. Lord, in Your
mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: We
pray for
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Dearest Lord Jesus,
teach us to pray! Teach us to pray daily for Your
grace to lead productive lives and not just take up space. Teach us to humble ourselves in fervent prayer
before You, and to desire nothing more than that Your
name be honored and glorified through us. Lord, in Your
mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Replace sorrow
over the daily headlines with the joy of knowing that we are safely in Your merciful hands and that we are here at this time in
history and in this place to serve You and those You bring into our lives. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Knowing the
blessedness of Your grace, we are made bold to commend
ourselves and all for whom we pray to Your care, trusting in Your mercy for the
sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, in whose name we pray:
LORD'S PRAYER
HYMN Hymn #431
stanzas 1-3
"I Walk in Danger All the Way”
CLOSING
PRAYER
BENEDICTION
CLOSING HYMN Hymn #431, stanzas 4-6
"I Walk in Danger All the Way"
tttttttttt
Today: 8:45am Prayer Time (Fireside Room)
9:00am Family Worship
10:30am Education
Hour
Monday: 11:30am Mt. Olive Worship Service on Cable Channel 14
Tuesday: 11:30am Senior Luncheon at
Wednesday:
Thursday: 10:00am “Explorers of the Word” Bible Study
Saturday: 9:45am MLC
Ladies Auxiliary at Crown of Life, WSP
Next Sunday: 6:30am “Time of Grace” on KMSP, Channel 9
10:30am Education
Hour
Lenten Worship This Wednesday: The evening begins at
Women’s Guild Work Night: (Men
also encouraged to attend!) The annual work night will be
held this
Bridal Shower For Trisha: All
ladies of the congregation are invited to a bridal shower for Trisha Wright,
fiancée of Ryan Jacobs. The shower will
be held in the Fireside Room this
7th Annual English Tea: The Outreach Committee would like to invite
you to the 7th Annual English Tea.
It will be held on Saturday, March 24th at
LWMS: It’s that time again. Those Mission Box offerings for Lutheran
Women’s Missionary Society that you have been filling with change are due. Please give to Mae Schmidt, LWMS Reporter, to
ensure being counted before the Spring Rally.
New boxes are available in the narthex.
Thanks!
Our Education Sunday has been rescheduled for Palm Sunday,
Easter Flower Orders must be turned in by next Sunday, March 18th. An order form was included in your March Olive Branch. Order forms were also included in the Sunday
bulletin the last two weeks. Copies are
available in the tract rack in the back of church. Be sure to get your order in by next
Sunday. Thanks!