The Fifth Sunday In Lent

March 9, 2008 9:00am

Thank You for sharing this time of worship with us. Do come again! If you do not have a local church home, we invite you to make your home with us. You will find Christian love, opportunities for spiritual growth, warm friendships, and an appreciation of being part of God’s family. Visitors: Please include your email address in the Friendship Register information. Thanks!

Please Don’t Rush Off After The Worship Service! Stick around for some refreshments and a little conversation. We hope you are able to stay!

Assisting Us In Worship This Morning

The Greg Schuyler family, greeters

Robert Averbeck, organist

We Gather To Worship The Lord

Order of Service: The Service of the Word, page 38 in front of the hymnal

Hymns: 531 429 416 443

Psalm: Psalm 116, page 107 in the front of the hymnal

Message: John 11:17-27, 38-45

“Mary Stayed Home”

OLD TESTAMENT READING Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.

He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign Lord, You alone know." Then He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'"

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-- a vast army.

Then He said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, My people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'"

EPISTLE Romans 8:11-19

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-- but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

HOLY GOSPEL John 11:17-27, 38-45

On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told Him, "I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world..."

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," He said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me." When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him.

On February 26, 2008, the General Board of St. Croix Lutheran High School voted 42-25 in favor of starting a middle school in fall of 2009. This middle school will be located at the high school and will begin with grades 6 and 7. Grade 8 is scheduled to be added in fall of 2010.

The March Senior Luncheon at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 610 Broadway Street NE, Minneapolis, will be held this Tuesday, March 11^th at 11:30am. The menu is Corn Beef & Cabbage along with the trimmings. Entertainment provided by Curtis & Loretta performing traditional folk & Celtic music. Freewill offering. Sign up today in the narthex.

Education Sunday is March 30^th, and the final event of the day is our Mt Olive Pinewood Derby Race. This event is open to all in the congregation who would like to participate. If you haven’t picked up your car yet, you may do so today. Two Wednesday evenings have been set aside as Car Building Assistance Nights: March 12^th at 7:30pm, and March 26^th at 6:30pm.

This Week At Mt. Olive

Today: 8:45am Prayer Time in the Fireside Room

9:00am Family Worship Service

10:00am Refreshments and Social Time

10:30am Sunday School and Adult Education Hour

7:00pm Coordinating Council Meeting

Monday: 7:00pm “Beautiful Feet” Bible Study

Tuesday: 11:30am Senior Luncheon at St. John’s, Minneapolis

Wednesday: 5:30pm Lenten Supper (Served by the Sunday School children,

parents, and staff)

6:30pm Lenten Worship Service (Pastor David Ponath, preaching)

7:30pm Work on Race Cars for the Mt. Olive Minute

Thursday: 10:00am “Explorers of the Word” Bible Study

Next Sunday: 9:00am Family Worship Service with Holy Communion