Order of Worship First Sunday in Lent

February 18, 2024

Prelude  “O Lamm Gottes” by J.S. Bach   performed by Balint Karosi, organist  

Lighting of the Candle of Peace

~~~Moments of Silence~~~

Call to Worship (by Dar Mikula, from Psalm 51)

Create in us a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us.
Restore in us joy and creativity and grant us willing spirits to sustain and inspire us.
Deliver us from our mistakes and empower us with the lessons learned.
May we find grace in your loving guidance,
Breath after hopeful breath, until sleep finds us
cradled in your loving arms after the day’s work is complete.  

Invocation
(from Psalm 17, interpreted by Norman Fischer, from his book Opening to You)

O God, you have proven my heart,
Thought of me in the long night,
Refined and tempered me
Till nothing impure remained.
May my heart and life shine. Amen.                                                                           

Opening Hymn - “Forty Days and Forty Nights” - CH#179  

Poem - “Lead” by Mary Oliver - by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

Here is a story
to break your heart.
Are you willing?
This winter
the loons came to our harbor
and died, one by one,
of nothing we could see.
A friend told me
of one on the shore
that lifted its head and opened
the elegant beak and cried out
in the long, sweet savoring of its life
which, if you have heard it,
you know is a sacred thing.,
and for which, if you have not heard it,
you had better hurry to where
they still sing.
And, believe me, tell no one
just where that is.
The next morning
this loon, speckled
and iridescent and with a plan
to fly home
to some hidden lake,
was dead on the shore.
I tell you this
to break your heart,
by which I mean only
that it break open and never close again
to the rest of the world.  

Special Music - “When Jesus Speaks” - Text and Music by Lowell Prescott

Scripture - Mark 1:12-13

¹² At once the Spirit brought him into the desert, ¹³ where he was tempted by Satan for 40 days. He was there with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.

Response - Thy Word - CH # 326

Sermon - “Tempting Fate” - Shelly Wilson

Hymn of Response - “Jesus Walked this Lonesome Valley” - CH#211

Prayers of the People - Shelly Wilson

If we are to seek to follow Jesus’ example, we also must begin by listening to the voice of God at our center. This knowing tells us, above all and after it all, we are God’s Beloved. When we know this, we filter out so much of the silt and grit that traps us. We release ourselves into the arms of love. We make space for the work of transformation to be born in us. What voices might be pulling us more toward poison than medicine? Carve out time for silence, so that the still small voice may be felt. Listen for God, who is always with us, right in our core, inviting us into holy belonging. Let us pray,

Holy God, listening is always easier said than done. Often, we try to quiet our minds for centeredness and rest, but the list of worries and distractions is long. So today, the prayer is for patience. Dust the cobwebs from our ears. Stir our souls awake. Crack open our hearts to make room for you. Move us forward and quiet us so that our awareness is heightened, we pray with hope as Jesus taught his followers to pray, saying,

Lord’s Prayer

Our Creator, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Call to Offering

We have come to the time in our service for the giving and receiving of our financial support for the work of the Church. Thank you for your support of our Church’s work for peace and justice in the world.

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 Doxology - OLD HUNDREDTH - (NCH #778)

Dedication of our Offerings                                                           

Spirit of God, when we share from our souls, we open our hearts to your works in this world. When we tend to our neighbors who struggle in weariness, we care for the Christ in our midst. When we welcome the prophet who shares your love through their advocacy, we care for the Spirit moving throughout our world. When we share with a stranger, we experience Divine hope, peace, joy, and love, as our reward for giving. Bless all gifts as they build your Realm here on earth. Amen.

 Closing Hymn - “We Meet You, O Christ” - CH#183

Benediction - Shelly Wilson

As we go our way into the Lenten journey that lies ahead, may we honor the questions, seeking to make Love known. May our lives be for a blessing. Amen.

Shalom (join hands and hearts and sign together)

Postlude - “Postlude 8” by Eliot Cole

Words of Dismissal:    Worship has ended, let the service begin!

Worship Leader: Shelly Wilson 
Sermon Title: Tempting Fate 
Coffee Host: Pastor Shelly via Zoom 
Worship Production: Kelly Yamanishi and Carolyn Cheng 

end