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God's Rich Mercy and Great Love (Lent)
During this season of Lent, we come to worship mindful of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We acknowledge our sin and praise him for his forgiveness. Let's begin by encouraging each other to think about the suffering of our Lord and praying to him with the words of Psalter Hymnal 381 “Go to Dark Gethsemane.”
PsH 381 Go to Dark Gethsemane
Hear these words of Psalm 130 as a Call to Confession.
Psalm 130
With the knowledge that he redeems us and forgives us, we confess our sins to our Lord. Please pray with me…
God of mercy,
you sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.
We confess that we have strayed from you
and turned aside from your way.
We are misled by pride,
for we see ourselves pure when we are stained,
and great when we are small.
We have failed in love,
neglected justice,
and ignored your truth.
Have mercy, O God, and forgive our sin.
Return us to paths of righteousness
through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
TWS J.2.2.8
Reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, © 2004, CRC Publications.
We continue our prayer of confession with Psalter Hymnal 386 “Ah, Holy Jesus.”
PsH 386 Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended
Hear these words from Isaiah 53 as comfort and our assurance of our forgiveness.
Isaiah 53:1-5
Christ has indeed endured punishment so that we might be forgiven and made whole. Let us express our thanks with Psalter Hymnal 371 “Christ, the Life of All the Living.”
PsH 371 Christ, the Life of All the Living
The apostle Paul reminds us that God saved us through his grace alone, not through anything that we did. Hear the word of the Lord from Ephesians 2:1-10.
Ephesians 2:1-10
Let us profess to each other God's great love that we have just heard by singing
“How Deep the Father's Love for Us.”
How Deep the Father's Love for Us
Stuart Townend, Kingsway's Thankyou Music, 1995.
Please join me in a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession for our world.
O Lord God,
we cry out to you.
We wait and hope because in you
there is steadfast love and unfathomable forgiveness.
We thank you for the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
We lament that we too have rejected him,
but rejoice that even so,
he has born our punishment so that we may become alive in him.
Through the grace of Jesus Christ
we bless you for the gift of our lives.
Thank you for becoming one of us,
for destroying the restraints of death,
for renewing us and restoring us,
for raising us and making us your treasures,
for freeing us to love and serve you and each other.
Thank you for our human relationships,
for the ability to love and be loved,
to trust and be trusted and
for our gifts and the gifts that other people have given us.
We praise you for meaningful work,
for peaceful rest and relaxation,
for invigorating fun, for comforting homes,
for healthy bodies, and for love to share.
[In this section of thanksgiving, thanks and praise may be given for specific gifts to the gathered community.]
We pray
for our friends and families:
for people whose lives feel dull and pointless,
whose health is poor,
whose hope is dim,
or whose death is near.
[This section may be amended or specific petitions may be added as is appropriated for friends and families of the gathered community.]
Prince of Peace,
we pray for your peace in our world.
For the leaders who are negotiating and making decisions,
for the President and Congress of the United States …
[This section should be amended to include requests for current worldwide concern—an example may be…
for the soldiers who have been deployed or who are waiting to be deployed, for the families left behind,
for the citizens of the Middle East whose future is unpredictable, for the fear and tension that is mounting, for each person that this war would touch—]
Lead us, comfort us, and grant us your peace.
We pray for people who are starving both for food and for love,
for people in our world who are daily oppressed,
for people who are desperately lonely.
for people who have lost someone close to them,
and for people who are sick and dying.
Lamb of God,
you know our sins, our suffering, our needs, and our wants.
You have forgiven us, healed us, freed us, and made us whole.
Give us faith in your resurrection,
give us hope amid the despair of our world,
and give us your joy that surpasses all sorrow.
Through you alone we boast—
To you be all glory now and forever—
Amen.
We remember the sacrifice of Christ and praise him for all he has given us with Psalter Hymnal 384 “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”
PsH 384 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
We leave today with words from Hebrews 12, which call us to remember what Jesus has done for us so that we may always know that we live as forgiven people. Hear these words…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.
Let us consider him who endured such opposition from sinful people,
so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Leadership Notes
1. The italic words are meant to be spoken transitions, not included in a written order of worship. Additional notes in brackets provide additional options or suggestions but are not intended to be read in worship.
2. The service is designed in such a way that a written order is not required but may be used.
3. If you have a printed order of worship, project the songs on a screen, or include the songs on a handout, feel free to shorten or adapt the transitions (ie. Remove the book and number of the song title).
4. This service uses a variety of music. If it is unfamiliar to the group, it may be helpful to play an entire verse of a song before it is sung. Another way to introduce a new song is to play it as people are gathering for worship.
5. Consider having different voices read the scripture passages or having two people lead this service—one from the beginning through “Christ, the Life of All the Living” and the other from the Ephesians passage through the end.
6. PsH 371 “Christ, the Life of All the Living” marks a turning point in the tone of the service. Although the suffering of Christ for our sin is a theme throughout the service, this song moves the focus from our sin to our gratitude for the immeasurable gift of life Christ gives us. This shift should be reflected in the tone of the music as well; it moves from reflective and penitent to confident and grateful.