THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT March 3, 2024
Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church
Wisconsin Synod
Pastor Rev. Christopher Oehlke Pastor’s Phone: 1-262-909-7827
Organist Mindy Kane, Karen Davis, Church Telephone 763-682-4573
Lorraine Roush Email pastor@myimmanuel.org
WELCOME, VISITORS: We are glad you could be with us and we welcome you back any time. Please sign our “Welcome” card found in the pew holders or sign the guest book in the narthex/entry.
Prayer before Communion
Dear Savior, upon your gracious invitation I come to your altar. Let me find favor in your eyes that I may approach your table in true faith and receive the sacrament to the salvation of my soul. Amen.
Guests—The Lord’s Supper has been described as powerful medicine. And so it is–it is the medicine of immortality. And as we all know, when it comes to powerful medicine, there are a few things you should know before taking it. We ask that our visitors first speak with our pastor to learn more about this powerful medicine of the Lord’s Supper before coming up. We are eager to have you share with us in this great gift and to do so in a way that gives you great benefit!
THE COMMON SERVICE
HYMN (#226) “To Your Temple I Draw Near”
M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: (Sung) Amen.
CONFESSION OF SINS
M: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and
actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good.
For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.
But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior
Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
LORD, HAVE MERCY
C: (Sung) Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: (Sung) Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
M: The Lord be with you.
C: (Sung) And also with you.
M: Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the spirit to think and do what is right that we, who cannot do anything that is good without you, may by your help be enabled to live according to your will; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: (Sung) Amen.
THE WORD
FIRST LESSON Exodus 20:1-17
20 Then God spoke all these words: 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, where you were slaves. 3 You shall have no other gods beside me. 4 You shall not make any carved image for yourself or a likeness of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. 5 Do not bow down to them or be subservient to them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God. I follow up on the guilt of the fathers with their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren, if they also hate me. 6 But I show mercy to thousands who love me and keep my commandments.
7 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not permit anyone who misuses his name to escape unpunished.
8 Remember the Sabbath day by setting it apart as holy. 9 Six days you are to serve and do all your regular work, 10 but the seventh day shall be a sabbath rest to the Lord your God. Do not do any regular work, neither you, nor your sons or daughters, nor your male or female servants, nor your cattle, nor the alien who is residing inside your gates, 11 for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. In this way the Lord blessed the seventh day and made it holy. 12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may spend many days on the land that the Lord your God is giving to you. 13 You shall not commit murder. 14 You shall not commit adultery. 15 You shall not steal. 16 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. (EHV)
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PSALM OF THE DAY (Sung) Psalm 19 (page 70)
SECOND LESSON 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 19 In fact, it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will bring to nothing. 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Jewish law? Where is the probing thinker of the present age? Has God not shown that the wisdom of this world is foolish? 21 Indeed, since the world through its wisdom did not know God, God in his wisdom decided to save those who believe, through the foolishness of the preached message. 22 Yes, Jews ask for signs, Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified—which is offensive to Jews and foolishness to Greeks, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 We preach Christ crucified, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (EHV)
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
VERSE OF THE DAY
M: His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:17)
STAND
GOSPEL John 2:13-22
After the announcement of the Gospel, the congregation sings:
C: (Sung) Glory be to you, O Lord!
13 The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers sitting at tables. 15 He made a whip of cords and drove everyone out of the temple courts, along with the sheep and oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those selling doves he said, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a place of business!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 So the Jews responded, “What sign are you going to show us to prove you can do these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20 The Jews said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! And you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When Jesus was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and what Jesus had said. (EHV)
M: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: (Sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!
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 fully 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 in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy Christian 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.
BE SEATED
HYMN (#390) “Salvation Unto Us Has Come”
SERMON TEXT John 2:13-22
SERMON THEME “Zeal for the House of the Lord”
After the sermon, the congregation stands and sings:
C: (Sung) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit. Amen.
OFFERING – Please leave offering in the plate as you depart.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For zeal this Lent, that following Christ we may cast every idol from our hearts and be devoted to Him alone, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the continued proclamation of the cross’s power, that from this life-giving tree we would receive the gifts that preserve faith, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That our heavenly Father would preserve and bless all Christian households; that husbands and wives would live in love and service to each other; that fathers and mothers would diligently bring up their children in the fear of the Lord; and that children would honor their parents and be well equipped for service to their neighbors in this life, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who suffer in our midst, that the flood may not sweep over them, nor the pit close its mouth on them; and that God would deliver them in His steadfast love, granting them healing, comfort and peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who come before the Lord’s presence to eat Christ’s body and blood on this holy day, that we would boast not of ourselves but of Christ alone, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That our God, whose true temple was destroyed by wicked men yet raised up again after three days, would grant us and all the saints to share in the glory of His Son’s resurrection, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
Hear us, heavenly Father, for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
C: 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.
THE SACRAMENT
PREFACE
M: The Lord be with you.
C: (Sung) And also with you.
M: Lift up your hearts.
C: (Sung) We lift them up unto the Lord.
M: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
C: (Sung) It is good and right so to do.
M: It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who brought the gift of salvation to all people by his death on the tree of the cross, so that the devil, who overcame us by a tree would in turn by a tree be overcome. Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song:
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
C: (Sung) Holy, holy, holy Lord God of heavenly hosts:
heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he, blessed is he, blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
M: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
M: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: (Sung) Amen
O CHRIST, LAMB OF GOD
C: (Sung) O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
grant us your peace. Amen.
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION HYMN (#113) “Upon the Cross Extended” (#125) “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
THANKSGIVING
SONG OF SIMEON
C: (Sung) Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.
M: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
C: (Sung) And his mercy endures forever.
M: We give thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us with this holy supper. We pray that through it you will strengthen our faith in you and increase our love for one another. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: (Sung) Amen.
M: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and (+) give you peace.
C: (Sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.
HYMN (#319) “On My Heart Imprint Your Image”
Growing in Grace
To help apply the sermon text for today, ask yourself these questions:
~ What is the main thing that God teaches me in this passage?
~ What sin does God lead me to confess?
~ For what does God prompt me to give thanks?
~ What action does God want me to take?
Verse of the Day
During this week memorize and think about this verse of the day:
His disciples remembered that it is written:
“Zeal for your house will consume me.”
(John 2:17)
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT March 3, 2024
Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church
THE SCHEDULE
Mon., March 4 7 p.m., Choir Practice
Tues., March 5 2 p.m., Tuesday Bible Study
Wed., March 6 5-6:30 p.m., Soup Supper;
7 p.m., Lenten Worship Service
Thurs., March 7 6:30 p.m. Catechism Class
Fri., March 8 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Immanuel Volunteer Day at Wise Penny—Work as much as you’d like.
Next Sun., March 10: Greeters: Durr Family
Shut-In Visitors for March: Herman and Kathy Ernst
OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS
LENTEN SERVICE: The theme for this year is “The Lord’s Prayer.” On Wednesday Pastor Aaron Jensen will preach on the 3rd Petition: “Thy Will Be Done.”
The Benzers and Bakkes are again hosting the Soup Suppers from 5 to 6:30 p.m There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the narthex for sweets to be served with the soup and bread plus options to help with set up (at 4:30), serving or clean-up (between 5 and 7).
THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS: The Thrivent Choice program provides Thrivent members an opportunity to support charitable activities such as Immanuel. All unallocated Choice Dollars must be directed by March 31. If you have any questions, contact your Thrivent representative or Julie Gutknecht. According to the 2023 financial report, we received $1,855 last year.
EASTER GARDEN: We will again offer an opportunity to help decorate the church for Easter. If you would like to purchase a plant (or more), there are sign-up sheets on the counter in the narthex. For $8 each a plant will be place “In Memory of” or “In Honor of” on a bulletin insert (and then after Easter, the plant will be yours to take). Deadline will be next Sunday, March 10.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME: Remember on Sunday, March 10 we “Spring Ahead,” losing an hour.
WEST SACRED CONCERT: “Worthy is the Lamb” will be presented by West students on March 10 at 2 p.m. at West Lutheran High School in Plymouth.
WISE PENNY LOOKING FOR “STUFF”: Wise Penny is a WELS/ELS nonprofit resale store that donates nearly $200,000 each year to West Lutheran High School, Christian Life Ministries and the Lutheran Institutional Ministerial Association. Accepted items include clothing, shoes, housewares, home décor, linens, books, toys, crafts/fabric, jewelry, vintage items and more. Please make an appointment to schedule a donation at 763-682-4178 or book online at https://signup.com/go/aYohnWv. (Large items or larger quantities require prior approval.)
PASSOVER EVENT: Consider beginning your Holy Week (Palm Sunday afternoon) with Redeeming Grace-Rogers to journey through the past to uncover all the rich foreshadows of Christ in the ancient festival of Passover! This friendly program begins at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 24th at Redeeming Grace Lutheran Church in Rogers. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy an interactive, educational, and Christ-centered experience as we look forward to the real Passover on Easter Sunday. Please RSVP with Pastor Oehlke or go to rglc.org no later than Sunday March 17th.
CAMM REPORT: A excerpt from a Bible study led by the Clinic Administrator, Alisad Banda, is posted on the west bulletin board. In it we are reminded to set aside ourselves and be watchful for the work God puts before us as his people.
ATTENDANCE AT THE LORD’S HOUSE:
Sunday, Feb. 25 70
Wednesday, Feb. 28 36
FOR THE LORD’S WORK: Feb. 26: General Fund-$4,727.25 (Minimum Weekly Amount Needed-$2,375); Salem-$1; West-$110.
