FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT March 9, 2025
Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church
Wisconsin Synod
Pastor Rev. Christopher Oehlke Pastor’s Phone: 1-262-909-7827
Organist Karen Davis, Mindy Kane, 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 upon Entering Church (MS)
Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. In the multitude of your tender mercies prepare my heart that I may enter your house to worship and confess your holy name; through Jesus Christ, my God and Lord. Amen.
SERVICE OF THE WORD
Beginning on Page 38 in the Hymnal.
HYMN (#422) “Jesus, Lead Us On”
M: The grace of our Lord (+) Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
C: And also with you.
CONFESSION OF SINS
M: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.
C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth.
In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.
M: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.
C: Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
M: Let us pray: Mighty God and Father, our Lord Jesus walked into the wilderness to face the devil’s temptations, but he did not succumb to Satan’s lies or falter in his resolve to save the world from the prison of hell. Bolster our faith by his mighty victory that we may battle against the forces of evil with courage and confidence; 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 1 Samuel 17:4-11, 32-40, 45-49
4 A challenger who represented the Philistines came out from the camp of the Philistines. He was named Goliath of Gath. He was nine feet, six inches tall. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore scaled body armor, which was made of more than one hundred pounds of bronze. 6 He had bronze greaves on his shins and a bronze spear slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spearhead was made of fifteen pounds of iron. His shield bearer went out ahead of him. 8 He would stand up and shout to the armies of Israel, “Why have you come out to line up in battle formation? I am a Philistine, and you are servants of Saul, aren’t you? Choose a man to represent you, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, we will be your servants. But if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our servants, and you will serve us.” 10 The Philistine would say, “I defy the ranks of Israel today! Give me a man, and we will fight each other!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.
32 David said to Saul, “Do not let anyone lose heart because of this Philistine! Your servant will go and fight him.” 33 But Saul said to David, “You cannot go against this Philistine to fight with him, because you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior since he was a youth.” 34 David said to Saul, “Your servant has been taking care of his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it and rescued the lamb out of its mouth. When the lion reared up against me, I grabbed it by its mane, struck it, and killed it. 36 Your servant struck both the lion and the bear.
This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the ranks of the living God.” 37 David added, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go then! May the Lord be with you.” 38 So Saul dressed David in his own gear. He placed a bronze helmet on his head and dressed him in scaled body armor. 39 David strapped his sword over his gear. David tried to walk around in them, since he had never trained with this kind of equipment before. David said to Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I have never trained with them.” So David took them off. 40 Then David took his staff in his hand and picked five smooth stones out of the stream bed and put them into the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. He took his sling in his hand and approached the Philistine.
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth. Then all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and all those gathered here will know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle belongs to the Lord, and he will deliver you into our hand.” 48 Then, when the Philistine started advancing to attack David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand into his bag, took a stone from it, shot it from his sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground. (EHV)
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PSALM OF THE DAY (Sung) Psalm 91 (page 100)
SECOND LESSON Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest, who has gone through the heavens, namely, Jesus the Son of God, let us continue to hold on to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. 16 So let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (EHV)
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
VERSE OF THE DAY
M: The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. (1 John 3:8)
GOSPEL Luke 4:1-13
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the Devil for forty days. He did not eat anything during those days. When they came to an end, he was hungry. 3 The Devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” 5 The Devil led him up to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The Devil told him, “I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, because it has been entrusted to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7 So, if you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” 9 The Devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here, 10 because it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you. 11 And, they will lift you up with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 12 Jesus answered him, “It says: ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’” 13 When the Devil had finished every temptation, he left him until an opportune time. (EHV)
M: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: (Sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!
HYMN OF THE DAY (#201) “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
SERMON TEXT Luke 4:1-13
SERMON THEME “Lead Us Not Into Temptation”
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THANKSGIVING
OFFERING – Please leave offering in the plate as you depart.
HYMN (#455) “Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You”
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
M: Heavenly Father, you loved the world and gave your Son to
Liberate us from sin and death by his obedient death on the
cross.
C: We confess that without your love we are lost.
M: Lord of the Church, we thank you for the treasure of the gospel. By your Spirit, keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
C: Strengthen our determination to do what pleases you, no
matter what the danger or the cost.
M: Let us pray for those who carry a cross in the name of Christ and face ridicule and persecution for the sake of the kingdom: missionaries and chaplains, young people who stand up for what is right in the face of pressure to do what is wrong, and all who pay a high price for their faith and their values as Christians.
C: By your Spirit, O Lord, grant them patience and endurance.
M: Let us pray for those who carry heavy burdens in life: the sick and the chronically ill, the depressed and the lonely, those torn by conflict in personal relationships, those victimized by war and injustice, and all who face the terrors of life with a heavy heart.
C: Grant them peace, O Lord, and in your mercy, be their guardian and friend, their comfort and hope.
M: Let us pray for those who care for others: pastors and counselors; physicians and nurses; social workers and caring friends; all who feed the hungry, comfort the hurting, and stand beside the dying.
C: Strengthen them in their work, O Lord, and do not let them become weary in doing good.
Special prayers and intercessions may follow.
M: Hear us, Lord, as we bring you our private petitions.
Silent prayer.
M: Help us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Keep us faithful even to the point of death, that we may receive the crown of life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C: 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.
M: O Lord God, our heavenly Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep us strong in your grace and truth, protect and comfort us in all temptation, and bestow on us your
saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: (Sung) Amen.
M: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.
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 (#333) “Abide, O Dearest Jesus”
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT March 9, 2025
THE SCHEDULE
Tues., March 11 6:30 p.m., Ladies Fellowship
Wed., March 12 5-6:30 p.m., Soup Supper
7 p.m., Lenten Worship Service
Thurs., March 13 6:30 p.m., Catechism Class
Fri., March 14 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Immanuel Volunteer Day at Wise Penny (work as much as you’d like)
Next Sunday, March 9, Greeters: Frank Family
OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS
LENTEN SERVICE: The theme for this year is “Kyrie Eleison,” drawn from the Penitential Psalms. On Wednesday Pastor Preston Heuer will preach on Psalm 102, “We Repent—When Confronted with Mortality.”
The Benzers and Bakkes are again hosting the Soup Suppers from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Consider lending a helping hand with the weekly
clean-up.
MEDITATIONS entitled “Point Me Heavenward” have arrived with daily devotions for March 2 through May 31. Large print editions are also available. Feel free to take additional copies of either version to share.
BLOODMOBILE: Our first Red Cross Bloodmobile will be on March 21, 2025. A listing is on the island in the narthex with available openings. The date appears on the Red Cross website so you can also register at redcrossblood.org and enter Immanuel Lutheran Church Buffalo to schedule an appointment.
EASTER GARDEN: We will again offer an opportunity to help decorate the church for Easter. If you would like to purchase a plant (or two), there are pink sign-up sheets on the counter in the narthex. For $10 each, a plant will be place “In Memory/Honor of” on a bulletin insert (and then after Easter, the plant will be yours to take). While we can’t be specific, there will be a variety of Easter Lily, Asiatic Lily, hyacinth, daffodil and tulip plants. Deadline to order will be March 30.
WEST SACRED CONCERT: West Lutheran High School is inviting us to their 2025 Sacred Concert, “Rest in the Risen Lord,” featuring Lent and Easter music. It will be performed at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 16, at the school in Plymouth, 3350 Harbor Lane N.
THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS: The Thrivent Choice program provides Thrivent members an opportunity to support charitable activities such as Immanuel. Choice Dollars must be directed by March 31. If you have any questions, contact your Thrivent representative or Julie Gutknecht. According to the 2024 financial report, we received $1,350 last year.
FOOD SHELF: The most recent donations made to benefit the Buffalo Food Shelf totaled 17 pounds plus $45 in cash/checks. Silver labeled buckets are located in the coat racks in both the upper and lower narthex for this on-going service project with deliveries made monthly.
LWMS BUS TRIP TO TULSA: The Minnesota Valley LWMS circuit is hosting a bus trip to the Tulsa OK convention in June.
The 5-day trip leaves Minnesota on June 25, returning after the 2025 convention on June 30. See the west bulletin board for details and registration information.
ATTENDANCE AT THE LORD’S HOUSE:
Sunday, March 2 71
Ash Wednesday, March 5 61
FOR THE LORD’S WORK: March 2: General Fund-$2,258; Salem-$2; Fishers-$45.
