The Holy Eucharist
The First Sunday in Lent

February 28, 2021
9:30 a.m.

Holy Spirit Lutheran Church
Lancaster, PA

Welcome to worship. If you are visiting with us, a special welcome. We invite you to return and worship with us as often as you are able. Guest cards are available on the round table in the center of the narthex. Please take one, fill it out and return it to an usher. If you need a large print bulletin, please ask an usher. As you enter the nave, please conclude all conversations and silence all cell phones and other electronic devices, as to fully enter into this time of worship.

Please note the instructions on distancing for the sharing of the peace and receiving Holy Communion.

The Entrance Rite

At the sound of the bell, the assembly stands. The Pastor will begin and the congregation will read responsively.

Psalm 22:23-31

You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
but heard when I cried to him.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD.
May your hearts live forever!


All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.

For dominion belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.


To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.

Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the LORD,


and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.

The Greeting and Prayer of the Day

P
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C
And also with you.

P
Let us pray. O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life. Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C
Amen.

Please be seated.

Children’s Message

The children remain at their seat as the pastor share a message with them.

The First Reading

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
A reading from Genesis: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
L
The Word of the Lord
C
Thanks be to God
.

The Second Reading

1 Romans 4:13-25
A reading from Romans: The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
L
The Word of the Lord
C
Thanks be to God
.

The Holy Gospel

Mark 8:31-38
P
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark, the eighth chapter.
C
Glory to you, O Lord
.
[Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
P
The Gospel of the Lord.
C
Praise to you, O Christ.

The Sermon

Silence for reflection follows.

Please stand.

Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness

The assembly sits or kneels for confession.

P
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C
Amen.
P
God hears us and draws us close in Jesus Christ. Let us return to the one who is full of compassion.

Silence is kept for reflection and self-examination.
P
O God, fountain of living water,
C
pour out your mercy over us. Forgive our sin. Wash us in your cleansing flood. Make us alive in the Spirit to follow in the way of Jesus, as healers and restorers of the world you love. Amen.


P
Beloved, God’s word never fails. The promise rests on grace: by the saving love of Jesus Christ. Almighty God have mercy on us, forgives us all our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
C
Amen.

The Prayers of the Church

The assembly remains sitting or kneeling for the prayers.

A
Relying on the promises of God, we pray boldly for the church, the world, and all in need.

After each portion of the prayers:
A
Lord, in your mercy,
C
Hear our prayer.


The prayers conclude:
P
Into your hands Gracious God we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior.
C
Amen.

The Sharing of The Peace

P
The peace of Christ be with you always.
C
And also with you.


Without leaving your seat offer a wave to your neighbor, sharing God’s peace, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Please stand.

Offertory Prayer

A
Let us pray. Faithful God,
C
you walk beside us in desert places, and you meet us in our hunger with bread from heaven. Accompany us in this meal, that we may pass over from death to life with Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving

P
The Lord be with you.
C
And also with you.

P
Lift up your hearts.
C
We lift them to the Lord.

P
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Eucharistic Prayer

P
O God, Creator of our wilderness world,
O God, Savior of the lost,
O God, Comforter of the sick and suffering,
we give you thanks for your everlasting might;
we glorify you for your covenant of mercy.

For forty days you cleansed the earth with the waters of the flood.
For forty days you illumined Moses with the words of your law.
For forty years you fed your people with manna from heaven.

You became truly human in Jesus our brother.
For forty days, with fasting and prayer, he renounced the power of the devil.

On the night before he died he took bread, and gave thanks,
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.

P
We extol his life. Amen.
C
Amen.
P
We lament his death. Amen.
C
Amen.
P
We celebrate his resurrection. Amen.
C
Amen.

P
Transform us, O God, with your lively Spirit.
Make this food into manna for our journey, the body and blood of your Son.
Grant us with the Ninevites forty days of repentance.
Teach us your words of wisdom and justice.
Renew the whole earth with baptismal grace.
At the last, lead all your pilgrim people through our deserts to your Easter garden.

To you, O God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be our worship and praise, adoration and thanksgiving,
now and forever. Amen.
C
Amen

The 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 Fraction

P
God’s love is poured out in Christ for you. Come to his table where all are welcomed and fed.
C
Thanks be to God.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.

Please be seated.

The Distribution of Holy Communion

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America practices open table hospitality. Baptized communicants of other Christian denominations, of all ages, are welcome to receive the sacrament. An usher will direct each seating area to come forward to receive the sacrament. Bring your communion cup with you, or take one from the usher. The pastor will drop the host into your hand. Next move to receive the wine from the Assisting Minister. Then take another step to consume the sacrament. As you return to your seat, place the empty cup into the receptacle. Those persons not receiving communion are welcome to come forward to receive a blessing.

Please stand.

Post Communion Blessing

P
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C
Amen.

Post Communion Prayer

A
Let us pray. God of steadfast love, at this table you gather your people into one body for the sake of the world. Send us in the power of your Spirit, that our lives bear witness to the love that has made us new in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
C
Amen.

The Blessing

P
Almighty God, the Father and the + Son, and the Holy Spirit bless you now and forever.
C
Amen.

The Dismissal

A
Go in peace. Serve the Lord!
C
Thanks be to God. We will!

Postlude

+++

Readings for next week:
Lent 3
Exodus 20:1-17
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
John 2:13-22


PLAN YOUR WORSHIP SCHEDULE FOR LENT
by participating in the mid-week services of Holy Communion

Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.
The Sermon series this season is entitled:
Martyrs, Missionaries, and Renewers

March 3John & Charles WesleyMark 10:35-45
March 10Harriet Tubman & Sojourner TruthPsalm 118:5-14
March 17PatrickLuke 24:44-53
March 24Oscar RomeroJohn 12:23-32
All services will be live streamed on the Holy Spirit Facebook page.

Holy Week

March 28Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday
April 1The Triduum: Maundy Thursday
April 2The Triduum: Good Friday
April 3The Triduum: The Great Vigil of Easter
April 4Easter Day
All services may be viewed on the Holy Spirit Facebook page.

Acknowledgments

Copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS103416.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.

Eucharistic Prayer from Pray, Praise, and Give Thanks: A Collection of Litanies, Laments, and Thanksgivings at Font and Table by Gail Ramshaw, copyright © 2017 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission.