(Watch directly on YouTube)
(Download a pdf of the full bulletin)

PRELUDE 

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 

RINGING OF THE BELL 

Please stand as you are able. 

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS 

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, 

whose mercy endures forever. Amen. 

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspira-tion of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. 

Silence is kept for reflection. 

Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. 

God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen. 

GATHERING HYMN “O Lord, Throughout These Forty Days” Hymn #319 

GREETING 

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 

And also with you. 

PRAYER OF THE DAY 

Let us pray. Lord God, our strength, the struggle between good and evil rages within and around us, and the devil and all the forces that defy you tempt us with empty promises. Keep us steadfast in your word, and when we fall, raise us again and restore us through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

Please be seated. 

WORD 

FIRST READING Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 

Human beings were formed with great care, to be in relationship with the creator, creation, and one another. The serpent’s promise to the first couple that their eyes would be opened led, ironically, to the discovery only that they were naked. 

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 

PSALM Psalm 32:1-7, 10-11 

Refrain 

1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin 

is put away! 2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, and in whose 

spirit there is no guile! 3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, because of my 

groaning all day long. 

Refrain 

4For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my moisture was 

dried up as in the heat of summer. 

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my 

guilt. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” Then you 

forgave me the guilt of my sin. 

6 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in | time of 

trouble; when the great waters overflow, they | shall not reach them. 

Refrain 

7 You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; you 

surround me with shouts of deliverance. 10 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces 

those who trust in the Lord. 

11 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; shout for joy, all who are true of heart. 

Refrain 

SECOND READING Romans 5:12-19 

Through Adam’s disobedience, humanity came under bondage to sin and death, from which we cannot free ourselves. In Christ’s obedient death, God graciously showers on us the free gift of liberation and life. 

12 Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned 13 for sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam, who is a pattern of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. 16 And the gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 

18 Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19 For just as through the one man’s disobedience the many made sinners, so through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God 

CHILDREN’S SERMON Don Gillett 

Please stand as you are able. 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11 

The holy gospel according to Matthew. 

Glory to you, O Lord. 

Jesus experiences anew the temptations that Israel faced in the 

wilderness. As the Son of God, he endures the testing of the evil one. 

1 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was 

famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is writ-ten, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. 

The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. 

Please be seated. 

SERMON Don Gillett 

HYMN OF THE DAY “Oh, Love, How Deep” Hymn #322 

Vs. 1-3, 7 

Please stand as you are able. 

THE APOSTLES’ CREED 

Together with the whole church, we confess our faith: 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, 

creator of heaven and earth. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.* 

On the third day he rose again; 

he ascended into heaven, 

he is seated at the right hand of the Father, 

and he will come to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, 

the holy catholic church, 

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, 

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. 

THE PRAYERS 

… Hear us, O God, Your Mercy is great. 

THE PEACE 

The peace of Christ be with you always. 

And also with you. 

Let us share the peace with one another. 

OFFERING 

OFFERING MUSIC “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” Choir 

Please stand as you are able as the offering is brought forward. 

OFFERING PRAYER 

Let us pray. God our provider, you have not fed us with bread alone, but with words of grace and life. Bless us and these your gifts, which we receive from your bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Lord’s Prayer (Sung) 

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 debts, as we 

forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen 

BENEDICTION 

Receive the blessing of the holy Trinity: God, who calls all things into existence, Jesus Christ, who redeems us, and the Holy Spirit, whose breath sustains creation, bless you now and always. Amen. 

SENDING HYMN “Jesus, Still Lead On” Hymn #624 

DISMISSAL 

Go in peace. Believe the good news. 

Thanks be to God.