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St. John Lutheran Church (ELCA)Mineola, IAPastor Luke KuenzliOrder of Service and Worship TextsFor Virtual and In-person WorshipAdapted from Evangelical Lutheran WorshipSetting 9 and from Sundays & SeasonsMarch 2021 during COVID-19 pandemic400050106045St. John Lutheran ChurchMineola, Iowa Phone (712) 526-2268Website: Pastor Luke KuenzliMarch 7, 2021 10:30amThird Sunday of Lent00St. John Lutheran ChurchMineola, Iowa Phone (712) 526-2268Website: Pastor Luke KuenzliMarch 7, 2021 10:30amThird Sunday of Lent331660588265We are called to glorify God, grow in faith, and build community.Mission Statement00We are called to glorify God, grow in faith, and build community.Mission StatementTHIS SUNDAY: March 7, 2021 – Third Sunday in Lent (using Lent 2 texts)10:30 – In-person Worship with YouTube Live streamACCOMPANIST:Barb MassREADER:Leslie Speck USHERS:Rob and Susan SimmonTues – 1:00 Quilting Mon/Wed/ No Preschool Fri – Preschool 9:00-11:30Wed– Midweek Lenten Worship, video available at Noon on YouTube: – Virtual Communion (times and links below)NEXT SUNDAY: March 14, 2021 – Fourth Sunday in Lent 10:30– In-person Worship with YouTube Live streamVirtual Communion:During Sunday worship (when worship is virtual-only) ORWhen Sunday worship is in-person: (meeting address is the same each week) Wednesdays at 11am: meet.ixe-mnpg-eejAND Thursdays at 6:30pm: meet.uwh-pewk-hmsORby other arrangement with Pastor Luke.590550572770Food DriveThe Women of St. John are having a food drive and collecting for Mills County Storehouse all through the month of March.Kid-friendly cereals, canned tuna, chicken, pears, peaches and mixed fruits, dry pastas, toilet paper and feminine hygiene products ALWAYS welcome and needed. Items will be collected in the shopping cart. Only food items are counted for weight, but hygiene items are still needed!00Food DriveThe Women of St. John are having a food drive and collecting for Mills County Storehouse all through the month of March.Kid-friendly cereals, canned tuna, chicken, pears, peaches and mixed fruits, dry pastas, toilet paper and feminine hygiene products ALWAYS welcome and needed. Items will be collected in the shopping cart. Only food items are counted for weight, but hygiene items are still needed!If worshipping from home, pick up a prepackaged communion cup/wafer at the North entrance, near the Church office. (or use your own bread and wine/grape juice).Covid-19 Precautions for in-person worshipWe will require masks be worn while you are in the building (Ages 2 and up). Refusal to wear a mask will result in your being asked to leave.We will be practicing social distancing of 6 feet. Closed pews are cordoned off and labelled.Please don’t gather in the hallway or enter any closed spaces. Restrooms will be limited to single-person/family use at any given time. Those who do not comply with social distancing policies will be asked to leave.There will not be prolonged singing or unison speaking, communion, or fellowship time. Virtual communion will be held midweek.We continue to advise (not require) that persons in the vulnerable population groups of 65+ years of age and anyone with underlying medical conditions remain home.We ask that anyone with any respiratory symptoms (cough, sniffles, sneezing, sore throat) or fever please remain home. You will be asked to leave if you are displaying such symptoms.We ask that if you are traveling to areas of high virus activity, you remain home for the Sunday following your travels.1228725531495Have you been engaging in our Virtual Worship? Do you want this virtual ministry to continue? Would you support such an effort financially?Council is looking at proposals to upgrade our technology to “transfigure” our current, clunky, temporary set-up into a permanent solution. This would include: - an installed Pan-Tilt-Zoom camera (PTZ 20x HD SDI) - an audio mixing board (Mackie SR32-4-VLZ Pro) - a dedicated livestream processing unit (AJA Helo) - a PC for running the camera and livestream - a new AV Station in the balcony, with wiring run to that locationTotal Cost (mostly labor) is estimated at $16,000.020000Have you been engaging in our Virtual Worship? Do you want this virtual ministry to continue? Would you support such an effort financially?Council is looking at proposals to upgrade our technology to “transfigure” our current, clunky, temporary set-up into a permanent solution. This would include: - an installed Pan-Tilt-Zoom camera (PTZ 20x HD SDI) - an audio mixing board (Mackie SR32-4-VLZ Pro) - a dedicated livestream processing unit (AJA Helo) - a PC for running the camera and livestream - a new AV Station in the balcony, with wiring run to that locationTotal Cost (mostly labor) is estimated at $16,000.Hand sanitizers are located throughout the open areas. Feel free to use them!Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Setting 9) (*Stand)Prelude Welcome/AnnouncementsGathering*Confession and ForgivenessBlessed be the holy Trinity,???one God,the keeper of the covenant,the source of steadfast love,our rock and our redeemer.Amen.God hears us when we cry, and draws us close in Jesus Christ. Let us return to the one who is full of compassion. Silence is kept for reflection.Fountain of living water,pour out your mercy over us.Our sin is heavy, and we long to be free.Rebuild what we have ruinedand mend what we have torn.Wash us in your cleansing flood.Make us alive in the Spiritto follow in the way of Jesus,as healers and restorers of the world you so love.Amen.Beloved, God’s word never fails.The promise rests on grace:by the saving love of Jesus Christ,the wisdom and power of God,your sins are???forgiven, and God remembers them no more.Journey in the way of Jesus.Amen.Gathering Hymn“Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said” #667Those at home may sing along. Those in-person, please listen and meditate on the words as one person sings.Arr. ? 2006 Augsburg Fortress.GreetingThe 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.*Kyrie (sung or hummed quietly)p. 193SalutationThe Lord be with you. And also with you.Prayer of the Day (spoken quietly)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. Amen.WORDFirst Reading: A reading from Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16.1When 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.?2And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,?4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.?5No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.?6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.?7I 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.”??15God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.?16I 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.”...Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God!Psalm 22:23-31Two lectors read responsively by whole verse.23You who fear the?Lord, give praise! All you of Jacob’s?line, give glory.Stand in awe of the?Lord, all you offspring of Israel.4For the?Lord?does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;neither is the?Lord’s face hidden from them; but when they cry out,?the?Lord?hears them.5From you comes my praise in the?great assembly;I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the?Lord.26The poor shall eat?and be satisfied,Let those who seek the?Lord?give praise! May your hearts?live forever!?27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn?to the?Lord;all the families of nations shall bow?before God.28For dominion belongs?to the?Lord, who rules over the nations.29Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow?down in worship;all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before the?Lord.30Their descendants shall?serve the?Lord,whom they shall proclaim to generations to come.31They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people?yet unborn,saying to them, “The?Lord?has acted!”?Second Reading: A reading from Romans 4:13-2513The 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.?14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.??16For 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,?17as 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.?18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.”?19He 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.?20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.”?23Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone,?24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.…Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God!6667518923000*Lenten Acclamation (sung or hummed quietly)*Announcement of the Gospel The holy gospel according to Mark 8:31-38. Glory to you, O Lord.*The Gospel is proclaimed 31[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.32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.?33But 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.”??34He 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.?35For 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.?36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life??37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life??38Those 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.”… The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.SermonPastor Luke Kuenzli“The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected… and be killed…” While Jesus was speaking of his own earthly journey in very particular terms, the same can be said for every daughter of humankind, every son of humanity, every person of the human race. In our lives, we will all face moments and seasons of suffering. Every one will feel the sting of rejection in one way or another. Each of us will, at the end of our pilgrimage on earth, enter into that final anxiety – “what happens when we die?”And not only when we die, but our loved ones, too. Are they in a better place – or a worse one? Do they leave behind a legacy of fulfillment and accomplishment and joy, or a heritage of broken hearts and grief and anger? Or, more likely, is it a jumbled-up mess of both? Did they, did we, in the end, lead a life well-lived?Those may be some of the concerns that compel Peter to take Jesus aside and rebuke him for speaking of such things. After all, Jesus had only been at it for a couple of years – surely, he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and let his whole movement die, let his following collapse, let his work of bringing hope to people in sore need of comfort come to an end…? Surely, he wasn’t ready to die? What then would become of Peter, or his fellow disciples? What would be left for them?These kinds of concerns are our own, as well. We often define ourselves in terms of our accomplishments, or alternatively, by way of our failures. We value ourselves and others based on financial status or influence or popularity. But more often than not, when our reputation in one of these areas take a hit, we feel that sting of rejection, and our sense of self is reduced.What if, instead of measuring our value by looking at success and failure, we were to measure by resilience, by our ability as individuals, as a family, as a society, to take the hit, to get back up again, and to continue living our lives as best as we can?In that first moment, when Jesus began to speak about his suffering and death, Peter was unable to accept such a reality. In response to Peter’s rebuke, Jesus in turn rebuked Peter, saying “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things, but on human things.” Human things are things like fear and uncertainty and the temporary accomplishments of our lives – even good things like holding on to our loved ones and striving for a just cause, they are human things. But as we all know, relationships with your spouse and your children and your friends face strain, and the causes we call “just” are called “wrong” by people with a different perspective. Fear can be rational or not, and in reality there is nothing in life that is certain save that it will end in death (and taxes, too, if we are to trust Ben Franklin).Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter for his concern over Jesus’s life, for his love of his teacher and friend, but rather, for his inability to accept the reality of suffering and death that everyone must undergo, even the Son of Man – and beyond that reality, to accept that in the end, death isn’t the end… Jesus rebukes Peter, in part, for refusing to acknowledge the deep truth that life is stronger than death, and that in God, there is a resurrection.Peter got so caught up in the anxiety and fear of suffering and death that he couldn’t see beyond it to the word of hope Jesus was speaking. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, we also get stuck and find ourselves unable to trust – to really believe – that there is an end beyond our ending, and that it is an end beyond our means, beyond our power to obtain, beyond our control… and that makes us anxious.As I’ve been reading “The Book of Joy” and soaking in the wisdom of two of the world’s great spiritual leaders of our time, I have been fascinated with the dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and no less with the capable narration and commentary of Douglas Abrams. (Sidenote: maybe I should be calling him Douglas “Abrahams” today…”In the first day of their five-day discussion, the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop discussed the nature of joy. To sum up the section in one quote, I turn to an image presented by the Dalai Lama:“Many of us have become refugees, and there are a lot of difficulties in my own country [Tibet]. When I look only at that,” he said, cupping his hands into a small circle, “then I worry.” He widened his hands, breaking the circle open. “But when I look at the world, there are a lot of problems… there are many more problems and more suffering. When we see these things, we realize that not only do we suffer, but so do many of our human brothers and sisters. So when we look at the same event from a wider perspective, we will reduce the worrying and our own suffering.”Suffering is a part of life, but it a shared experience and therefore we need never suffer alone. Because of that, then, we can experience joy even in the midst of suffering. Abrams commented that, “This was not a denial of pain and suffering, but a shift in perspective – from oneself and toward others, from anguish to compassion – seeing that others are suffering as well.” (The Book of Joy, p. 36-37) The nature of joy, these spiritual leaders concur, is, finally, the reality of being in community. On days two and three, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop spoke about the many aspects of life which present obstacles to joy in our lives. They have already named suffering as a generality, but here they go into more depth to describe some of the countless ways in which we experience suffering: fear, stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, sadness and grief, despair, loneliness, envy, adversity, illness, and mortality. Do any of these words seem to describe the state of affairs in your own life, or in our society? I imagine so.There’s far too much “meat” in this section to sum it up briefly, but one particular concept has been worming its way through my heart and mind and spirit since I read it last week. In the Buddhist tradition, the concept of accepting suffering is central to the process of enlightenment, but so too is the idea of the cessation of suffering – the idea that despite all appearances, pain and suffering are only one part of the whole experience of life, and that they do not need to define us. Part of the journey, the Dalai Lama notes, is to build up a mental immunity to suffering. He said:“Think about it this way. If your health is strong, when viruses come they will not make you sick. If your overall health is weak, even small viruses will be very dangerous for you. Similarly, if your mental health is sound, then when disturbances come, you will have some distress but quickly recover. If your mental health is not good, then small disturbances, small problems will cause you much pain and suffering… one must develop the mind over time and cultivate mental immunity.” P.84 (Dalai Lama)Archbishop Tutu commended this idea from the Dalai Lama, and added that when it comes to mental (and, I would add, spiritual) health, we have got to accept those moments of distress and frustration as a part of the journey, and “not berate ourselves for our negative thoughts and emotions… [they] are only made more intense, he argued, by the glue of guilt and shame when we think we should not have them.” (Abrams, p.85) In other words, even if we do all we can to prevent illness (of body, mind, or spirit), we may become sick nevertheless, and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up over it – that’ll only make things worse.I wonder if that isn’t roughly what Jesus is trying to teach his disciples, as well. To set our minds on things that are divine is to recognize the human experience for what it is – innately imperfect and impermanent, and ultimately, incapable of perfection or permanence.Jesus calls us to follow him, and in so doing, to “deny [our]selves and take up [our] cross[es] and follow [him]…” to lose our lives for his sake and the sake of the Gospel, because there is no profit in worldly gain. To follow Jesus means to give up our own illusions of control, and to accept the burdens of suffering in our own lives and in the lives of others, and to do whatever we can to alleviate thesuffering of others.The Archbishop and the Dalai Lama might say that when we do this, we find joy in the act of relieving others from some small measure of their suffering. In the Christian viewpoint, I would say that we find joy when we live for the sake of the good news that in Jesus Christ, we are promised an end beyond our means, and end beyond our earthly ending, and end filled with joy and without suffering – but that this is not simply a personal joy, an individual promise, a solitary journey. Rather, it is the calling of the entire Christian community, the promise that Abram received from God well before our Hebrew scripture for today, back in Genesis 12, that he would be blessed in order to be a blessing to many.Is that not what it means to take up your cross and deny yourself and follow Jesus for the sake of the Gospel? But, to return to a point made earlier – when we find ourselves NOT doing these things, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up. Note it, acknowledge your failure and imperfection, and set your mind again on the divine way of compassion and community. In this way, we can become resilient disciples of Jesus who, when we are faced with adversity and the so-called “negative emotions” that go along with suffering, are able to place our trust in the word of hope that Jesus speaks – that after suffering and death, there is resurrection; that after loss of self and of life, there is salvation.If we, indeed, by God’s gift of faith, trust that Jesus loves us and that the Holy Spirit guides us through our earthly journeys, then we can rest in the knowledge that suffering and rejection and death and all the other human experiences that cause us anxiety are not actually causes for weeping, but instead, they are opportunities for compassion, for connection, for comfort.God, give us the patience, the strength, and the humility to set our minds on your divine ways and to live for the sake of the good news that in Jesus Christ, you are here beside us in love. Amen.Hymn of the Day“Goodness is Stronger Than Evil”#721Those at home may sing along. Those in-person, please listen and meditate on the words as one person sings.Text from An African Prayer Book selected by Desmond Tutu, ? 1995 by Desmond Tutu. Used by permission of Doubleday a div. of Random House, Inc. and Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd. Music ? 1996 Iona Community, GIA Publications, Inc., exclusive agent. All rights reserved. Used by permission.*Apostles’ CreedI 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.Prayers of Intercession Relying on the promises of God, we pray boldly for the church, the world, and all in need. A brief silence.Your gift of grace is for all people. Give confident faith to all the baptized, that they may follow you wholeheartedly. Give new believers joy in your promises; give hope and courage to those who suffer for their faith. We pray especially for Common Ground Ministry in Glenwood and Pastors Jon McNeel and Adam Tibbs; and for Estherville Lutheran Church in Estherville and Pastor Tim Johnson. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.All the ends of the earth worship you. From galaxies to microorganisms, preserve your creation. Teach humanity to wonder at your works and to join you in tending to creation’s well-being. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.You rule over the nations. Raise up advocates for peace and justice within and between nations. Give life where hope seems dead; call into existence new realities we cannot even imagine. We pray for the people of Yemen and Myanmar as struggle is ongoing in those nations. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.In Jesus you joined humanity in suffering and death. Reveal to all the depth of your love shown on the cross. Accompany all who suffer in body, mind, and spirit. Restore all who are sick or grieving. Bring vindication for victims of injustice, exploitation, and oppression. We pray especially for Calvin Deitchler, Eileen Fleming, Landon Angeroth, Giselle Roenfeld, . Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.You made Abraham and Sarah the ancestors of a multitude of nations. Bless grandparents, parents, and foster parents, and the children who look to them for care and guidance. Console those who deal with infertility, parents who have entrusted their children to adoption, and children longing to be adopted. Equip ministries and services to families, such as Lutheran Services in Iowa and Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.We await the day of Christ’s coming in glory. Lead us by the example of all the saints whom you have called to take up their cross and follow you, that together we may find our lives in you. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.We entrust ourselves and all our prayers to you, O faithful God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Sharing of the PeaceThe peace of the Lord be with you all. And also with you.Please greet one another with a socially distanced sign of Christ’s Peace.THANKSGIVINGThanksgiving for the WordGracious God, who has named and claimed us, calling us your beloved children, you know the secrets of our hearts. When we sin and stray from your paths, you astound us with your saving grace. For this Word of life, we give you thanks.?Loving Jesus, living Word, in you the kingdom of God has come near; through you all that was lost has been found. Help us to boldly follow wherever you may lead, trusting your promise that we need not fear, for you are with us. For this Word of life, we give you thanks.?Holy Spirit, the mystery in which we dwell, into our scarcity, your abundance flows. Enliven all communities with your good news. Guide us to love and serve Jesus,giving ourselves away for the sake of the world.For this Word of life, we give you thanks.?All glory to you, holy God, now and forever. Amen.Lord’s PrayerGathered together by the Holy Spirit, we pray as Jesus taught us: (spoken quietly)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.SendingBlessingYou are what God made you to be: created in Christ Jesus for good works,chosen as holy and beloved, freed to serve your neighbor.God bless you???that you may be a blessing,in the name of the holy and life-giving Trinity. Amen.Sending Song“If You But Trust in God to Guide You”#769Those at home may sing along. Those in-person, please listen and meditate on the words as one person sings.Text ? 1978, 2006 Augsburg Fortress.DismissalGo in peace. Share the good news. Thanks be to God.Scripture quotations from New Revised Standard Version Bible, ? 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Service adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship ? 2006. All rights reserved.And/or from Sundays and . ? 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #46263.“Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said” Arr. ? 2006 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission from ONE LICENSE, License #731513-A. All rights reserved.“Goodness is Stronger Than Evil” Text from An African Prayer Book selected by Desmond Tutu, ? 1995 by Desmond Tutu. Used by permission of Doubleday a div. of Random House, Inc. and Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd. Music ? 1996 Iona Community, GIA Publications, Inc., exclusive agent. All rights reserved. Used by permission from ONE LICENSE, License #731513-A. All rights reserved.“If You But Trust in God to Guide You” Text ? 1978, 2006 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission from ONE LICENSE, License #731513-A. All rights reserved.Permission to stream music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #731513-A. All rights reserved.Quotes from The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with Abrams, Douglas. ? 2016 by The Dalai Lama Trust, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams.Published by Avery Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Fair use. ................
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