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For Personal or Family UseWorship for Sunday, March 29, 2020Lent 5As you sit down this Sunday morning in your home and shift to an attitude of worship, give thanks to God for this day. The following resource may aid you in a personal worship or devotional time. If you are gathered with others, you may take turns reading or speaking prayers aloud. You may choose to sing the hymns out loud, hum them to yourself, or simply meditate on their words. Prayers use the plural “we” to remind you that there are fellow brothers and sisters praying and worshipping with the same prayers this morning.Opening Song: My Hope is BuiltMy hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus' blood and righteousnessI dare not trust the sweetest frameBut wholly lean on Jesus nameOn Christ the solid rock I standAll other ground is sinking sandAll other ground is sinking sandWhen darkness veils His lovely faceI rest on His unchanging graceIn every high and stormy galeMy anchor holds within the veilHis oath His covenant His bloodSupports me in the 'whelming floodWhen all around my soul gives wayHe then is all my hope and stayWhen He shall come with trumpet soundO may I then in Him be foundDressed in His righteousness aloneFaultless to stand before the throneOpening PrayerGod, open our hearts and our minds to hear you speaking to us in the stillness of this space. Give us courage and hope. Grant us the all-surpassing peace of your presence. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.Scripture 1: Psalm 102:12-17But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity.The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.Song: Blessed AssuranceBlessed assurance, Jesus is mine!Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!Heir of salvation, purchase of God,Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior all the day long;This is my story, this is my song,Praising my Savior all the day long.Perfect submission, perfect delight,Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;Angels, descending, bring from aboveEchoes of mercy, whispers of love.Perfect submission, all is at rest,I in my Savior am happy and blest,Watching and waiting, looking above,Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.Scripture 2: Mark 13:1-8, 24-37As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.“But in those days, following that distress,“‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”Response: Keep Watch!It’s almost eerie reading these Scripture lessons today. Jesus speaks of upheavals. Of buildings being torn down, of natural disasters, of STRUGGLE. We look around at what we are experiencing today, and we might be tempted to think, “this is it! This is the end! It’s everything Jesus ever talked about!” While we are in a unique moment in our own lives, the world has experienced pandemics and natural disasters and suffering before. Christians have experienced all of these things before. And through it all, Jesus says, “Keep watch!”See, Jesus wants us to have our eyes open, to see where he will show up in our midst. When will Jesus come again? He says only the Father knows. We don’t know when that second coming will be. But we also know that Jesus continually comes to us in the here and now. He wants us to have our eyes open so that we might see the way he comes to us through loving our neighbors and through the way we allow our neighbors to love us. He wants us to have our eyes open, so we might see him when he comes to us in the still of the morning, or in the lingering boredom, or even in the desperation of our own circumstances. Today, let’s all keep watch!Where have you seen Jesus in the last week?What struggles or fears do you need to give to God?How can you point a neighbor towards the presence of Christ?Apostles’ CreedI believe in God, the Father Almighty,maker of heaven and earth;And 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, dead, and buried;*the third day he rose from the dead;he ascended into heaven,and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;from thence he shall come to judge the quick 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 the PeopleTake some time to prayer for the needs of your family, your neighbors, the community, the country, and the world. Trust that they are received by God through Jesus Christ.The Lord’s PrayerOur 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.Amen.OfferingPause for a few moments now to offer up yourself and your gifts to God. Please continue to send your tithe to the church as you are able so we may continue vital ministry even during this time of “social distancing.”Lord, we offer up to you our minds. We give you our thoughts, our words, and our study.We offer up to you our souls. We give you our prayers, our struggles, and our deepest questions.We offer up to you our bodies. We give you our hands, our feet, and our actions.We offer up to you our hearts. We give you our desires, our allegiance, and every fiber of our beings.We offer up to you our prayers and our presence. We give you our time, our participation, and our thanksgivings.We offer up to you our gifts. We give you our money, our resources, and our assets.We offer up to you our service and our witness. We give you our talents, our stories, and our willing service. Lord, we give back to you that which is already yours, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.Song: Through it AllThrough it allThrough it allI’ve learned to trust in JesusI’ve learned to trust in GodThrough it allThrough it allI’ve learned to depend upon God’s word.BlessingMay the peace of Christ rest upon us all, this day, and every day. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. ................
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