Sunday, March 17, 2024

Theme:

Have you ever said or done something you wish you could take back?  We all have experiences like that in life. The Israelites were very familiar with that experience, for they continually left God behind and broke their covenant with God. God was faithful through it all. In today’s passage, Jeremiah reminds us that God gave the Israelite people a chance to start anew with a new covenant. God loves us just as much and shares God’s amazing grace and mercy with each of us…calling us to basically delete our past and start again living our lives with God.

Reflections:

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Introit: A paraphrase of Psalm 52, from which we draw our Call to Worship. We sing verse three, which especially connect to our theme of “Starting Over”: “Create in me a faithful hear, a spirit right and new.”

Opening Hymn: The text of “O God, Who Give Us Life” draws on various scripture that highlights God’s faithfulness to the Chosen People; the final verse reference the scripture from Jeremiah and the promise of a new covenant written on the heart.

Transition Hymn: Our transition hymn for the month of March will be “As the Deer”.

Special Music: “Lamb of God”, by John Riem.

Responsive Hymn: The first verse of “Restore in Us, O God” speaks of renewal, starting over. The full text reflects an “historic understanding of Lent as a time to prepare…for reconciliation at the Easter Vigil.” Stanzas 1, 2, and 3 address one ‘person’, with the fourth to the Trinity.

Sending Hymn: As we near the time to reflect on the Passion of Christ, we consider this challenging text as our charge to go into the world: “Take Up You Cross, the Savior Said”.

Benediction: Verse three of  “Love Will Be Our Lenten Journey” sung to the PICARDY tune (“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”), words in the bulletin.