The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, March 5, 2023 — Second Sunday in Lent

 

The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers
Sunday, March 5, 2023 — Second Sunday in Lent

Midwife our Spirits
Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Opening Statement

A crucial aspect of the Lenten journey is the invitation to make a choice. First, we must choose whether or not to even participate in this journey. Ash Wednesday gives us the opportunity to say yes to that choice. But the decisions don’t end there! The Lent 1 readings outline the choices we are confronted with when temptation knocks on the door. And the Lent 2 readings present the choice between blessing and curse. In the very short Genesis passage, Abram makes the choice look easy, but the psalmist reminds us that we constantly look for blessings in the wrong places. Even when God’s own Son shows us the way to salvation, like Nicodemus before us, we have trouble choosing to accept the blessing offered. What choice will we make today?

Opening Prayer
(based on Genesis 12, Psalm 121, John 3)

God of the ages, we come asking for your blessing, only to find that the abundance of your love is already around us. Open our eyes to see the blessing of your creation in the beauty all around us. Open our ears to hear the blessing of your word as it is proclaimed in story and song this day. Open our hearts to experience the blessing of faith through the gentle touch of a friend or the supportive smile of a stranger. And open our doors, that we may become vessels of your blessing to a world still in need of salvation. All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Collect
(from the Book of Common Prayers)

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Call to Confession
(based on Genesis 12, John 3)

God of salvation, you shower our lives and our world with love, yet we too often turn away from your blessing. It is just so easy to complain! There are little annoyances each day, but they pile up into a mountainous burden that becomes a curse on our lives. Free us from our unwise choices, O God. When we are distracted and confused, redirect our attention to the abundant opportunities to experience your love. During this Lenten journey, focus our hearts on you, that we may choose the blessing of salvation offered us each day through Jesus Christ, in whom we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon
(based on Genesis 12, John 3)

God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn it, but that the world might be saved through him. Through the saving love of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven and blessed!

Today’s Verse-of-the-Day:

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

We have been given His written Word, which contains His sovereign will for all His blood-bought children, and we should make sure that His Word is written in our hearts and stored in our minds. We should recognize that the way we live our lives, the words we speak with our lips, the thoughts we imagine in our hearts, the acts we carry out in our lives, and the motive behind our actions will reflect our relationship with Him—which either honors His name or dishonors His word.

Today’s Lectionary Readings:
From the Pentateuch
Genesis 12:1-4a
The blessing of God upon Abram

12:1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
     and I will bless you;
  I will make your name great,
     and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
     and whoever curses you I will curse;
  and all peoples on earth
     will be blessed through you.”

4a So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 121
The Lord watches over you
Levavi oculos

I lift up my eyes to the hills;*
from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the LORD,*
the maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved*
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel*
shall neither slumber nor sleep;

The LORD himself watches over you;*
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,

So that the sun shall not strike you by day,*
nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;*
it is he who shall keep you safe.

The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in,*
from this time forth for evermore.

Heavenly Father, we look up to You as we pray today, for You are high and lifted up in reality and in our praise of You. Your word teaches that You made heaven and earth, and You made us in Your image, a little lower than yourself. You know us completely, far better than we know ourselves. You know our needs. You anticipate every problem that will cause us to struggle in the days ahead. You keep Your eyes upon us day and night, ever ready to come to our rescue. Direct our paths, so we will not stray into evil. Protect us from Your enemies and ours, through Your Son, Amen.

From the Epistles
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
The promise to those of Abraham’s faith

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
…
13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

Gospel Acclamation
(based on Matt. 4:4)

Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Today’s Gospel Reading
John 3:1-17
The mission of Christ: saving the world

3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Here end the Readings

Click HERE to read today’s Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Nicene Creed

• We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

• And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

• And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that 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, for ever and ever. Amen.

Holy Communion

A nondenominational serving of bread and wine

Though no video can truly replace the experience of celebrating together in our places of worship, we know that where two or more are gathered, the Lord is present. This table is open to all who recognize Jesus Christ as healer and redeemer. This table is open to all who work to bring God’s Kingdom here on earth. No one is turned away because of life circumstances. No one is barred from this table. No one seeking God’s abundant grace and mercy is turned aside. We see before us the abundance that a life of faith offers as we respond to God’s everlasting mercy in prayer and deed.

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank you that we are a family in Christ. Help us to share his love and legacy with everyone that we encounter this week. May we lavish Christ’s abounding goodness upon our families, friends and colleagues. Holy Spirit, come and equip us in our workplace, guide us in our school life, and inspire us in our neighborhood. May we be your hands and feet to the needy, your words of affirmation to the oppressed and your arms of comfort to the lonely.

Thank you for choosing to use us to bring your kingdom here on earth. Amen.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets].

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789).

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, March 5, 2023
Second Sunday in Lent
Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17

“The Nicodemus Question” The Gospel Message for Sunday, March 5, 2023

Our Gospel message comes to us today from the 3rd chapter of John, beginning with the 1st verse.

3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

— John 3:1-17

“The Nicodemus Question”

by Pastor Carla Powell

United in Faith Lutheran Church

Chicago, Illinois

Many people attend sporting events carrying signs labeled JOHN 3:16, the promise that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. I heard of a sporting event recently, where the announcers began to snicker and gawk at a sign one of the spectators held that said JOHN 3:17. “He’s got it wrong! Doesn’t he know it’s JOHN 3:16, not JOHN 3:17! What an idiot.” But read the words from John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16 is one of the most well-known Bible verses. Nearly all Christians (and many non-Christians) know John 3:16, but may not be able to recite the reference or tell that it comes from Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. But despite its popularity and familiarity, the world thirsts more and more daily to know that God loves us, to understand what it means that God loves us. When we go to church, to God, to the pastor, asking for direction, many of us bring this same question, and perhaps we might call it the Nicodemus question.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He is a respected man, a leader of the people, a religious authority and teacher who knew the Law. Maybe Nicodemus doesn’t even know how to tell Jesus that he hungers for the love of God, or that he thirsts for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or that he wants to find a merciful Lord. Nicodemus doesn’t come out and ask Jesus anything. He comes proclaiming knowledge of who Jesus is. And even though he doesn’t come right out and ask the Nicodemus Question, it is there. The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus revolves around the simple question: “How can I be saved?”

Alone with Jesus in the dark of night, Nicodemus, a respected teacher of the Law, confessed to the young preacher-carpenter who sat before him. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Nicodemus’ approach to Jesus is very rational. He describes what he knows, that Jesus is from God, and how he knows it because no one could do this stuff outside of God. Nicodemus came to this conclusion through perfectly logical, rational deduction.

Nicodemus knew only one way to God, the way of logic and Law. And on this night, in the darkness, that is the way he approached Jesus. He came with a religion of the mind. But Jesus replied with, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Jesus responds, not by speaking to Nicodemus’ logic, but by telling Nicodemus that he needs to start over again if he really wants to understand. If you want to understand, if you really want to know the truth, if you want to see how it is that I have come to you from God, then you must start over from the beginning. But Nicodemus misunderstood Jesus’ words. “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Nicodemus was still arguing with his mind. His logic could not wrap around the truths that Jesus was telling him.

Many of us are like Nicodemus. We want proof. We live in an age that demands facts and ignores feelings. We see evidence, draw conclusions, and take action based on logical, rational thought. But God does not work rationally. Perhaps if we want to find that missing element in our walk with God, that hole which continually thirsts for meaning, then we must move beyond our intellect to our feelings, beyond our mind to our heart. Facts aren’t enough. Feelings must enhance the facts. Belief and experience must complement logic and reason.

Being born again is not something that happened on a Saturday afternoon when the Holy Spirit came upon you and revealed Jesus to you. Being born again is not something that happened on a cloudy day when the heavens opened, and God spoke to you. Being born again is a daily process of being recreated in God’s image. Each day, we have a new opportunity to live in the love of God. Each day, we face a new world with new possibilities. Being born again means that we recommit ourselves to our faith in God, so that no matter what happens, no matter what we have done, we can start anew with God’s help.

Jesus invites us to renew our faith every day by being born again. If you feel lost or alone, if all you do seems to be for naught, if you love God but feel that He is somehow distant from you, if your spiritual life isn’t what you want it to be, then ask God to come into your heart right now. Let God’s Spirit work in you to give you a new birth, a new life. Give your heart and your mind to God and be born again in the wonder of God’s love.

John 3:16-17 announces what has always been true of God, from the very beginning of time. There is no BC or AD on the love of God. God has always loved the world and always yearned to save the world. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” What a gift of rebirth; what an offer of joy; what a promise of new life!

Let us pray: Lord, like the lawyer Nicodemus, we come to you in hidden ways. We have lots of questions and concerns. We aren’t sure that you will even listen to them or that you will think our queries are foolish. New life sounds wonderful. We have made messes in this life, some of which we have cleaned up. Still, there are others that we have swept under the rug, hidden away in the closet, hidden from ourselves, and we believe hidden from you. But you know us better than we want to be known. You know our thoughts and actions. Help us, Lord. How can we turn things around so that there are peace and hope? We offer to you concerns for family, community, and nation, and yet we don’t really expect that anything will change. We are unwilling to change ourselves, and so change for the world appears a wispy dream. Bring your presence powerfully to us. Convince us of the hope that rests in you alone, for we offer this prayer in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Sermon contributed by Rev. Carla Powell.
What does it mean to be born again? How can we be saved?

The Morning Prayer for Sunday, March 5, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Sunday, March 5, 2023

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32, RSV

Lord our God, we come to you as a little flock, asking you to accept us and keep us as your own, whom you will redeem in your time. Protect us always so that we remain strong in faith. Strengthen us in the faith that you are with us, helping us. Grant that your people may come to the light, to the honor of your name. So we entrust ourselves to your hands this night. Be with us, Lord our God, through your Spirit. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Sunday, March 5, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Sunday, March 5, 2023

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

We have been given His written Word, which contains His sovereign will for all His blood-bought children, and we should make sure that His Word is written in our hearts and stored in our minds. We should recognize that the way we live our lives, the words we speak with our lips, the thoughts we imagine in our hearts, the acts we carry out in our lives, and the motive behind our actions will reflect our relationship with Him—which either honors His name or dishonors His word.

Read all of Deuteronomy chapter 6

Listen to Deuteronomy chapter 6

Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Travel the World from Home — Mt. Hermon: Finally Getting God Right

 

The Holy Land:
Connecting the Land with Its Stories
Mt. Hermon: Finally Getting God Right
Season 3 — Episode 3

How can a place that struggled so long to understand who God was now help us understand who He is?

“The Holy Land: Connecting the Land with Its Stories” Season 3 is a nine-episode series hosted by Dr. John (Jack) Beck that takes you to the Jordan River Valley systems to experience the land, the culture, and the customs that surround the sacred stories of the Bible.

In the 3rd episode of “The Holy Land” Season 3, Dr. Jack Beck teaches us how in specifically choosing the Mt. Hermon region to reveal His true, sacred identity, Jesus changed the trajectory of this location forever.

Season 3 — Episode 3 | Mt. Hermon: Finally Getting God Right