March 14, 2010
The 4th Sunday
in Lent
A Stephen Ministry Congregation
Our vision is to be
an expanding community
of faith, growing in the Holy Spirit,
and practicing before
the world a Christ centered life.
Missionaries: All the people of God
Pastor: Ron Schornhorst
Assistant to the
Pastor:
Music
Director:
Office Assistant:
Church Office: 706-485-4600 Pastor’s Home: 706-484-9855
Aids in hearing, children’s
“activity bulletins,”
and large print bulletins
are available from the ushers.
A
nursery room
for mothers and their infants is available.
Also child care for older children
is available 10:15 – 11:45 .
Attendants – NONE
Please ask an
usher for assistance.
(The
congregation is often greeted with, “This is the day the Lord has made.” You are invited to respond, “Let us rejoice
and be glad in it.”
The
greeting is from Psalm 118:24.)
During the Call to Worship and Welcome,
the person seated closest to the center
aisle is asked to take
the
Record of Fellowship book, sign it,
and pass it to others in the row.
The last person to sign is asked to pass
the book back.
Call to Worship
Welcome
The
Peace
L:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C:
And also with you.
(Please greet one another in
the name of the Lord
and remain standing for the
hymn.)
Hymn: “Come to Calvary’s Holy Mountain,”
bulletin
page 11
(To
sing harmony, turn to page 435 in the Lutheran Service Book.)
Invocation
L:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Confession
and Absolution
L: If we say
we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
C: But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful
and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Silence
for meditation and reflection)
L: Most merciful God,
C:
we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against you in thought, word,
and deed. We have not loved you with our
whole heart. We have not loved our
neighbors as ourselves. We justly
deserve your present and eternal punishment.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we
may delight in your will and walk in your ways – to the glory of your holy
name. Amen.
L:
Upon this, your confession, I, as your brother in the faith, announce the grace
of God to all of you. And in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus
Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
C:
Amen. Thanks be to God.
Prayer
of the Day
L:
The Lord be with you.
C:
And also with you.
L:
We pray together:
C: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, your mercies
are new every morning, providing for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge your
merciful goodness, given thanks for all your benefits, and serve you in willing
obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Lesson –
Isaiah 12:1-6
Psalmody – Psalm 32
L: Blessed is
the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
C: Blessed is the one against whom the Lord counts
no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
L: For when I
kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
C: For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my
strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
L: I
acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover up my iniquity; I said, “I will
confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
C: Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer
to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters they
shall not reach him.
L: You are a
hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts
of deliverance.
C: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
L: Be not like
a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and
bridle, or it will not stay near you.
C: Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast
love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
L: Be glad in
the Lord, rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy you upright in heart.
C: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the
Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Second Lesson
– 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Gospel verse (Please rise)
Text
and Music: Public domain
The Holy Gospel – Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
L: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 15th chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.
1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing
near to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and the
scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3So he
told them this parable: 4“What man of you,
having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he
finds it?
8“Or what
woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not
light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?
The Parable of
the Prodigal Son
11And he
said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12And
the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property
that is coming to me.’ And he divided
his property between them. 13Not many days
later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far
country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14And when he had spent everything, a severe famine
arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15So
he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country,
who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16And
he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him
anything.
17“But
when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have
more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18I
will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before you. 19I am no longer
worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20And he arose
and came to his father. But while he was
still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced
him and kissed him. 21And the son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22But the father
said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on
him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And
bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was
lost, and is found.’ And they began to
celebrate.
25“Now his
older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard
music and dancing. 26And he called one of the
servants and asked what these things meant. 27And
he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened
calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28But
he was angry and refused to go in. His father
came out and entreated him, 29but he answered
his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed
your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with
my friends. 30But when this son of yours came,
who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf
for him!’ 31And he said to him, ‘Son, you are
always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32It
was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is
alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
L: This is the
Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to
you, O Christ.
Choir
Anthem
Sermon
Apostles
Creed
L:
We confess together the faith we hold and the faith we share.
C: I 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, died and was buried. He
descended into hell. The third day he
rose again from the dead. He ascended
into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living
and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion
of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
The
Offering
Offertory
The
Prayers
L:
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people
according to their needs.
(After each petition is ended with,
“Lord, in your mercy,” the congregation responds with, “Hear our prayer.)
L:
Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your
mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C:
Amen.
L:
We pray together:
C:
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.
Announcements
The
Benediction (Numbers
L:
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious
to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you
peace.
C:
Amen.
Hymn: “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” bulletin page 12
(To sing harmony, turn to page 525 in the Lutheran Service Book.)
The
Sending Forth
L:
Go in peace and serve the Lord.
C:
Thanks be to God.
Postlude
+ + +
“THANK YOU” to
The
FLOWERS are given by Lois &
Harold Sollenberger.
GOD’S
BLESSINGS to those celebrating birthdays this
week: Ann Mortensen on Wednesday
and Mary Lovell on Thursday.
There is a FREE BLOOD
PRESSURE CHECK today following
the service.
Our LENTEN
SOUP SUPPER will be served at
R. Hansen, Lipacis,
Schneider, Uehlin
The EASTER LILY sign up
deadline is next Sunday, March 21st. Please order a lily or two to honor our risen
Lord! The sheet is on the round
table. The cost will be $7 per
flower. If you are giving a plant “in
honor of” or “in memory of” someone, please circle the appropriate phrase. Make checks payable to LOLC, marked “Easter
Lily.” Your remittance should be dropped
in the offering plate (and not given to Marcia or Si-Si.) You may also pay with cash and place in an
envelope marked "Easter Lily."
Thank you!
The March meeting for the LOLC
WOMEN'S GROUP will be Friday, March 26th, 10:30 a.m., at Marcia
Elkins home located at 1040 Madison Lakes Parkway, Madison. Come and enjoy devotions and an Easter Candy-making
Demonstration by Marilynn Sowell. Light refreshments will be served. A sign-up sheet is on the sign-up table. For
more info, contact Marilynn Sowell (706-453-2402).
Our CHURCH PHOTO DIRECTORY was taken over
three years ago. Some have moved away,
and some have joined us.
SPECIAL GIFT
STEPHEN
MINISTERS would like to take the opportunity to thank you once again for
your prayers and loving support of our ministry. We would ask that you pray for those who are
hurting to be encouraged to turn to our Stephen leaders for help, and that
those who are offered assistance through this outreach be receptive.
PORTALS OF PRAYER (April-June) is available
free of charge on the ushers’ table in the rear of the church.
HOLY WEEK & EASTER
April 1st
– 7 p.m., Maundy Thursday Communion service
April 2nd
– 7 p.m., Good Friday worship
April 4th
- No Sunday School or Bible Classes
April 4th
– 9-9:45 a.m., Easter Breakfast
April 4th
–
WEEKLY CALENDAR:
Monday
– Quilt
Board Meeting, 10 a.m.
Weight Watchers, 4:30
p.m.
Exercise Group, 6:30
p.m.
Tuesday
– MOPS,
9 a.m.
Newsletter articles
due, noon
Wednesday
– Nursing
Home Ministry, 1:30 p.m.
Soup Supper, 6:30
p.m.
Thursday
– Gospel
Sing, 7 p.m.
Next
Sunday – Choir
Practice, 9 a.m.
Youth Bible Study, 9
a.m.
Adult Bible Study, 9
a.m.
Church Service, 10:30
a.m.
Collecting for MITES,
see Lillian Blosser
Council Meeting,
after service
Hymn: “Come to Calvary’s Holy Mountain”
Text
(sts. 1–4) and Music: Public domain
Hymn: “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
|
5 |
Crown Him the Lord of
heav’n, |
Text and
Music: Public domain