The Third Sunday in Lent
also known as Occuli Sunday
(Latin for “Eyes”) March 08, 2026
He Comes, He Sees, He Conquers
Over 2000 years ago Julius Caesar, writing back to Rome about his military campaign in Gaul (France), succinctly described his victorious efforts with a phrase that has become familiar to many history students: “Veni, Vidi, Vici.” (Latin for “I came, I saw, I conquered.”)
On this third Sunday in Lent we’ll look at our Savior as “He comes, He sees, and He conquers.” We’ll emphasize three points in particular: 1) that Christ came to be the Savior of all mankind, regardless of a person’s position in life (or interest in Him); 2) that our Lord sees us as we truly are, aware of all our physical needs and spiritual needs…and He is able and willing to meet those needs as He knows best; and 3) that Jesus has conquered the chief enemies of our souls: namely Satan, sin and death. Through faith in Him, Jesus’ victories have become our victories, and so we need never fear the adversaries of our souls – death, included.
It is that enemy of death on which will especially focus today as we search the Scriptures together. In our Old Testament Lesson we’ll see one of the two OT resurrections – this one performed by Elijah on the son of the widow of Zarephath.
Our Epistle Lesson comes from Paul’s inspired pen as he addresses the church in Colosse, reminding them that the Lord has delivered them from their natural condition of spiritual death and granted them a spiritual resurrection and new life through baptism (v. 12) in Christ. In these verses we also find a key passage about Christ’s deity and humanity (v. 9) as well as one of the two Scripture references to Jesus’ descent into hell (v. 15).
Our Gospel Lesson shows Jesus’ power over death through His resurrection of the daughter of Jairus.
We’ll discuss yet another NT resurrection – this time by Paul – during our Children’s Lesson as we look at the man who died during church.
Finally, this morning’s Sermon Text is the story of Christ’s resurrecting the son of the widow of Nain. Here we see how the Savior came to a seemingly unimportant person in an insignificant town and, seeing her needs (spiritual and physical), through the use of His almighty power He displayed his divine authority over sin and death. As He came, saw and conquered in Nain for the benefit of a widow and her son, even so Christ still comes into our lives today, seeing our spiritual needs, and through His love and power He conquerors all the enemies of our souls, so that we might be eternally victorious with Him over Satan, death and sin.
The Third Sunday in Lent also known as “Occuli” (my eyes) Sunday
About the “Christian Church Year…..The Christian Church Year is a centuries-tested way of organizing worship around the major Christian festivals of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. These festivals celebrate the work of the Triune God. The Father promises (Advent) and finally gives His Son for our salvation (Christmas). The Son, Who shows through His messages and miracles that He is the God-Man (Epiphany) Who came to earth for the primary purpose of living perfectly and dying sacrificially as the ultimate Substitute for all our sins (Lent and the Holy Week observances). That Son, crucified on Calvary, rose bodily and triumphantly from the grave (Easter and the Easter season) – thereby assuring us that our sins are forgiven and that salvation through faith in Him is certain. The Holy Spirit comes to us through the Means of Grace (Pentecost) to give us faith in the One true God (the festival of the Holy Trinity) and to build us up in the faith by sanctifying (keeping godly) the Christian community (the Pentecost/Trinity season) The arrangement of the Christian Church Year is very helpful, therefore, in insuring that the important truths of God’s Word are presented to the Church in a uniform manner each year, and that the focus of our saving faith is constantly kept – as it must be – on the perfect life and redeeming work of Jesus Christ for us.
During the season of Lent, the paraments (altar, lectern and pulpit cloths, along with the pastor’s stole) are all purple. This is both the color of royalty, reminding us that our Savior in His humility is nevertheless our heavenly King, and the color of repentance over sin. It serves to symbolize our sorrows over the sufferings that our sins brought upon Him. The major emphases of the season of Lent are Repentance (especially in our midweek services) and (on Sunday mornings) Renewal in Christ, our Champion over sin, death, and Satan. Repentance is evident as we ponder Christ’s passion for us. On the other hand, renewal and assurance are ours as we anticipate our Savior’s (and, vicariously, our own) victory over death and the Devil through His bodily Resurrection Consequently, the Wednesdays of Lent are more penitential in their character and emphasis, while the Sundays of Lent are more celebratory (though modestly so) both as they recount Christ’s victories over sin and Satan and as they anticipate His (and our own) resurrection.
The traditional emphasis of this third Sunday in Lent is on our “eyes”….and Him on Whom our eyes should be focused. Consequently, the sixteen centuries’ old Latin name for this 3rd Sunday in the Lent is “Occuli” Sunday – meaning “my eyes.” That Latin name is drawn from the fifteenth verse of Psalm 25 (our Psalm for today): “My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only He will release my feet from the snare.“ Eyes need light in order to function. Light bounces off of things, is focused through lenses and reaches the retinas. From there electrical signals are sent to the brain which processes the information and identifies the image(s). We call that rather complicated process “seeing.” What’s interesting is that beyond the electrical signals they subsequently send to the brain, the eyes really do nothing other than to receive the light that comes into them. Eyes certainly add nothing to the light, nor do they produce light. They are actually quite passive. In the total absence of light, eyes simply cannot work; they are blind.
Figuratively-speaking, without Jesus we humans are spiritually blind. Only through faith in Jesus do we truly see ourselves as we are (hopeless, hapless sinners) and God as He must be (holy, just, and yet the God of limitless love). For in Jesus alone do we have the One Who is the “Light of the world.” One of the chief questions that confronts us, then, on this “Occuli Sunday” morning is: “How can eyes that were born blind ever come to be (and remain) focused on the Lord Jesus Christ?” The answer: by God’s amazing grace alone! Through the faith-imparting work of Holy Spirit in the Means of Grace (the Gospel in the Word and the Sacraments), our Lord enables us blind men and women to see Him as the true God of grace and glory. Then and only then can we, in the words of Hebrews 12:1-3, “fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down a the right hand of the throne of God.”
Pre-service Silent Prayer
Heavenly Father, please guide me in wisdom and truth through Your Holy Spirit, as I spend this hour meditating on Your Word and rejoicing in Your limitless love for me. Assist me in being attentive in heart and mind to Your Word, as well as to the hymns of praise, the various petitions, and the prayers of thanksgiving my voice directs toward You. Use this worship service, O Lord, to deepen my love for You, to strengthen my trust in You, and to renew my commitment to You. All this I ask for the sake of and in the name of Your One and only Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen.
The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version Copyright 2019, The Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831
Silent Prayer Pre-service Music
Pre-Worship Hymn Singing, beginning at 9:25 a.m.
We Praise Our God
The Introduction and Invitation To Worship
following which, the Congregation will rise for the invocation
The Invocation
Pastor We begin this service in the name of the Father
Congregation Who gave us our lives through His almighty power.
P: And of the Son
C: Who redeemed our lives with His precious blood.
P: And of the Holy Spirit
C: Who gave us eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.
P: Amen.
The Psalm for Today Psalm 25, selected verses
P: My Eyes are always on the Lord, because He frees my feet from the net.
C: Turn toward me and be gracious to me, + because I am lonely and afflicted.
P: The distress of my heart increases. Bring me out of my anguish.
C: See my affliction and my trouble, + and take away all my sins.
P: Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your mercy, for they are from eternity.
C: Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways. + According to Your mercy remember me, + because of Your goodness, O LORD.
P: To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I have trusted, O my God.
C: Do not let me be put to shame. + For I have taken refuge in You.
After which the Congregation may be seated for
The Opening Hymn Hymn 226 “To Your Temple, I Draw Near”
sung antiphonally
Verse 1 – sung by all
Verse 2 – Pulpit Side Verse 3 – Lectern Side
Verse 4 – sung by all
Verse 5 – Women and Girls Verse 6 – Men and Boys
Verse 7 – sung by all
1 To your temple I draw near; Lord, I love to worship here.
Here are sacrament and Word; Here believers meet their Lord.
2 I through Christ am reconciled; I through Christ become your child.
Abba, Father, give me grace In your courts to seek your face.
3 While your glorious praise is sung, Touch my lips, unloose my tongue,
That my joyful soul may bless Christ the Lord, my righteousness.
4 While the prayers of saints ascend, God of love, to mine attend.
Hear me, for your Spirit pleads; Hear, for Jesus intercedes.
5 While I listen to your law, Fill my soul with holy awe
Till your gospel brings to me Life and immortality.
6 While your ministers proclaim Peace and pardon in your name,
Through their voice, by faith, may I Hear you speaking from the sky.
7 From your house, when I return, May my heart within me burn,
And at evening let me say, “I have walked with God today.”
After which, the Congregation will rise for
The Confession of our Sins
Pastor: As we approach the Lord in worship today, let us all confess our sins and seek God’s forgiving mercy:
Congregation: O Lord, hear my prayer, + Listen to my cry for mercy + and in Your faithfulness, come
to my relief. + Do not bring Your servant into judgment, + for no one living is righteous before You. + Answer me quickly, O Lord; + my spirit fails. + Do not hide Your face from me, + For I have put my trust in You. + Show me the way I should go, + for to You I lift up my soul. + Teach me to do Your will, + for You are my God.
Almighty God, merciful Father, + I, a troubled and repentant sinner + confess that I have sinned against You in my actions, thoughts and words. + I have not loved You with all my heart; + I have not loved others the way I should. + I have not been a faithful steward of the time, abilities, opportunities and resources + which You have entrusted to my care. + I have not always been eager and willing to worship You, serve You, or learn from You as I ought. + My transgressions, whether deliberate or done out of ignorance + are too numerous for me to recall. + I know that because of them + I deserve Your punishment both now and eternally. + But I truly am distressed by + and deeply sorry for my sins. + And so I implore You, for Jesus’ sake, + to have mercy upon me + and to forgive me, + a poor, sinful being.
Pastor: Jesus says to His followers: “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven.” Do you believe this word and promise of your Savior?
Congregation: Yes, I believe.
Pastor: Then according to the command and promise of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and in His place, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Be at peace once more with your God, assured that you are a dear child of God and an heir of eternal life in heaven through faith in Christ Jesus.
Congregation: O Lord, my God + I called to You for help + and You answered me. + I thank You for the love You have shown me in Jesus Christ, my Savior. + Through Him You have rescued me from the guilt and curse of my sin. + Renew me now, through Your Holy Spirit + that I might faithfully fight against all temptation, + correct whatever wrongs I can, + and live in the peace of Your forgiveness. + Let my life be filled with Your love and praise. + Now and forever. + Amen.
Our Grateful Response for God’s Forgiveness
To the tune of “Hymn to Joy” (CW 169)
Joyful, joyful we adore You, God of glory, God of love!
Heav’n and earth bow down before You,
Praising You, our Lord above.
You our Father, Christ our Savior,
With the Spirit faith provides,
Life eternal we’ve been granted, gracious gift that e’er abides.
You are giving and forgiving, Ever glorious, Ever blest.
Source of every kind of blessing, Giver of eternal rest.
You have claimed us as Your children Heaven’s heirs through faith alone —
– In the Rock of our salvation,
Jesus Christ, our Lord, Your Son.
Lord, receive our prayers and praises,
weak and humble though they be.
Yours the power, Yours the glory, Both today and endlessly.
None beside You, None before You, God of mercy, full and free.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ever blessed Trinity.
The Prayer for this Day
O Almighty God, Heavenly Father, + by Whose grace we have been brought out of spiritual darkness + into the light of saving faith, + we thank You for choosing us to be Your children now and eternally. + We also implore You to be merciful to all who have gone astray from Your ways – both those persons we know who have wandered from You, + and the masses who are unknown to us but known to You. + Enable them also, with penitent hearts and steadfast faith + to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word. + And finally, be our defense against all the enemies of our souls, + that we might never forfeit Your grace, + but ever remain true to You. + All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, + Who lives and rules with You and the Holy Spirit, + one God, now and forever. + Amen.
after which, the Congregation will be seated as
We Give Our Attention To God’s Word
The Old Testament Lesson I Kings 17:7-24
7 After some time the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Get up! Go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there. I have commanded a woman there, a widow, to provide for you.”
10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. He came to the city gate, and there he saw a widow gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please give me a little water in a jar, so that I can have something to drink.”
11 When she went to get it, he called to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”
12 She said, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no food except a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a pitcher. See, I am gathering a couple of sticks so that I can go and prepare it for myself and my son, so that we can eat it and then die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do just as you said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from the flour and bring it out to me. Then go and make another for you and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. The jar of flour will not run out and the pitcher of oil will not become empty until the day the Lord sends rain to water the surface of the ground.”
15 So she went and did exactly as Elijah said. He and she, as well as her household, were able to eat for many days. 16 The jar of flour did not run out, and the pitcher of oil did not become empty, just as the Lord had said through Elijah.
17 After these events, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. The illness became worse until he stopped breathing.
18 Then she said to Elijah, “What is the issue between us, man of God? Have you come to remind me of my sins and to kill my son?”
19 He said to her, “Bring your son to me.” Then he took him and carried him to the upstairs room where he was living, and he laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, have You sent tragedy on this woman with whom I am staying by killing her son?”
21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times, and he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, let this boy’s soul return to his body!” 22 The Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the boy’s soul returned to his body, and he came to life. 23 Then Elijah took the boy and brought him down to the house from his upstairs room, and he gave him to his mother.
Elijah said, “See, your son is alive!”
24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.”
The Epistle Lesson Colossians 2:6-15
6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, 7 by being rooted and built up in Him, and strengthened in the faith just as you were taught, while you overflow in faith with thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, which are in accord with human tradition, namely, the basic principles of the world, but not in accord with Christ. 9 For all the fullness of God’s being dwells bodily in Christ. 10 And you have been brought to fullness in Him. Christ is the Head over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in Him, with a circumcision not done by human hands, in the putting off of the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with Christ in baptism. And in baptism you were also raised with Him through the faith worked by the God Who raised Christ from the dead.
13 Even when you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ by forgiving us all our trespasses. 14 God erased the record of our debt brought against us by His legal demands. This record stood against us, but He took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 After disarming the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them by triumphing over them in Christ.
After which, out of respect for the words of Christ, the Congregation will rise for
The Gospel Lesson Mark 5:21-43
21 When Jesus had again crossed over in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him near the sea. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came. When he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet 23 and repeatedly pleaded with Him, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.”
24 Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following Him, pressing tightly against Him. 25 A certain woman who was there had a discharge of blood for twelve years. 26 She had suffered much under the care of many physicians and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. 27 When she heard what was being said about Jesus, she went up behind Him in the crowd and touched His robe. 28 She said, “If I just touch His robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30 At that moment, Jesus knew that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My robe?”
31 His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing tightly against You and yet You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”
32 Nevertheless He kept looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman was trembling with fear since she knew what had happened to her. She came forward, fell down in front of Him, and told Him the whole truth.
34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your suffering.”
35 While He was still speaking, people from the synagogue ruler’s house arrived, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”
36 But when Jesus heard this report, He told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” 37 He did not allow anyone to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 They went into the house of the synagogue ruler, and Jesus saw a commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When He entered, He said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
40 They laughed at Him. But after He put everyone out, He took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with Him and went in where the child was. 41 Grasping the hand of the child, He said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (When translated, that means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”) 42 Immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) They were completely and utterly amazed. 43 Then He gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.
After which the Congregation may be seated to sing
The Apostles’ Creed
Sung to the melody of Melita (Almighty Father, Strong to Save; CW 517)
All glory to our God and Lord, Who by the power of His Word
Created and sustains each thing, and all that live.
His praises sing….
Our Father, Who in mercy still,
Guides everything by His sure will.
We worship Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
by Whom salvation has been won.
For us He lived, and for us died, that we might all be justified,
Raised from the dead, on high to reign.
We know that He will come again.
We praise the Holy Spirit sent, active in Word and Sacrament,
He binds the Church, below, above,
in faith in Christ’s redeeming love.
And ne’er forget this promise true:
With Christ we shall arise anew! Amen
The Children’s Lesson Acts 20:7-12
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul spoke to the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he continued talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus. He was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking for a long time. When he was sound asleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, bent over him, threw his arms around him, and said, “Do not be alarmed, because he is alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs, broke bread, and ate. After talking for a considerable time until dawn, he left. 12 They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.
The Lesson of the Man Who Fell Asleep in Church
The Sermon Hymn Hymn 372 “I Lay My Sins On Jesus”
1 I lay my sins on Jesus,
The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all and frees us
From the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus
To wash my crimson stains
White in his blood most precious
Till not a spot remains.
2 I lay my wants on Jesus;
All fullness dwells in him.
He heals all my diseases;
My soul he does redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
My burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases;
He all my sorrows shares.
3 I rest my soul on Jesus,
This weary soul of mine.
His right hand me embraces;
I in his arms recline.
I love the name of Jesus,
Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
Like fragrance on the breezes
His name abroad is poured.
4 I long to be like Jesus:
Meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus,
The Father’s holy child.
I long to be with Jesus
Amid the heav’nly throng
To sing with saints his praises,
To learn the angels’ song.
After which, the Congregation will rise for
The Salutation
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer! Amen.
The Sermon Text Luke 7:11-17
11 Soon afterward Jesus went on His way to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with Him. 12 As He was approaching the town gate, there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. She was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not cry.” 14 He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and the pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
16 Fear gripped all of them, and they glorified God, saying, “A great Prophet has arisen among us” and “God has visited His people!” 17 This was reported about Him in all of Judea and in all the surrounding countryside.
He Comes, He Sees, He Conquers
after which the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED for
The Post-Sermon Blessing
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, now encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts to the Lord
We offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) Those in the chapel can place their offerings in the offering plates
2) You can send a check (no cash) in the mail to Grace Lutheran Church (415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)
3) Or, go online to our website (www.gracelutherannwa.com) and use the giving option there
The Offerings are gathered and presented to our Lord
as the offerings are brought forward
the Congregation will remain seated for
The Confirmation of Isabel Landrum
Introduction, and a Brief Explanation of What Confirmation Is
The Rite of Confirmation
Pastor: Do you this day, in the presence of God and of this Christian congregation, confirm the solemn covenant which at your Baptism you made with the Triune God? Then answer “I do.”
Confirmand: I do.
Pastor: Do you, then, renounce the devil, and all his works, and all his ways? Then answer, “I do.”
Confirmand: I do.
Pastor: Do you believe in God the Father?
Confirmand: Yes, I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
Pastor: Do you believe in God the Son?
Confirmand: Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again 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.
Pastor: Do you believe in God the Holy Ghost?
Confirmand: Yes, I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; The forgiveness of sins; The resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting.
Pastor: Do you desire to become a communicant member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and of this congregation? Then answer, “I do.”
Confirmand: I do.
Pastor: Do you hold all the canonical books of the Bible to be the verbally inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, and the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, drawn from the Bible, as you have learned to know it from Luther’s Small Catechism, to be the true and correct one? Then answer, “I do.”
Confirmand: I do.
Pastor: Do you also, as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, intend to continue steadfast in the confession of this Church, and suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? Then answer, “I do so intend, with the help of God.”
Confirmand: I do so intend, with the help of God.
Pastor: And finally, do you intend faithfully to conform all your life to the rule of the divine Word, to be diligent in the use of the Means of Grace, to walk according to the Gospel of Christ, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to the Triune God, even unto death? Then answer, “I do so intend, by the grace of God.”
Confirmand: I do so intend, by the grace of God.
The Acceptance of Isabel Landrum
into Communicant Membership
Isabel’s Confirmation verse: John 8:31-32
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you remain in My word, you are really My disciples. 32 You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
After which the Congregation will be invited to rise
Lord, Receive our Prayers
P Lord God, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier:
C: We humbly come before Your throne of grace, + asking for Your blessings upon the Church at large, + our congregation, + and each one of us.
P Fill us with thankful hearts for every gift, opportunity, and challenge that You provide.
C: Merciful God, though we do not deserve them, + continue to grant us our daily bread + and all of our other needs of body and spirit.
P Instill in us, as Your people, a genuine hunger and thirst for Your righteousness. Allow us to continue to properly read, learn, and inwardly digest Your holy, true and mighty Word –
C: that our hearts and minds might remain firmly focused on You + as the true God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and that we might be eternally sustained + in this one, true, saving Christian faith.
P: Grant us all a strong faith especially in those times when we face temptation and doubt, so that we might trust in You with unwavering confidence.
C: Guard us from the wiles of the Devil, + the ways of this wicked world, + and our own sinful nature. + Preserve us from all forms of selfish love and sinful ambition.
P: We pray also for every nation and their respective residents. Particularly do we seek Your mercy for those living in troubled places like Iraq, that peace might permeate that land, and that both our service personnel and Iraq’s citizens might be protected from all harm and danger.
C: For all those in harm’s way – especially those serving in our nation’s military + and in our country’s law-enforcement agencies – Almighty God we pray that You would continue to send Your protective angels + to guard both the defenseless and those who defend others.
P: We pray for Larry and Barbara Center, who will be celebrating their wedding anniversary this coming Tuesday. We also pray for all those we know and love, as well as those with which we are not acquainted, from those who are sick to those who are dealing with severe health and other life challenges….sustain them in the midst of their injuries, difficulties, suffering, heartache, loneliness and pain.
C: Enable them to fix their eyes and hearts on You, Lord, + trusting in You day by day + for healing, relief, strength, and hope.
P: Lord God, work powerfully through Your Spirit in the hearts of those who do not yet believe, that none might perish eternally, but instead will be brought to that land flowing with milk and honey—heaven itself.
C: That we might personally share in extending Your kingdom, + grant each of us such a faith + that we will boldly and confidently confess You + through our lives and with our voices + as the only true God, + upon Whom – alone – our everlasting salvation depends.
C: For all other things unspoken and hidden in our hearts, we pray that You, O Lord, would give Your gracious and wise attention to our necessities and desires, conforming all our hopes and needs to Your perfect will. Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. In His name we offer this prayer and continue now, by praying:
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.
We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing
The Closing Salutation
Pastor May the Lord be with you.
Congregation And also with you.
The Doxology
Pastor Now, to Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy —
Congregation to the only God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
The Benediction
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make His face to shine upon You
and be gracious unto you,
The LORD look upon you with favor,
and grant you His peace. Amen.
The Closing Hymn Hymn 321 “Savior, Again To Thy Dear Name We Raise”
1 Savior, again to thy dear name we raise
With one accord our parting hymn of praise.
Once more we bless thee ere our worship cease,
Then, lowly bending, wait thy word of peace.
2 Grant us thy peace upon our homeward way;
With thee began, with thee shall end the day.
Guard thou the lips from sin, the hearts from shame,
That in this house have called upon thy name.
3 Grant us thy peace, Lord, through the coming night;
Turn thou for us its darkness into light.
From harm and danger keep thy people free,
For dark and light are both alike to thee.
4 Grant us thy peace throughout our earthly life,
Our balm in sorrow and our stay in strife.
Then, when thy voice shall bid our conflict cease,
Call us, O Lord, to thine eternal peace.
Silent Prayer
Announcements
Post-service Music