The Second Sunday in Lent – February 25, 2024 – Purpose in Grace Alone
Lord of Life LIVE - The Second Sunday in Lent
Upcoming Events
Sunday Worship - The Third Sunday in Lent
”Truth In Grace Alone”
Sunday, March 3, 2024, 9:30am
Join us in person or on YouTube for Lord of Life LIVE!
Faith Quest meets during worship!
All are welcome, encouraged to visit the Prayer Cross as moved to do so.
Litany Renewal in Grace Alone in Jesus Christ
based on Psalm 18
Today as we share our Lenten journey, we pray to be alive and anew thanks to God’s faithful purpose in grace alone, so we worship, in the name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit.
Amen. I love you, O Lord, you are my strength, my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, in you I take refuge; you are my shield, my stronghold, my salvation. In you alone, grace is made known!
Friends, God’s Word invites us, in our distress, to call upon the Lord, for power and purpose, for grace and hope. From his temple God hears our voices; our every cry reaches his ears. Let us take a moment of silence to confess our sins, and those times we have failed to call on Christ alone, The Rock of our salvation.
(silence for reflection)
The Lord has reached down from the heavens and taken hold of us. Friends, take hold of the power and purpose of God’s grace alone in these words: Jesus saves; Jesus forgives you all your sins. The Lord takes delight in us. Be still! Be alive and anew, for the Holy One is here!
Song Anew in Grace
Be Still
Evans
vs. 1
Be still for the presence of the Lord
The Holy One is here
Come bow before Him now
With reverence and fear
In Him no sin is found
We stand on holy ground
Be still for the presence of the Lord
The Holy One is here
The Lord lights my lamp, even when all else is so dark. Grace and hope are revealed in the faithfulness and saving purpose of The Lord’s grace alone in my life! Blessed be my Rock! Exalted be the God of my salvation! The Lord delivers me! I am set free!
Pastor: Friends in faith: Who is God, except the Lord? Who is our rock, except our God? In Jesus, salvation is made known. Sing praises; for the steadfast love of The Lord endures forever. Be still! Be alive and anew! The power of the Lord, is moving, in this, and every place!
Song Anew in Grace
Be Still
Evans
vs. 3
Be still for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place
He comes to cleanse and heal
To minister His grace
No work too hard for Him
In faith receive from Him
Be still for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place
Almighty and loving God, you bless us, save us, and grace us, in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We give you thanks and praise; your call, calls each of us; your purpose, gives each of us purpose; your life, gives life, to each of us, one and all. By your Holy Spirit, increase our faith this Lenten season, to believe we are alive and anew in your grace alone. Like Peter, when we doubt you, when we question you, forgive us, restore us, stir us up, to surrender to you once again, to return to the Lord with all our heart. In Jesus’ name alone, we pray. Amen.
Children are invited to attend Faith Quest!
Old Testament Lesson
Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. ... God said to Abraham, “As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
(New Revised Standard Version)
Song Anew in Hope & Grace
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
Baker
1
The King of love my shepherd is
Whose goodness faileth never
I nothing lack if I am his
And he is mine forever
3
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed
But yet in love he sought me
And on his shoulders gently laid
And home rejoicing brought me
6
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never
Good Shepherd may I sing thy praise
Within thy house forever
Gospel
Mark 8:31–38
Then Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
(New Revised Standard Version)
Song of Life & Grace Anew
I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry
Ylvisaker
I was there to hear your borning cry
I’ll be there when you are old
I rejoiced the day you were baptized
To see your life unfold
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism for Weston Douglas Heim
Stating Our Faith In God
The Apostles’ Creed
Do you believe in God The Father?
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, The Son of God?
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God The Holy Spirit?
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.
Welcoming the Newly Baptized
Through Holy Baptism, God has made Weston Douglas a new brother member of the priesthood we all share in Christ Jesus, that we may proclaim the praise of God and bear his creative and redeeming word to all the world.
We welcome you into the Lord’s family. We receive you as a fellow member of the body of Christ, a child of the same heavenly Father, and a worker with us in the kingdom of God. Amen.
Song of Life & Grace Anew
I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry
Ylvisaker
I was there to hear your borning cry
I’ll be there when you are old
I rejoiced the day you were baptized
To see your life unfold
Purpose in Grace Alone!
GENESIS 17:1-7, 15-16; ROMANS 4:13-25; MARK 8:31-38
`Why am I here?’ `What is the meaning of life?’ `What is my purpose?’ If someone could find the simple answer to these questions that satisfied everyone, many books would be sold. Questions like these can either wear us down, or drive us to dig deeper. The findings we discover along our journey can do the same. When it comes to our spiritual walk, these questions are often at the center of balancing faith and purpose. `Why has God placed me here?’ `What is the meaning of my life in Christ?’ `What is God’s purpose for me?’ As we hear in Mark today, Jesus tells the disciples why he is here, what the meaning and purpose are for his suffering and death and resurrection. Of course, Peter challenges the purpose. Still looking for the answers? A lot of Books have been sold - The #1 Bestseller of all time has the answer! As our Lenten journey goes forward, let us seek and surrender to the purpose God has for us in our Savior, The One who came to fulfill God’s every purpose in grace alone!
1. Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose? What is God calling me to do? What is my mission? Good questions. Good questions to ask The Holy Spirit to answer in God’s grace alone.
Mark 8:31-33
A. Life’s events and life’s journey and our walk in The Spirit find us asking these questions.
B. No better person to ask, than Christ who has come to us, to fulfill God’s every purpose in God’s grace alone!
2. Do you ever wonder what today is for, why God sent you? Be alive and anew! Trust The Spirit is ready, forever revealing, continuing to make known, and we will see our purpose, our meaning, our life, our answers are not in the human, but in the divine, in the grace alone of Jesus Christ!
A. It is only human to feel secure in the human.
Mark 8:33
B. The Spirit will come to us again and again to reveal our purpose, our mission, is to trust God’s purpose in grace alone:
i. To be part of the covenant; to be God’s.
Genesis 17:7
ii. To believe; we are God’s.
Romans 4:20-25
iii. To surrender; to let God be God.
Mark 8:34-38
3. Trust The Spirit is driving us to give God our very best! As we share this Lenten season, be alive and anew, spring up, and trust Jesus’ purpose, Jesus’ mission, is to make clear God’s purpose, in grace alone! Trust “thy will,” God’s will and purpose, are complete for you in Jesus Christ, giving you purpose, revealing your true meaning, identity, and calling for a life time, for all eternity, in grace alone!
Romans 4:13-16; Mark 8:31
Offering is available for our indoor services. Find a Lord of Life with a volunteer bucket to deposit offering in person as you leave worship today. If you find yourself wanting to offer your gifts to Lord of Life, you can do so online using the link below. You can also drop offering at anytime in our secure mailbox at Lord of Life located in the parking lot.
Song Anew In Grace
Blessed Assurance
Knapp & Crosby
Blessed 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
refrain:
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
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
(refrain)
... as we pray to you, Jesus,
The Spirit intercedes for us
With sighs too deep
For words to express
Oh oh oh
All these things and whatever else you see we need, grant to us we pray, for into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Holy Communion will take place during our service. If you are not worshipping with us in person but would like to receive Communion, we will be offering Drive Through Communion at our building at 16200 Dodd Lane, Lakeville, Minnesota, following our indoor service. Drive Through Communion will be available between 10:15am & 10:30am.
For those worshiping with us in person, we receive communion through intinction; that is, you will receive the bread, the host, then dip into the glass of choice, either a red wine in the chalice closest to the host, or in a light colored non-alcoholic grape juice. All are welcome.
We also offer gluten free and pre-packaged options. Please take these options before arriving at the host to receive a blessing.
The Words of Institution
In the night in which he was betrayed our Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks; broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat, this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
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.
Songs During Holy Communion
Once Again
Redman
vs. 1 & 2
Jesus Christ
I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing
Poured out to death
Many times
I’ve wondered at Your gift of life
And I’m in that place once again
I’m in that place once again
Once again
I look upon
The cross where you died
I’m humbled
By Your mercy
And I’m broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
(repeat)
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross my Friend
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross my Friend
vs. 3
Now You are
Exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens
Where one day I’ll bow
But for now
I marvel at this saving grace
And I’m full of praise once again
I’m full of praise once again
Once again
I look upon
The cross where you died
I’m humbled
By Your mercy
And I’m broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
The body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, strengthen you and keep you in his grace this day, and on into life everlasting.
Amen.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you gave your Son both as a sacrifice for sin and a model of the godly life. Enable us to receive him always with thanksgiving, and to conform our hearts, and our lives to his, in the grace of Jesus Christ alone, the Lord of life. Amen.
Friends, return to The Lord your God with all your heart; be alive and anew in God’s grace alone! 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 his peace. In the name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Going Anew in Grace Alone
Your Grace is Enough
Maher
vs. 1
Great is Your
Faithfulness oh God
You wrestle
With the sinner’s restless heart
You lead us
By still waters into mercy
And nothing
Can keep us apart
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember your promise oh God
refrain 1:
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
bridge:
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember your promise oh God
refrain 2:
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Your grace is enough
Heaven reaches out to us
Your grace is enough for me
God I see
Your grace is enough
I’m covered in Your love
Your grace is enough for me
For me
Liking posts like this one helps get the word out about Lord of Life! Consider sharing posts like this with friends who may be missing their faith-based communities. Leave a comment and let us know what you liked or what moved you this week!
Follow us on facebook to watch our services live on Lord of Life LIVE now on YouTube! Watch with us live at 9:30am on Sundays, or rewatch at your own convenience!
Today, Sunday, February 25, we share The Second Sunday In Lent, “Purpose In Grace Alone!” Faith Quest Sunday School does meet today! Join us for our Annual Meeting today after worship! You can join our meeting either in person or on ZOOM! Our meeting today will not be available on YouTube!
Through The Sacrament Of Holy Baptism, today we welcome Weston Douglas Heim into the Christian family. Weston is the son of Jeff and Isabelle. We pray God’s blessings on Weston every day as he walks in the light and promise of Jesus Christ! Weston’s sponsors and Godparents are Hannah House and Nathan Heim.
Join us next, Sunday, March 3, 9:30 a.m., as we share The Third Sunday In Lent, “Truth In Grace Alone!” Faith Quest Sunday School does meet next Sunday!
Friends, today as always, all who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are welcome to God’s table of grace as we share Holy Communion.
For those sharing their generosity today, we thank you for your faithful giving! Offering is collected in baskets as you exit the building.
Friends, today as always, all who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are welcome to God’s table of grace as we share Holy Communion. For those sharing their generosity today, we thank you for your faithful giving! Offering is collected in baskets by the ushers as you exit the sanctuary.
We hope our worship will touch you, comfort you, reassure you, and grace you in some way! If you believe others you know would be blessed to receive this bulletin, the sermon notes, or our live stream links, please forward these to them.
From everyone on every level of leadership and service, we continue to pray for you and to give thanks to God for each of you! Please contact Pastor Jamie if he can serve you in any way: jamie.thompson@lordoflifemn.org
We pray The Holy Spirit breathes anew on us to be God’s people and to be God’s Church, as together we make known and we trust anew God’s gifts of hope, peace, justice, clarity, calm, and comfort forever break forth in new ways for you and your loved ones, today, and as we share every gift of God’s light, love and grace!
Acknowledgments for today’s service include:
Litany Of Renewal In Grace Alone In Jesus Christ, written based on Psalm 18. “Prayer of The Day,” “Lord’s Prayer,” “Post-Communion Blessing, Prayer, & Benediction,” “The King Of Love, My Shepherd Is,” “I Was There To Hear Your Borning Cry,” “Blessed Assurance,” based on the LBW. © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) and With One Voice Hymnal Supplement © 1995 Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis & Board of Publication, Lutheran Church In America, Philadelphia; and Evangelical Lutheran Worship © 2006 Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, MN. Used with permission. “Be Still” © 1986 Thankyou Music CCLI# 120824 “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” Words and Music Public Domain. “The Spirit Intercedes For Us” © 1989 Dakota Road Music, OL #62627 “Once Again” © 1995 Thankyou Music CCLI #1564362 “Your Grace Is Enough” © 2003 Thankyou Music CCLI #4477026 All rights reserved. All songs used with permission. CCLI License #1380826 & OneLicense #A-724016.