March 13, 2016
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

INTRODUCTION
The Lord our God makes all things new. In the first reading God promises it. In the gospel Mary anticipates it, anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial. In the second reading we recall the transformation of Saul, the persecutor, into Paul, the apostle. In baptism, God’s new person (you!) rises daily from the deadly mire of trespasses and sins.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God,
who brings us safely through the sea,
who gives us water from the rock,
who leads us into the land of milk and honey.
Amen.

Let us come home to God, confessing our sin.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Merciful Father,
we have sinned against heaven and before you.
We do not fully live as your sons and daughters.
We use your gifts to our own ends.
Forgive us and restore us,
that we may resist all that draws us away from you,
and be at peace with one another. Amen.

We are reconciled to God through Christ;
for his sake, God does not count our trespasses against us.
Once dead in sin, we are now alive to God.
Once lost, we now are found.
God clothes you in the finest robe of all,
the righteousness of + Jesus Christ,
forgiving you all your sins
and making of you a new creation.
Amen.

OR

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins. 

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, 
who brings us safely through the sea, 
who gives us water from the rock, 
who leads us into the land of milk and honey. 
Amen. 

Let us confess our sin
in the presence of God and of one another. 

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us. 

For self-centered living,
and for failing to walk with humility and gentleness: 
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us. 

For longing to have what is not ours, 
and for hearts that are not at rest with ourselves: 
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us. 

For misuse of human relationships, 
and for unwillingness to see the image of God in others: 
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us. 

For jealousies that divide families and nations, 
and for rivalries that create strife and warfare: 
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us. 

For reluctance in sharing the gifts of God, 
and for carelessness with the fruits of creation: 
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us. 

For hurtful words that condemn, 
and for angry deeds that harm: 
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us. 

For idleness in witnessing to Jesus Christ, 
and for squandering the gifts of love and grace: 
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us.

In the mercy of almighty God, 
Jesus Christ was given to die for us, 
and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. 
Through the Holy Spirit God cleanses us
and gives us the power to proclaim
the mighty acts of the one who called us
out of darkness into his marvelous light. 
As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, 
and by his authority, 
I therefore declare to you
the entire forgiveness of all your sins, 
in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, 
and of the Holy Spirit. 
Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY
Creator God, you prepare a new way in the wilderness, and your grace waters our desert. Open our hearts to be transformed by the new thing you are doing, that our lives may proclaim the extravagance of your love given to all through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what | lies ahead,* I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God | in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)

READINGS AND PSALM
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. (Ps. 126:5)
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8

FIRST READING: Isaiah 43:16-21
The prophet declares that long ago the Lord performed mighty deeds and delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage through the waters of the sea. Now, the Lord is about to do a new thing, bringing the exiles out of Babylon and through the wilderness in a new exodus.

16Thus says the LORD,
	who makes a way in the sea,
	a path in the mighty waters,
17who brings out chariot and horse,
	army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
	they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18Do not remember the former things,
	or consider the things of old.
19I am about to do a new thing;
	now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
	and rivers in the desert.
20The wild animals will honor me,
	the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
	rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
	21the people whom I formed for myself
	so that they might declare my praise.

PSALM: Psalm 126
Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. (Ps. 126:5)

1When the LORD restored the for- | tunes of Zion,
	then were we like | those who dream.
2Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with | shouts of joy.
	Then they said among the nations,
	"The LORD has done great | things for them."
3The LORD has done great | things for us,
	and we are | glad indeed.
4Restore our for- | tunes, O LORD,
	like the watercourses | of the Negeb.   R
5Those who | sowed with tears
	will reap with | songs of joy.
6Those who go out weeping, carry- | ing the seed,
	will come again with joy, shoulder- | ing their sheaves.   R

SECOND READING: Philippians 3:4b-14
Writing to Christians in Philippi, Paul admits that his heritage and reputation could give him more reason than most people to place confidence in his spiritual pedigree. But the overwhelming grace of God in Jesus calls Paul to a new set of values.

4bIf anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
	7Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
	12Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL: John 12:1-8
Judas willfully misinterprets as waste Mary's extravagant act of anointing Jesus' feet with costly perfume. Jesus recognizes that her lavish gift is both an expression of love and an anticipation of his burial.

1Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor? 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
The prayers are prepared locally for each occasion. The following examples may be adapted or used as appropriate.
Hearing the call to return to the Lord, let us join the whole people of God in prayer for all who cry out in pain and in hope.
A brief silence.
Holy God, in times of both joy and sorrow you call us to worship you. Bless the work of musicians, altar guilds, readers, presiding and assisting ministers, and all who serve in worship. Sustain them with your Spirit as we journey toward Holy Week. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Creative God, you made every living creature and saw that it was good. Teach us to care for the homelands of animals in the wild. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Living God, you require mercy and justice. Bless the work of all organizations that work to restore cities and countries, especially Lutheran Volunteer Corps and Lutheran Disaster Response. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, you make a way out of no way. Give your peace and vision to all who struggle with addiction, depression, grief, or illness (especially). Make plain that in the midst of suffering, you are suffering, and that your desire is wholeness and life. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Shepherding God, you tend your flock with mercy and love. Guide the outreach ministries of this congregation (especially). Strengthen our relationships in this community as we serve our neighbors in love. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Triune God, in you there is abundant life. Deepen our union with you, that in living we may die and in dying we may live with all your saints. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
To you, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your boundless mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER
God our provider,
you have not fed us with bread alone,
but with words of grace and life.
Bless us and these your gifts,
which we receive from your bounty,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION
All who thirst, all who hunger,
come and be filled with the goodness of God.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
O God, we thank you for gathering and feeding us 
as a mother hen embraces her young. 
Release us now to go on our way in these forty days,
ready to see our work as prayer,
ready to fast from complacency,
and ready to share with those in need;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

SENDING OF COMMUNION
Eternal God,
whose glory is revealed in the crucified and risen Lord,
bless those who go forth to share your word and sacrament
with our sisters and brothers
who are sick/homebound/imprisoned.
In your love and care, nourish and strengthen
those to whom we bring this communion
in the body and blood of your Son,
that we may all feast upon your abundant love
made known in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

BLESSING
The blessing of God Almighty,
the wisdom and power of + Christ Jesus,
and the light of the Holy Spirit
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.

DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Remember the poor.
Thanks be to God.

Reprinted from Words for Worship, copyright 2015 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission. Scripture quotations (except psalms) from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.