February 25, 2018
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

INTRODUCTION
The second covenant in this year's Lenten readings is the one made with Abraham and Sarah: God's promise to make them the ancestors of many, with whom God will remain in everlasting covenant. Paul says this promise comes to all who share Abraham's faith in the God who brings life into being where there was no life. We receive this baptismal promise of resurrection life in faith. Sarah and Abraham receive new names as a sign of the covenant, and we too get new identities in baptism, as we put on Christ.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
This confession provides extended silence for listening, pondering, and self-reflection.
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
In the name of the Father,
and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

God of heaven and earth,
you come in close and make us yours.
Equip us by your Spirit to confess our sin,
embrace your forgiveness,
and seek the way you set before us in your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

With honesty of heart, let us confess our sin.

The assembly may kneel or stand.
An extended silence may be kept.

Merciful God,
forgive us.
Our will is handcuffed to sin, and we cannot break free.
We have spoken when we should have kept quiet.
Silence.
We were silent when we should have said something.
Silence.
We acted when we knew better.
Silence.
We were still when we know we should have moved.
Silence.
For the wrong we have done,
for the good we have failed to do,
have mercy on us,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

People of God, look to the + Son,
given to heal you and set you free
because God loved the world so much.
Take hold of life—eternal life!
Amen.

OR
During the season of Lent we are called to return to the Lord with all our heart. Let us confess our sin and seek reconciliation with God and neighbor.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

Merciful God,
you sent Jesus Christ to save the lost.
We confess that we have strayed from you
and turned aside from your way.
We fail in love, neglect justice,
and ignore your truth.
Have mercy on us and wash away our sin.
Create in us clean hearts
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Behold, now is the acceptable time;
now is the day of salvation.
Almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us all our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

OR
In the words of a reformation hymn,
let us confess our sin before God.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

Out of the depths I cry to you;
O Lord God, hear me calling.
Incline your ear to my distress
in spite of my rebelling.
Do not regard my sinful deeds.
Send me the grace my spirit needs.
Without it I am nothing. Amen.

In God alone, in God we hope,
and not in our own merit.
We hope as Israel in the Lord,
who sends redemption through the + Word.
Praise God for grace and mercy!
Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life. Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of 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
May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord | Jesus Christ,* by which the world is crucified to me, and I | to the world. (Gal. 6:14)

READINGS AND PSALM
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Psalm 22:23-31
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD. (Ps. 22:27)
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38

FIRST READING: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
As with Noah, God makes an everlasting covenant with Abraham and Sarah. God promises this old couple that they will be the ancestors of nations, though they have no child together. God will miraculously bring forth new life from Sarah's old womb. The name changes emphasize the firmness of God's promise.

1When 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. 2And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." 3Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4"As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7I 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. 15God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I 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."

PSALM: Psalm 22:23-31
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD. (Ps. 22:27)

23You who fear the LORD, give praise! All you of Jacob's | line, give glory.
	Stand in awe of the LORD, all you off- | spring of Israel.
24For the LORD does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither is the LORD's face | hidden from them;
	but when they cry out, | the LORD hears them.
25From you comes my praise in the | great assembly;
	I will perform my vows in the sight of those who | fear the LORD.
26The poor shall eat | and be satisfied,
	Let those who seek the LORD give praise!
	May your hearts | live forever!  R
27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn | to the LORD;
	all the families of nations shall bow | before God.
28For dominion belongs | to the LORD,
	who rules o- | ver the nations.
29Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow | down in worship;
	all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, 
	shall kneel be- | fore the LORD.
30Their descendants shall | serve the LORD,
	whom they shall proclaim to genera- | tions to come.
31They shall proclaim God's deliverance to a people | yet unborn,
	saying to them, "The | LORD has acted!"  R

SECOND READING: Romans 4:13-25
Paul presents Abraham as the example for how a person comes into a right relationship with God not through works of the law but through faith. Though Abraham and Sarah were far too old for bearing children, Abraham trusted that God would accomplish what God had promised to accomplish.

13For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
	16For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." 23Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, 24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

GOSPEL: Mark 8:31-38
After Peter confesses his belief that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus tells his disciples for the first time what is to come. Peter's response indicates that he does not yet understand the way of the cross that Jesus will travel.

31[Jesus] began to teach them 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. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
	34He 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. 35For 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. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of 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."

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
The prayers are prepared locally for each occasion. The following examples may be adapted or used as appropriate.
Renewed in the promises of baptism, let us pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
A brief silence.
We pray for the church. Make us bold to proclaim your love. Give us courage to carry the cross that confronts us each day and follow Christ. Strengthen pastors, bishops, deacons, and all who minister in your name. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the world. For flowing streams and still waters. For urban parks and wilderness reserves. For pastures and forests. Instill within us a reverence for the earth as your creation and our fragile home. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for the nations. Teach us to honor our common humanity within diversity. Turn enemies into friends. Lead us away from hatred, fear, and misunderstanding. Show our hearts the way to peace and fill us with compassion. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for those in need. For people whose struggles we fail to acknowledge. For those who leave their homes and families in search of safety or employment. For those who grieve, and for all who are ill (especially). Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for this assembly. For those who prepare this space for worship. For ministries of fellowship and hospitality. For those preparing for baptism or confirmation, and for all who provide
care and support to those who are homebound. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
We remember with thanksgiving those who have gone before us in the faith (especially deaconess Elizabeth Fedde). Bring them to the fullness of their inheritance in Christ and into the joy of eternal life with you. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Trusting in your covenant of mercy, O God, we lift our prayers to you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER
Merciful God,
receive the sacrifice of our praise and thanksgiving
and the offering of our lives,
that following in the way of the cross,
we may know the joy of the resurrection;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Return to God with all your heart.
Receive bread for the journey, drink for the desert.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Compassionate God,
you have fed us with the bread of heaven.
Sustain us in our Lenten pilgrimage:
may our fasting be hunger for justice,
our alms, a making of peace,
and our prayer, the song of grateful hearts;
through Christ our 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
May God who has called us forth from the dust of the earth,
and claimed us as children of the light,
strengthen you on your journey into life renewed.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord's face shine upon you with grace and mercy.
The Lord look upon you with favor
and give you + peace.
Amen.

DISMISSAL
Marked with the cross of Christ,
go forth to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Reprinted from Words for Worship, copyright 2017 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.