March 10, 2019
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

INTRODUCTION
These forty days called Lent are like no other. It is our opportune time to return to the God who rescues; to receive the gifts of God's grace; to believe with the heart and confess with the mouth the wonder of God's love in Jesus; and to resist temptation at every turn. This is no small pilgrimage on which we have just embarked. It is a struggle Jesus knew. It is a struggle Jesus shares. The nearness of the Lord, in bread and wine, water and word, will uphold and sustain us.

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 gathers us in the wilderness to redeem us,
anoint us,
and make us new.
Amen.

In these forty days, let us be honest, confess our sin,
and receive God's promise of mercy.

Silence is kept for reflection.

God at the margins,
We have wandered far from your home;
again and again, we lose our way.
We turn inward, afraid of the world around us.
We forget that you have saved your people before
and promise to do so again.
Do not remember the deeds of our past,
but turn our faces toward the future,
where your forgiveness is sure,
your welcome is clear,
and your love overflows.
Amen.

Like a hen who gathers her chicks,
God embraces you in tender care.
Like manna in the desert,
God feeds you with surprising mercy.
Like a loving parent,
God runs to meet you again this day,
forgiving your sins for the sake of + Christ,
leading you from death into life.
Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY
O Lord God, you led your people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide us now, so that, following your Son, we may walk safely through the wilderness of this world toward the life you alone can give, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
One does not live by | bread alone,* but by every word that comes from the | mouth of God. (Matt. 4:4)

READINGS AND PSALM
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
God will give the angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways. (Ps. 91:11)
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

FIRST READING: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
The spring harvest festival, called the Feast of Weeks, provides the setting for this reading. This festival celebrates the first fruits of the produce of the land offered back to God in thanks. In this text, worshipers announce God's gracious acts on behalf of Israel.

1When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us." 4When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, 5you shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me." You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. 11Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

PSALM: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
God will give the angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways. (Ps. 91:11)

1You who dwell in the shelter of | the Most High,
	who abide in the shadow of | the Almighty—
2you will say to the LORD, "My refuge | and my stronghold,
	my God in whom I | put my trust."   R
9Because you have made the | LORD your refuge,
	and the Most High your | habitation,
10no evil | will befall you,
	nor shall affliction come | near your dwelling.
11For God will give the angels charge | over you,
	to guard you in | all your ways.
12Upon their hands they will | bear you up,
	lest you strike your foot a- | gainst a stone.   R
13You will tread upon the lion | cub and viper;
	you will trample down the lion | and the serpent.
14I will deliver those who | cling to me;
	I will uphold them, because they | know my name.
15They will call me, and I will | answer them;
	I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue and | honor them.
16With long life will I | satisfy them,
	and show them | my salvation.   R

SECOND READING: Romans 10:8b-13
Paul reminds the Christians at Rome of the foundation of their creed, the confession of faith in the risen Christ as Lord.

	8b"The word is near you,
		on your lips and in your heart"
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

GOSPEL: Luke 4:1-13
After being filled with the Holy Spirit at his baptism, Jesus is led in the wilderness. Through his responses to the temptations of the devil he defines what it means to be called "the Son of God."

1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." 4Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"
	5Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered him, "It is written,
	'Worship the Lord your God,
		and serve only him.'"
9Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written,
	'He will command his angels concerning you,
		to protect you,'
11and
	'On their hands they will bear you up,
		so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
12Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
The prayers are prepared locally for each occasion. The following examples may be adapted or used as appropriate.
Seeking the grace, mercy, and love of almighty God, we offer our prayers for the church, for people in need, and for all of creation.
A brief silence.
Holy and steadfast God, keep your word near to us, planting it in our hearts and communities. Make it blossom into proclamation for all people to receive. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
As you give your Spirit freely, so also give bread that sustains every living thing. Graciously feed hungry souls and hungry stomachs with your bountiful provision. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Stir up courage among your people to resist oppressive powers and to lead people into freedom (as you did through Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, whom we commemorate today). Shine the light of your justice through their work. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Hold tightly those who grow weary in their struggle with addiction or temptation (especially). By your strength bear them up to live fully in your presence. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Teach us the stories of our faith by heart. As you accompanied our ancestors in their uncertainty, so guide us confidently into the future. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
When we struggle and are tested, redeem us by the endurance of Christ. Give us steadfast faith to strive for your glory until we witness its fullness. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Reveal your will as you receive our prayers, and conform our ways to your ways; through the saving work of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER
Generous God,
you feed us with the harvest of the land,
and you provide for our every need.
Receive our gifts of money, imagination, and labor,
and transform them into a feast that welcomes all,
in Jesus Christ, our host and our guest.
Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Christ has prepared the feast.
Come to the table where all are welcomed home.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Tender and merciful one,
at your feast, you fed us who brought nothing,
turning our emptiness into joy.
Filled with your abundant grace,
send us now to be ministers of reconciliation,
mending broken hearts, working for justice,
and striving for peace among all people,
in the name of Jesus Christ.
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
God, who fills the creation with abundance,
Christ, who spreads his arms in forgiveness,
Holy Spirit, who draws ever near to us,
+ bless you and bring you to life everlasting.
Amen.

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

Reprinted from Words for Worship, copyright 2018 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.