Lent 1: Even in the Wilderness

Sunday, March 6, 2022
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 10:30 11:30

Union Presbyterian Church 200 E Main St Endicott, NY, 13760 United States (map)

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Signs of God’s love and grace are everywhere, even with Jesus as he is tested in the wilderness.

Join us on this first Sunday in Lent as we discover a season in which we are filled to the brim with reminders of God’s extravagant love. Worship with us in our sanctuary, or right here as we live-stream. You are invited to share in this season of grace!

Online Bulletin
Full to the Brim

Lent 1: Even in the Wilderness

Union Presbyterian Church

March 6, 2022

Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Liturgist: Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube

Prelude Colin DeLap, piano

“It Is Well with My Soul,” arr. Cindy Berry

Used by permission, CCLI License #CSPL068847

Welcome Rev. Pat Raube

Call to Worship

Jesus went to the mountaintop to pray.

Jesus went into the city to heal.

Jesus walked to Samaria to extend love.

Jesus went to the water’s edge to teach.

Jesus went to places of peace and connection.

But Jesus also went to the wilderness.

There is nowhere we can go

that God does not walk with us.

We are in God’s house.

Let us worship Holy God.

Hymn #501 W & R

“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”

(Public Domain)

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty—

Hold me with thy powerful hand:

Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,

Feed me till I want no more,

Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through:

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be thou still my strength and shield,

Be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Bear me through the swelling current,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side:

Songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever give to thee,

I will ever give to thee.

Call to New Life

Prayer for Wholeness and Peace

Holy God, when we think expansive life is about power—

Teach us a new way.

Gracious Creator, when we think expansive life is about material wealth—

Teach us a new way.

Gracious Author, when we think expansive life is about control—

Teach us a new way.

Teach us to live as you live.

Teach us to love as you love.

Forgive us when we don’t.

Gratefully we pray: Amen.

Assurance of God’s Love

… Hear and believe this good news—

God’s love is overflowing.

We are drenched in mercy.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

Sharing of the Peace

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace.

Scripture Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Children’s Message Rev. Pat Raube

Music: “In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful” (Public Domain)

Scripture Luke 4:1-13

Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:

Thanks be to God!

Meditation Rev. Pat Raube

Images:
Yuvair, View of the Judean Hills from Mount Yair, Israel (Ein Gedi Nature Reserve), 2011, Courtesy of Wikipedia.

David Shankbone, Judea 2, 2007, Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Anthem

“Whoever Lives Beside the Lord,” John Bell

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Whoever lives beside the Lord,

Sheltering in the Almighty’s shade,

Shall say, “My God, in you I trust,

My safety, my defender.”

From unseen danger and disease

God will keep you safe and sure;

Beneath his wings a place you’ll find,

A refuge from all danger.

You will not dread what darkness brings –

Hidden danger, deadly plague;

Nor will you fear in daylight hours,

The evil that surrounds you.

A thousand may die at your side,

Thousands more fall close at hand;

But with God’s truth for strength and shield,

No threat will ever touch you.

God says, “I’ll save from every harm

Those who know and love my name.

In trouble I will honor them

And show them my salvation.”

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

The Invitation

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The Great Thanksgiving

The Words of Jesus  

Invocation of the Spirit

Prayers of the People

We approach God in prayer, not as strangers,

but as beloved children, one in Christ Jesus.

Loving God, you cause rain to fall on the just and the unjust,

Hear our prayers for your church and your world.

For the hungry and the overfed,

may we have enough,

For the mourners and the mockers,

may we laugh together.

For the victims and the oppressors,

may we share power wisely.

For the peacemakers and the warmongers,

may clear truth and stern love lead us to harmony.

For the silenced and the propagandists,

may we speak our own words in truth.

For the unemployed and the overworked,

especially for all the essential workers

who continue to put their lives on the line so that others may live,

may our mark on this earth be kindly and creative.

For the troubled and the secure,

may we live together as wounded healers.

For the homeless and the pampered,

may all know the dignity of safety and security.

For the vibrant and the dying,

may we all know the life abundant that can only be found

in knowing we are loved by you.

For those we name now, in the silence of our hearts.

God, we are amazed by you.

Your love never runs out, so bring that never-ending love here.

Now with the confidence of children, we pray, debtors, trespassers, and sinners together, saying…

The Lord’s Prayer

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

The Communion

"Sent Forth by God’s Blessing,” Jason W. Krug

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Prayer of Thanksgiving After Communion (Unison)

Holy God, in a world that loves scarcity, you have blessed us with your shocking abundance. Gracious Creator, in a world that knows fear, you have reached into our souls to release your joy. Gracious Author, in a world that knows anxiety, you have fed us with your life and brought us peace. Thank you for reminding us that your love is overflowing, that even in the wilderness, we never walk alone. Let your abundance, joy and peace flow into the world. With gratitude we pray: Amen.

Hymn  “Our Lord, You Were Sent”

Tune: “How Firm a Foundation” (#411 W & R; Public Domain)

Our Lord, you were sent to a place wild and vast
To ponder your mission, to pray and to fast;
Then hungry and weary, you faced night and day
The subtle temptations to turn from God's way.

How could it be wrong to want bread on the shelf?
To seek, in one's serving, to first serve one's self?
But by God's own word you remained ever sure:
It's only in God that our lives are secure.

How could it be wrong to step out and to dare,
To prove with great drama the depths of God's care?
But you knew God's word, true since all time began:
It's wrong to expect God to work by our plan.

How could it be wrong to just once bow the knee,
To shake hands with sin to achieve victory?
Yet you made it clear that no matter the cost:
Your path was obedience, your way was the cross.

Our Lord, in your struggle you chose to obey;
God's word filled your heart and you trusted God's way.
Now risen, you save us from sins that destroy;
You give us your Spirit, your peace and your joy.

Benediction  

… In the name of the Lover, the Beloved, and Love itself,

go in peace, full to the brim.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Postlude Colin DeLap

“Come, Thou Fount!” Bethany K. Smith

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Portions of liturgy taken or adapted from “A Sanctified Art.” Used with permission.