Please follow the service as listed below.  A video of the sermon and music for the Hymns are also provided.  

Pastor Buck

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Hymn 685 Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus

1. Let us ever walk with Jesus,
   Follow His example pure,
   Through a world which would deceive us
   And to sin our spirits lure.
   Onward in His footsteps treading,
   Pilgrims here, our home above,
   Full of faith and hope and love,
   Let us do our father’s bidding.
   Faithful Lord, with me abide,
   I shall follow where you guide.
2. Let us suffer here with Jesus
   And with patience bear our cross
   Joy will follow all our sadness;
   Where He is, there is no loss.
   Though today we sow no laughter,
   We shall reap celestial joy;
   All discomforts that annoy
   Shall give way to mirth hereafter.
   Jesus here I share your woe;
   Help me there your joy to know.
3. Let us gladly die with Jesus
   Since by death he conquered death,
   He will free us from destruction,
   Give to us immortal breath.
   Let us mortify all passion
   That would lead us in to sin;
   and the grave that shuts us in
   Shall but prove the gate to heaven.
   Jesus here with you I die,
   There to live with you on high.
4. Let us also live with Jesus.
   He has risen from the dead
   That to life we may awaken.
   Jesus, you are now our head.
   We are your own living members;
   Where you live, there we shall be
   In Your presence constantly,
   Living there with You forever.
   Jesus, let me faithful be,
   Life eternal grant to me.

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. ² And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

Epistle: Romans 8:1-11

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Holy Gospel: John 11:1-45

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. ³ So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. ⁷ Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” ⁸ The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” ¹¹ After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” ¹² The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” ¹³ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶ So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

¹⁷ Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. ²⁰ So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

²⁸ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved^[e] in his spirit and greatly troubled. ³⁴ And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸ Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.

Please click on the link below to listen to the Hymn.

Hymn 752 Be Still, My Soul

1. Be still my soul; the Lord is on your side;
   Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
   Leave to your God to order and provide;
   In ev’ry change He faithful will remain.
   Be still my soul; your best, your heav’nly friend
   Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
2. Be still my soul; your God will undertake
   To guide the future as He has the past;
   Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
   All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
   Be still my soul; the waves and winds still know
   His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
3. Be still my soul; though dearest friends depart
   And all is darkened in this vale of tears;
   Then you will better know His love, His heart,
   Who comes to soothe your sorrows and your fears.
   Be still my soul, your Jesus can repay
   From His own fullness all He takes away.
4. Be still my soul; the hour is hast’ning on
   When we shall be forever with the Lord,
   When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
   Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
   Be still my soul; when change and tears are past,
   All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

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Sermon Fifth Sunday in Lent

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Hymn 548 Thanks To Thee, O Christ, Victorious

1. Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious!
   Thanks to Thee, O Lord of Life!
   Death hath now no power o’er us,
   Thou hast conquered in the strife.
   Thank because Thou didst arise
   And hast opened paradise!
   None can fully sing the glory
   Of the resurrection story.
2. Thou hast died for my transgression,
   All my sins on Thee were laid;
   Thou hast won for me salvation,
   On the cross my debt was paid.
   From the grave I shall arise
   And shall meet Thee in the skies.
   Death itself is transitory;
   I shall lift my head in glory.
3. For the joy Thine advent gave me,
   For Thy holy, precious Word;
   For Thy Baptism, which doth save me,
   For Thy blest Communion board;
   For Thy death, the bitter scorn,
   For Thy resurrection morn.
   Lord, I thank Thee and extol Thee,
   And in heav’n I shall behold Thee.

Prayer of the Church                       Fifth Sunday in Lent                        29 March 2020

Almighty God, everlasting Father, You saw Israel in their despair and raised them up to hope by placing Your Spirit upon them. Raise us up from our weariness and grant us Your Spirit, that we may be strong in faith, bold in witness, holy in life and steadfast in hope. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O eternal Lord, Your Son has given us the new birth of water and the Word and planted faith in us, that we might be Your own children. Bless Your Church, and supply her with able and caring pastors to nurture us in Your Word and raise up faithful church workers who will serve us in Your name. Keep Your Church in Your mercy, that she may believe without fear and love without limit. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God of power and might, You hold in Your hand all the might of man. Give to us good government and faithful leaders who will heed Your Word and pursue righteousness and justice. Help them to protect us at this time and teach us to be good and faithful citizens of this land, loving our neighbor and working towards their aid. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O merciful Lord, Your Son shed tears for Lazarus, whom He loved. Grant Your compassion, patience and endurance to all who suffer illness, especially those under threat of the COVID-19 virus. Be with those who are troubled in mind or whose time on earth is short. Raise us by Your gracious intercession, and deliver us from the afflictions of this life to reign with You in heaven forevermore. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O eternal God, You carry the grief of those who mourn and remember all who die in Christ. Give comfort to the grieving and peace to the dying, that they would not grieve as people without hope but trust in You to deliver us from death to life everlasting. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O gracious God, You daily and richly grant us all things we need for this body and life. Bless our labors, and grant us wisdom to use the fruits of those labors wisely and well, for the care of our families, for the poor in their needs, and for the support of Your work in this congregation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O Lord, God Almighty, through Your Son You have kept the promise of the ages and rescued us from sin. You have raised up the dry bones of a people captive to death and made us alive in Christ forever. Sustain us in this hope, that we may endure the tests, trials and troubles of this life and be ready when our Savior comes again in His glory; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.