Lent 3
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series II, Cycle C Gospel Texts
Liturgical Color: Purple
Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
Theme: Jesus' Call to Repentance; the Parable of the Fig Tree; the Healing of a Woman. Do you have a "sin" priority, that is, that some sins are worse than others?
Praise Of God
Pastoral Invitation
In the name of the God who calls us to repentance, welcome to the third Sunday of Lent. We are here to praise and thank God, for life, for abundant life, for eternal life. Think about how you will do that in worship, and beyond worship. And, as we continue worship, be on guard! If we take the Scripture seriously, God will have some unpleasant news for us before the good news. So, are you ready? (If no response, ask again.) Are you ready? If so, say so.
Hymn of Praise
"Praise Ye (You) the Lord, the Almighty," Joachim Neander, 1680; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863; alt.; Stralsund Ernewerten Gesangbuch, 1665; harm. The Chorale Book for England, 1863; desc. Craig Sellar Lang, 1953.
Prayer of Praise
Center on our praise of, and thanks to, God's Spirit for transforming us from nobodies to somebodies.
Response
"O Come, Let Us Adore Him," anon., John F. Wade, from Folk Encounter. (See Appendix I for address.)
Confession Before God
Introduction to the Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
Listen carefully, I said, carefully, to Luke 13:1-5. (Read slowly and deliberately, as if no one has ever heard this Scripture before. Probably most have heard only the words, and never applied them to themselves. Read it from the Cotton Patch Version by Clarence Jordan.) Do you know what it means, as it pertains to our own lives? Many/Most of us harbor a sin-priority; that is, some sins are better or worse than others. Of course, mine are forgivable, yours are not. Certain denominations, for example, talk about only three sins, homosexuality, abortion, adultery: the sexual sins. (Silence for one minute.) Apparently, Jesus makes no distinction. (Read the passage again from the CPV. Silence.) Now, I invite us to spend two minutes in silence to confess our sin of scapegoating, excuse-making, and justifying our actions.
Response
Invite the people to look at the cross and sing "Jesus Walked," verse 3: "I must go and stand my trial, I have to stand it by myself ..."
Introduction to the Act of Receiving New Life
One of our most difficult tasks is to begin with our own confession. If we fail to do so, we are no different from the Pharisee who boasted of his superiority over others. When we come before God with others, we come at eye-level; because God sees sin as sin, as anything that comes between God and us, others, and our best selves. Who of us, beginning now, this moment, will give up thinking that our faith is superior to others? (Silence; ask people to raise their hands.)
Act of Receiving New Life
Pastor and Ministers
P: In Christ, we learn that we are all on the same level.
M: Christ has declared us, all of us, worthwhile persons. It is good to be who we are, forgiven of our own form of sin.
P: I invite us to seek to love ourselves, and to move from that relationship to a new love and appreciation for those whose sins differ from ours.
M: We give thanks and live new lives, free from condemning others.
P: Good for you! Good for us! Thanks be to God!
Response
"Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" (African-American spiritual).
Instruction About God
Message with the Children of All Ages
Do you ever get angry with someone, because he or she does something you don't like, or because that person disagrees with you, or makes fun of you? (Wait for response.) When my dad was a young boy, he was told by a classmate that he was going to go to hell because he was a Presbyterian. This classmate was a member of a church which insisted that everyone had to agree with what is believed. My dad was so angry, he would not participate in the church for the next thirty years. What do you think about that? (Wait; if no response, offer your idea about what you think Jesus is saying. Make certain that they understand what Jesus is telling us, that we are all in the same boat, in the eyes of God.)
Response
Conclude with a prayer which brings together this message.
Dramatizing the Scripture
Ask someone to be "Jesus." Ask him to tell the parable in his own words. Someone then reads verses 10-12. Then have a woman from the congregation come forward, bent over, and have Jesus speak the words in verse 12b. She stands and praises God.
Proclamation of the Good News
Bring home these points: (1) The Jews generally held that calamity was a consequence of sin; yet here were men cruelly slaughtered in the midst of their devotions. So Jesus insists that those killed were somehow "better" sinners than those who killed them. (2) Jesus uses a second example about a tower fallen on, and killing, eighteen men. Again, Jesus asks if they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem. (3) Some scholars think that he was referring to the imminent destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. Ernest Trice Thompson points out, "This misfortune could be averted only by a changed attitude on the part of the people generally, toward people of other races or nations, especially here, the Romans." (4) Our approach as Americans, as Christians, is usually that the other people, the other nations, are the "evil empire." It's about time that we Christians stopped whacking away at others, and begin to look at our own behavior. Ezekiel tells us that "judgment always beings at the household of God, our church."
Response
"O For a Closer Walk with God," (second tune), William Cowper, 1772; Arthur Cottman, 1874.
Dedication To God
Stewardship Challenge
How goes your practice of repentance and forgiveness? James Hitchcock has written, "Belief in, and acceptance of, God's forgiveness are surely helpful in cases of alienation. But such belief and acceptance are not likely to be helpful to a self-interested person whose God is mammon (money, recreation, casual sex, violence, and so on) no matter how religious he/she may be."
Prayer after the Offering
Before offering the prayer, ask, "Are your prayers listening for marching orders, or simply arguments about what God's doing in this world, which happen to disagree with your way of doing things?"
Charge to the Congregation
How have we praised God this hour, or are we still arguing with God, about how God is running things, failing to condemn the nations and people whom we are condemning? Have we spent this time condemning others, or seeking repentance? How will we face tomorrow differently because of this Scripture?
Hymn of Obedience
"Psalm 103," psalm tone and refrain: Richard Proulx, 1975. Have the Choir sing it first.
Meditation
Our negative observance of Lent (or any other season) by pointing out and condemning others, is unlikely to make for a positive response in our own life, in the life of the congregation.
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Lenten hymns; or, "The Sun's Declining Rays," Bruce Simonds.
Response to the Prayer of Praise: "Gloria Patri."
Response to the Proclamation: "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," based on a Medieval Latin poem, Paul Gerhardt, 1656.
Offertory: "Wondrous Love," Dale Wood.
Music for Dismissal: Medley of Lenten hymns; or, "In the Cross of Christ I Glory," John Bowring, 1825.
Note: If you want a powerful example of this Scripture, read the chapter on Amos in The Prophets on Main Street, J. Elliott Corbett. (See Appendix II for address.) Get as many of your people as possible to read it also and discuss it in small groups.
Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
Theme: Jesus' Call to Repentance; the Parable of the Fig Tree; the Healing of a Woman. Do you have a "sin" priority, that is, that some sins are worse than others?
Praise Of God
Pastoral Invitation
In the name of the God who calls us to repentance, welcome to the third Sunday of Lent. We are here to praise and thank God, for life, for abundant life, for eternal life. Think about how you will do that in worship, and beyond worship. And, as we continue worship, be on guard! If we take the Scripture seriously, God will have some unpleasant news for us before the good news. So, are you ready? (If no response, ask again.) Are you ready? If so, say so.
Hymn of Praise
"Praise Ye (You) the Lord, the Almighty," Joachim Neander, 1680; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863; alt.; Stralsund Ernewerten Gesangbuch, 1665; harm. The Chorale Book for England, 1863; desc. Craig Sellar Lang, 1953.
Prayer of Praise
Center on our praise of, and thanks to, God's Spirit for transforming us from nobodies to somebodies.
Response
"O Come, Let Us Adore Him," anon., John F. Wade, from Folk Encounter. (See Appendix I for address.)
Confession Before God
Introduction to the Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
Listen carefully, I said, carefully, to Luke 13:1-5. (Read slowly and deliberately, as if no one has ever heard this Scripture before. Probably most have heard only the words, and never applied them to themselves. Read it from the Cotton Patch Version by Clarence Jordan.) Do you know what it means, as it pertains to our own lives? Many/Most of us harbor a sin-priority; that is, some sins are better or worse than others. Of course, mine are forgivable, yours are not. Certain denominations, for example, talk about only three sins, homosexuality, abortion, adultery: the sexual sins. (Silence for one minute.) Apparently, Jesus makes no distinction. (Read the passage again from the CPV. Silence.) Now, I invite us to spend two minutes in silence to confess our sin of scapegoating, excuse-making, and justifying our actions.
Response
Invite the people to look at the cross and sing "Jesus Walked," verse 3: "I must go and stand my trial, I have to stand it by myself ..."
Introduction to the Act of Receiving New Life
One of our most difficult tasks is to begin with our own confession. If we fail to do so, we are no different from the Pharisee who boasted of his superiority over others. When we come before God with others, we come at eye-level; because God sees sin as sin, as anything that comes between God and us, others, and our best selves. Who of us, beginning now, this moment, will give up thinking that our faith is superior to others? (Silence; ask people to raise their hands.)
Act of Receiving New Life
Pastor and Ministers
P: In Christ, we learn that we are all on the same level.
M: Christ has declared us, all of us, worthwhile persons. It is good to be who we are, forgiven of our own form of sin.
P: I invite us to seek to love ourselves, and to move from that relationship to a new love and appreciation for those whose sins differ from ours.
M: We give thanks and live new lives, free from condemning others.
P: Good for you! Good for us! Thanks be to God!
Response
"Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" (African-American spiritual).
Instruction About God
Message with the Children of All Ages
Do you ever get angry with someone, because he or she does something you don't like, or because that person disagrees with you, or makes fun of you? (Wait for response.) When my dad was a young boy, he was told by a classmate that he was going to go to hell because he was a Presbyterian. This classmate was a member of a church which insisted that everyone had to agree with what is believed. My dad was so angry, he would not participate in the church for the next thirty years. What do you think about that? (Wait; if no response, offer your idea about what you think Jesus is saying. Make certain that they understand what Jesus is telling us, that we are all in the same boat, in the eyes of God.)
Response
Conclude with a prayer which brings together this message.
Dramatizing the Scripture
Ask someone to be "Jesus." Ask him to tell the parable in his own words. Someone then reads verses 10-12. Then have a woman from the congregation come forward, bent over, and have Jesus speak the words in verse 12b. She stands and praises God.
Proclamation of the Good News
Bring home these points: (1) The Jews generally held that calamity was a consequence of sin; yet here were men cruelly slaughtered in the midst of their devotions. So Jesus insists that those killed were somehow "better" sinners than those who killed them. (2) Jesus uses a second example about a tower fallen on, and killing, eighteen men. Again, Jesus asks if they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem. (3) Some scholars think that he was referring to the imminent destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. Ernest Trice Thompson points out, "This misfortune could be averted only by a changed attitude on the part of the people generally, toward people of other races or nations, especially here, the Romans." (4) Our approach as Americans, as Christians, is usually that the other people, the other nations, are the "evil empire." It's about time that we Christians stopped whacking away at others, and begin to look at our own behavior. Ezekiel tells us that "judgment always beings at the household of God, our church."
Response
"O For a Closer Walk with God," (second tune), William Cowper, 1772; Arthur Cottman, 1874.
Dedication To God
Stewardship Challenge
How goes your practice of repentance and forgiveness? James Hitchcock has written, "Belief in, and acceptance of, God's forgiveness are surely helpful in cases of alienation. But such belief and acceptance are not likely to be helpful to a self-interested person whose God is mammon (money, recreation, casual sex, violence, and so on) no matter how religious he/she may be."
Prayer after the Offering
Before offering the prayer, ask, "Are your prayers listening for marching orders, or simply arguments about what God's doing in this world, which happen to disagree with your way of doing things?"
Charge to the Congregation
How have we praised God this hour, or are we still arguing with God, about how God is running things, failing to condemn the nations and people whom we are condemning? Have we spent this time condemning others, or seeking repentance? How will we face tomorrow differently because of this Scripture?
Hymn of Obedience
"Psalm 103," psalm tone and refrain: Richard Proulx, 1975. Have the Choir sing it first.
Meditation
Our negative observance of Lent (or any other season) by pointing out and condemning others, is unlikely to make for a positive response in our own life, in the life of the congregation.
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Lenten hymns; or, "The Sun's Declining Rays," Bruce Simonds.
Response to the Prayer of Praise: "Gloria Patri."
Response to the Proclamation: "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," based on a Medieval Latin poem, Paul Gerhardt, 1656.
Offertory: "Wondrous Love," Dale Wood.
Music for Dismissal: Medley of Lenten hymns; or, "In the Cross of Christ I Glory," John Bowring, 1825.
Note: If you want a powerful example of this Scripture, read the chapter on Amos in The Prophets on Main Street, J. Elliott Corbett. (See Appendix II for address.) Get as many of your people as possible to read it also and discuss it in small groups.
