Crown of thorns with bowl of water and pitcher

Having the Identity of a Servant: First Sunday of Lent

The Call to Service

This service was created as a part of a Lent series though it could be used alone. For the rest of the series go to "Having the Identity of a Servant: Series Homepage". 

Right after Jesus is baptized, the Spirit casts him into the desert wilderness, where he spends forty days alone, fasts, and is tempted by the devil. Having received assurance of who he was—God’s beloved Son, with whom God was well pleased—Christ’s identity is challenged. Interestingly, immediately following the temptation Christ returns home, goes to the synagogue, and clearly articulates his call by quoting Isaiah 61. 

If Christ were asked to share his “calling story,” my guess—and Scripture’s implication—is that he’d say his call was sealed in his baptism, formed and clarified in the wilderness, and then articulated at home in the synagogue.  

All of us—even those of us not ordained as an elder, deacon, or pastor—have received a call on our lives. All of us are called to be servants, to join with the Spirit in continuing the work that Christ began. When we think about our own call, we may focus on our baptism or a  spiritual high point and forget that our call to service often includes times in the wilderness.

Our faith journeys include high and low points. If that was true for the Israelites and true for Christ, why should we expect anything different? Let’s not be surprised by the wilderness, but embrace it as a time of preparation for service, a time in which we are formed as Christ’s servants and our callings clarified. This Lent, let’s embrace the wilderness—the uncertain aspects of our lives and our faith journeys—and wait expectantly for God’s call. 

 

GOD GATHERS US 

Call to Worship: Isaiah 43:19–21

Greeting: Isaiah 43:1–3
 

WE RESPOND

Opening Response: Praise be to the Holy One of Israel, our Savior!

Songs of Response: [Choose one or more of the following]

“Our Help / Psalm 124:8” Thé
“Our Help Is in the Name of God the Lord / Psalm 124” Tel
“Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above” Schütz
“All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly” Dunstan

Call to Confession

Sometimes we experience wilderness 
because we have chosen to leave God and wander off, 
to go our own way. 
For all the ways we have turned away from God and ignored God’s voice, 
we turn to God in a prayer of confession, asking for forgiveness. 

Prayers of Confession 

God, you call us, 
but we ignore your voice. 
You speak to us, 
but we are too busy to listen. 

You invite us to see the good things you are doing 
even in difficult places and through difficult circumstances, 
but our eyes are closed, and we refuse to look and see. 

You ask us to join in your work, 
to be a part of the renewal of the world, 
but we think the price is too high, 
the people not deserving, 
or the people and creation to be someone else’s responsibility. 
You call us to serve others, 
but we think only of ourselves. 

In the midst of the wilderness of this world and our lives, 
you are doing a good thing, 
but we prefer to stay in a comfortable place. 
We lose patience, demanding you act
instead of resting in you. 

Forgive us for all we have done that goes against your will 
and for not doing the things you have asked of us. 
Help us to turn back to you, 
commit ourselves to follow you, 
and lead lives of service, 
even in the wilderness. 
Amen. 
—Joyce Borger, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission. 

Assurance of Pardon: Romans 10: 8–13

Thanksgiving: “Within the Shelter of the Lord / Psalm 91” Leckebusch

Dedication to Holy Living

Even as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, 
God was calling them to live holy lives marked by 
service to God, love of people, and care for creation. 
Obedience to God’s law was not meant to be a burden, 
but to arise naturally from a heart of gratitude 
for what God had done in bringing them out of Egypt 
and in anticipation of their arrival in the promised land. 

As God’s people today, wandering in the wilderness, 
we too receive the same call to live holy lives 
out of gratitude for what God has done, 
with faith and hope that one day all will be well. 

Let us be reminded of that call by hearing these words from Exodus 20. 

The Law: Exodus 20:1–17
 

GOD SPEAKS TO US

Children’s Message 

We just heard a very important list. We call this list the Ten Commandments. They show us what we can do to say “thank you” to God. When you want to say “thank you” in a special way, is there anything you do? Do you draw a picture? Give a hug? I wonder what it would look like if, instead of saying “thank you,” we did something to help the person we were thanking. Can you think of a way to help an adult who cares for you? What about a friend? I wonder what it would look like if we did those helpful things for people just because we love them? God does a lot of things for us just because he loves us, and we can do things for God just because we love God. If we are trying to figure out what to do because you love God, the Ten Commandments are a good place to start!

Prayer for Illumination: “Speak, O Lord” Getty, Townend

Scripture 

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1–11 
New Testament Reading: Luke 4:1–13 

Sermon: “The Call to Service”
 

WE RESPOND

Response to the Sermon: [Choose one or more of the following]

“From Ashes to the Living Font” Hommerding 
“Jesus, Tempted in the Desert” Stuempfle
“Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days” Hernaman

Profession of Our Church’s Faith: Philippians 2
 

GOD MEETS US AT THE TABLE

Communion: [Choose one or more of the following]

“All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly” Dunstan
“Somos pueblo que camina / We Are People on a Journey” La Misa Popular Nicaragüense
“We Are People on a Journey” DeMey
 

WE RESPOND

Response of Praise and Prayer: Psalm 124
 

GOD SENDS US OUT TO SERVE

Sending

People of God, 
let us claim the freedom Christ gives us
by his self-giving on the cross.
May he enable us to serve together
in faith, hope, and love.
Go in peace, and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
—Source unknown

Sending Song: “Take Us as We Are, O God” Daw

Blessing/Benediction 

May the God of love, who showed us love,
      strengthen us in our love for others.
May Christ, who shared his life,
      grant us grace that we might share ours. 
And may the Holy Spirit dwelling in us
      empower us to be Christ’s ambassadors
      wherever we go and to whomever we meet. 
Amen. 
—Source unknown

HOW SHALL WE RESPOND THIS WEEK? 

Fasting 
- What is something you can give up during Lent (and maybe longer) to make room for sustained silence, reflection, and prayer? How might you make space for the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? 

Prayer 
- Pray for God to use your times of wilderness for God’s glory. Ask how God might use you.

Around the Kitchen Table
- Where have you seen or felt God’s call on your life? Share your own sense of calling with someone else. 
- Have you ever experienced a time in a spiritual wilderness? How did that time stretch you and provide clarity about your calling? 
- We often think of our calling from an individual perspective, but having a godly purpose also applies collectively—to families, to households, to small groups, and to churches. If you had to articulate God’s purpose or call for one of those communities, what would you say? 
- Share baptism stories. See if you can find the date and place of your baptism if you don’t already know them. How do you see your baptism as an ordination to a life of service? 

Ideas for Including Children and Teens 
- Children and teens can also experience and live out God’s call. Have a conversation about what God might have placed on their heart, and help them to fulfill those callings.


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Rev. Joyce Borger is senior editor of Reformed Worship and a resource development specialist at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She has worked in the area of worship for over 20 years and has served as editor of several musical collections, including Psalms for All Seasons, and Lift Up Your Hearts: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2011, 2013). She is an ordained minister, teaches worship at Kuyper College, and is involved in the worship life of her congregation.   

Dr. Bethany Besteman is the pastor of worship and discipleship at Silver Spring Christian Reformed Church in Maryland where she lives with her husband and son. She also works as the intake editor for Reformed Worship.

Reformed Worship 154 © December 2024, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Used by permission.