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".
If you are using the full series, you may remember that last week we spoke about the wilderness as being a part of our call, something to be embraced. Our natural inclination when we face trouble is to run, but if we are truly committed to being a servant and following Christ’s footsteps, sometimes we are asked to move toward the danger, even embrace it for the sake of the world. But we don’t go there alone, Christ has gone before us, and God is with us.
Our passage this week is Luke 13:31–35 where Christ talks about foxes and hens. The fox is understood as Herod, and the hen is Jesus. Instead of the hen running away from the fox, the hen runs to the fox. Jesus continues on to Jerusalem. And while it seems the fox kills the hen, in the end true strength comes from the weakness and vulnerability of the hen. Sacrificial love always wins over power. We are called to that same love, that same attitude, that same humble service and willingness to knowingly lay down our lives. That calls for commitment.
Call to Worship
God has gathered us together to worship.
We have come to worship the Almighty.
Christ has invited us to journey with him, toward Jerusalem.
We have come to worship our Savior.
The Spirit is moving in and among us as we prepare our hearts.
We have come to worship the Spirit.
—Joyce Borger, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.
Greeting
Our Triune God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,
welcomes us and greets us with these words:
“I am your God, and will save you.
Like a bird protecting its young,
I will cover you with my feathers,
I will protect you under my great wings;
my faithfulness will form a shield around you,
a rock-solid wall to protect you.”
—adapted from Psalm 91, The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Sung Response: “The Lord is My Light, and My Salvation/Psalm 27”[st. 1–2] Bouknight
Call to Confession
Psalm 27, a portion of which we just sang, starts with great surety and faith. We have nothing to fear because God is with us, God is our light and salvation. But yet just a few verses later, the Psalmist is asking for God’s mercy and begging God not to turn away. Can both be true? Can we live with this tension between two realities: our faith and our disbelief, our hope and our despair?
If we journey with Christ through Lent, if we want to follow his example as a servant, then we must become acquainted with both. In our worship then we begin with praise for who God is, grateful for the invitation to be in the presence of the Holy One. We know God is here with us, keeping us safe, like a hen gathering her chicks under her wing. Yet, there are times of deep despair, of pain, and sorrow, when God feels distant. This is the way of the servant. In these times all we can do is to continue as we have been called, even as we wait for God.
Let us offer this lament using words from Psalm 27.
Prayers of Lament with Sung Refrain
Sung Refrain: “Wait for the Lord” Taizé
Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Sung Refrain
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
Sung Refrain
Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
Sung Refrain
Assurance of Pardon
Even as we continue our journey, imperfect persons in an imperfect world, but yet waiting for the Lord God to make things right, we, like the Psalmist, can still be people of hope.
Psalm 27 ends with this testament of faith:
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
—Psalm 27:13–14
“The Lord is My Light, and My Salvation/Psalm 27”[st. 1–2] Bouknight
Children’s Message
I’m going to ask you a few questions about safety this morning. If you are crossing the road with an adult, are you supposed to run ahead, or hold their hand? If there is a bad storm warning, are you supposed to go outside and play or find somewhere indoors away from windows? If you are baking cookies, should you take the hot cookies out of the oven or ask an adult to help you? Most of us know that we should avoid danger. But sometimes there are dangerous things that need to be done, and there are wonderful people who do dangerous things so we don’t have to. Can you think of any dangerous things that adults do? [possible answers might range from “mom takes the cookies out of the oven” to “dad gets on a ladder to change a lightbulb” to “people who work as crossing guards” to “people who serve in the armed forces or peace corps”]. The Bible tells us Jesus gave us an example of what it looks like to love other people by doing dangerous things for them. He knew that going to Jerusalem was going to lead to the cross, but he did it anyway because he loves us so much. Some adults are like Jesus when they do dangerous things for us, but we can also be like Jesus when we do anything good for another person. You can be like Jesus when you help a sibling or a friend pick up their toys, or when you share something with them. Whenever we are kind to someone else, we are like Jesus. I wonder how you can be like Jesus this week?
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.
Prayer for Illumination
Holy God,
as we come now to the reading of your word,
we ask you to illuminate our hearts and minds
by the power of your Holy Spirit.
May the light of your word
brighten the Lenten path ahead of us
as we journey in steps of Christ towards the cross. Amen.
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.
Scripture
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 15:1–12, 17–18
Epistle Reading: Philippians 3:17–4:1
Gospel Reading: Luke 13:31–35
Sermon: “Commitment to Service”
Response to the Sermon
“Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth” Janzen
“Jesus, Lover of My Soul” Wesley
“Jesus, Set His Face”[st. 1, 4] DeMey
Profession of Our Church’s Faith: The Apostles’ Creed
Profession of Faith or Remembrance of Baptism
“From Ashes to the Living Font” Hommerding
Communion
“Just As I Am, Without One Plea” Elliott
“All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly” Dunstan
Response of Praise and Prayer
“Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service” Bayly
“Lord, You Gave the Great Commission” Rowthorn
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
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