This is part of the worship series,
"Listening to the Prophets”
Series Introduction
Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5
WEEK 1: THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Bulletin Statement
[Each week in our bulletin we included a note reminding the congregation of our worship theme.]
In our study of the Old Testament, we have come to the prophets as they speak words of warning to apostate Israel. Today we encounter the calling of Isaiah as he meets God in the temple. We will also be celebrating communion.
Prelude
[At the beginning of each service, during the prelude, a third grader came forward to light the candle, helping the congregation recognize that the light of God’s Word draws us to God as we gather together. At the end of the service, during the closing song, the same child extinguished the candle.
We had some wonderful moments during this ceremony as children enjoyed this opportunity to represent the congregation. When new candles that were too tall for the children to light comfortably were placed in front of the church, we asked a parent to walk down the aisle as well and to assist as needed. The visual image of the parent helping the young child light the candle reminded us of our commitment to the covenant and to including children in worship.]
Gathering Song
“Holy, Holy, Holy, My Heart” (see "Songs from Iona")
[This song is a sweeping, gentle prayer of adoration to the Lord. The text echoes the words of Isaiah 6, the text for the morning, and serves as a way to enter the service turning our attention to the Lord. We introduced the song with flute and piano so that the congregation could hear the simple melody (which wasn’t familiar to them) before they were asked to sing. The instruments also gave us a chance to center our thoughts on the praise of the Lord. The text then allowed us to gently and carefully put ourselves into the Isaiah passage. In addition to the text drawing our attention to the Lord and to our corporate worship, the style of the music draws us to a personal time of reflection and holiness as well.]
Responsive Reading from Isaiah 6
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
The whole earth is full of his glory!
The whole earth is full of his glory!
Prayer
Almighty God, whose glory fills the whole earth, give us faith to perceive your glory and to receive your Son who displayed your glory on the cross. Change us into his likeness, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.
Amen.
Song
“All Glory Be to God on High” Decius
Our opening song was written by a contemporary composer; this second song expresses a similar sense of praise and honor, this time using a tune that is much older.
God’s Greeting
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Our help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
Grace, mercy, and peace are yours, from God the Father Almighty, from the lord Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
[We used this greeting each week; it’s one we use in our children’s worship centers and in the sanctuary as well when we can. Often, at this point in our service, we invite the congregation to greet those around them. During Lent we wanted our service to be more subdued and reflective in nature and so we suspended this practice.]
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture
Isaiah 6:1–13
Sermon
The Shaking of the Temple
Sermon Notes:
Apparently, the Lord wanted Judah to hear the bad news before they could hear the good. Judah had to hear the no before they could hear the yes. The great oak had to become a stump, so that a shoot could come forth.
In the season of Lent, the church reenacts the no. We stare long and hard at the cross. For there—just like Isaiah in the temple—we are in the presence of glory where we can only fall on our faces and cry, “Woe is me!” Let us not rush on too quickly to Sunday. The yes will surely come. But first the no.
Song
“What Wondrous Love” Anon.
The Lord’s Supper
The service of confession and forgiveness has special emphasis during Lent. Because of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper during this service, the section on confession and forgiveness was included in the communion litany.
The Litany of Penitence
Let us pray.
Holy and merciful God, we confess to you and to one another and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, O God.
We have not listened to your call to serve as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, O God.
We confess to you, O God, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience in our lives,
we confess to you, O God.
Our self-indulgent ways and our exploitation of other people,
we confess to you, O God.
Our anger at our own frustration and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
we confess to you, O God.
Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
we confess to you, O God.
Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
we confess to you, O God.
For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
accept our repentance, O God.
For our waste and pollution of your creation and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
accept our repentance, O God.
Restore us, O God, and let your anger depart from us.
Hear us, O God, for your mercy is great.
Accomplish in us, O God, the work of your salvation,
that we may show forth your glory in the world.
By the cross and passion of our Savior,
bring us with all your saints to the joy of Christ’s resurrection. Amen.
[For this service we extended the litany of penitence, adapting passages from various sections of the Book of Common Worship, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.]
The Invitation
Hear the gracious words of our Savior: Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Song
“O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” Latin
The Great Thanksgiving
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.
It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, O Lord our God, creator and ruler of the universe. In your wisdom you made all things and sustain them by your power. When we rebelled against you, you did not reject us. You sent prophets to call us back to your way. Then, in the fullness of time, out of your great love for the world, you sent your only Son to be one of us, to redeem us and heal our brokenness. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices to those who forever sing to the glory of your name:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus:
dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.
According to his commandment:
we remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection, we await his coming in glory.
The Institution
We give thanks that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread and, after giving thanks to you, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he took the cup, saying: This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me. The gifts of God for the people of God.
During the passing of the elements, the congregation is invited to sing the refrain of “Eat This Bread” Communauté de Taizé (1984) once and then after each stanza sung by a soloist.
God’s Parting Blessing
Song
“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” Heber
We ended the service where we began, with a song about the holiness of God and his mighty work in our lives, echoing the words of the gathering song, the reading from Isaiah 6, and the sermon.
