This is part of the worship series,
"Listening to the Prophets”
Series Introduction
Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5
WEEK 2: THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Bulletin Announcement
In our study of the Old Testament, we have come to the prophets as they speak words of warning to apostate Israel. Today we hear the promise of a suffering servant.
Gathering Song
“Holy, Holy, Holy, My Heart” Spanish Traditional
This week we introduced the melody with violin playing the melody and guitar accompaniment.
Responsive Reading from Isaiah 40
Comfort, comfort my people says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people together will see it.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Prayer
God of all times and places, who makes our paths straight and our rugged places plain; in Jesus Christ, lifted up on the cross, you opened for us the path to eternal life. Grant that we may faithfully walk in your holy ways; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
—Marvin Hofman © 2023 ReformedWorship.org CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Song
“I Greet My Sure Redeemer” Smith
The responsive reading, the prayer, and the song are all based on Isaiah 40 and set the stage for our meditation on the words of Isaiah.
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.
Litany of Confession
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All sing: |
“What Wondrous Love” (first two lines of st. 1) Anon |
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Voice 1: |
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night but find no rest. |
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Voice 2: |
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. |
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Voice 1: |
But I am a worm and not human, scorned by others and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they sneer at me; they shake their heads; “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” |
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Voice 2: |
Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast. On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near, and there is no one to help. |
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All sing: |
“What Wondrous Love” (first two lines of st. 1) Anon |
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Voice 1: |
I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! |
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Voice 2: |
For he did not despise or abhor From you comes my praise in the great congregation; |
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All sing: |
“What Wondrous Love” (first two lines of st. 1) Anon |
Announcement of Forgiveness
Song
“Lift High the Cross” Kitchin
By choosing a song that specifically mentions the cross, we made the connection between our Old Testament focus and Lent more explicit.
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 50:1–11
Sermon
Bloody Backs and Pulled-out Beards
Sermon Notes:
Judah is in exile in Babylon. Now they need a word of hope. That hope would come through a Deliverer. But that Deliverer would be a servant. Already the paradox of the Christian faith is introduced—and immediately misunderstood. Deliverance comes through pain; salvation through a cross. Life comes from death.
Jesus came as a slave, he said, not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. So here is the second irony of the Christian faith: If any would come after me, says Jesus, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. Jesus opens a way to heaven. But the way there is the way of the cross.
Song
“Man of Sorrows, What a Name” Bliss
God’s Parting Blessing
Song
“O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High” (st. 1–3, 6) tr. Webb
Revised Common Lectionary
Year A, B, C: Lent—Liturgy of the Passion
Year A, B, C: Holy Week—Wednesday of Holy Week
