Welcome to Immanuel Lutheran Church Proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ since 1888 March 22, 2020 Immanuel Lutheran Church is a A Mission of the North American Lutheran Church 5955 S Elm Ave. Easton (Fresno), CA. 93706 Office: (559)237-7909 Website: IMMANUELEASTON.COM Email: [email protected] Sunday Schedule Worship for everyone online 10:30AM Wednesday Junior High & High School Youth Group “Refuge” Meet from 6:00PM-8:00PM when the pandemic is over 1 Immanuel Lutheran Church March 22, 2020 Immanuel means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) Welcome To You in Your Home while we worship God! God invites all who would seek His face to worship Him this morning. Be open to the Holy Spirit as you hear God’s Word and sing His praises. He is mighty and worthy of our praise! We are well-aware of the challenges we all face with the health crisis we are enduring. God is in charge and will see us through. Let us continue to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Immanuel is part of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). Our Core Values include being Christ-Centered, Mission-Driven, Traditionally-Grounded and Congregationally-Focused. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of the month as well as other special occasions of the church year. If you are baptized and have received instruction concerning the Lord’s Supper, you are welcome to receive this sacrament here. If you would like to learn about either baptism or communion, please speak with the pastor before the service or check the box on the worship registration form to schedule an appointment. Only non-alcoholic wine is used in communion at Immanuel. Moms and Dads, we love children and we welcome children to worship with you and the whole congregation. If you so desire, we do have a nursery – the room with the large window next to the Library at the back of the sanctuary. In there is a rocking chair, toys, as well as a speaker and large window so you can see and hear the service. Your kids may enjoy the activity bags on the rack at the back of the church. To learn more about Immanuel please be sure to fill out the worship registration slip on the back page of your bulletin and place it in the offering plate or fill out the guest registry located in the church entry. Restroom facilities are located in the church entry (the narthex). When walking out of the sanctuary take a left and they are at the end of the short hallway. Join us for a snack and a cup of coffee or juice immediately following our worship service where we can greet you more personally. 2 Order of Worship Prelude Laurel Jacobsen Ringing the Bells Calling the community of Easton to worship Welcome Opening Prayer Deacon: Lord God, in this short time together, open our ears and our eyes to see your vision for this place and our part within it. Teach us, hear our prayers and enable us for service wherever you might take us, to your praise and glory. Amen. ALL: Here we are Lord; your people, your Church meeting together in your presence. We welcome each other and we welcome You. Make yourself known to us new ways through our worship, our prayers and our understanding of your Word today. Amen. Opening Prayer Pastor: Lord, pull back the veil” and reveal your presence and work around us. When our eyes are open, we see that you are everywhere, in everything, always. When our eyes are open, we see every day is brimming over with your love and presence: filled with Your majesty, Your activity and Your miracles. ALL Open my eyes, that I may see the Your love, mercy, and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law. Open my eyes to see Your glory in all of creation. Open my eyes to see the blessing in every hardship. Open my eyes to see the Gospel in every person. Amen. Time of Confession and Forgiveness Pastor: O Holy One, we call to you and name you as eternal, ever-present, and boundless in love. Yet there are times, O God, when we fail to recognize you in the dailiness of our lives. Sometimes shame clenches tightly around our hearts, and we hide our true feelings. Sometimes fear makes us small, and we miss the chance to speak from our strength. Sometimes doubt invades our hopefulness, and we degrade our own wisdom. 3 ALL Holy God, in the daily round from sunrise to sunset, remind us again of your holy presence hovering near us and in us. Free us from shame and self-doubt. Help us to see you in the moment-by-moment possibilities to live honestly, to act courageously, and to speak from your wisdom. Pastor: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Amen. Praise Music “This Is Amazing Grace” Who breaks the power of sin and darkness Whose love is mighty and so much stronger The King of Glory The King above all kings Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder The King of Glory The King above all kings This is Amazing Grace This is unfailing love That You would take my place That You would bear my cross You lay down Your life That I would be set free Jesus, I sing for all that You've done for me Who brings our chaos back into order Who makes the orphan a son and daughter The King of Glory The King of Glory 4 Who rules the nations with truth and justice Shines like the sun in all of it’s brilliance The King of Glory The King above all Kings This is Amazing Grace This is unfailing love That You would take my place That You would bear my cross You lay down Your life That I would be set free Jesus, I sing for all that You've done for me Worthy is the Lamb who was slain Worthy is the King who conquered the grave Worthy is the Lamb who was slain Worthy, Worthy, Worthy This is Amazing Grace This is unfailing love That You would take my place That You would bear my cross You lay down Your life That I would be set free Jesus, I sing for all that You've done for me Jesus, I sing for all that You've done for me “You’re Worthy of My Praise” I will worship with all of my heart. I will praise You with all of my strength I will seek You; all of my days. I will follow; all of Your ways I will give You all my worship I will give You all my praise You, alone, I long to worship. You, alone, are worthy of my praise 5 I will bow down and hail You as King. I will serve You; give You everything. I will lift up; my eyes to Your throne. I will trust You; trust You alone. David Ruis © 1991 Shade Tree Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 1825563 The First Lesson Ephesians 5:8-14 8For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— 9for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Responsive Psalm Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his name’s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over. Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. The Gospel Lesson John 9:1-41 9As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.