Sunday, March 15th, The Third Sunday in Lent

Gathering

The prelude music is performed by John Sparkman, Malia Johnson, and Emma Johnson. It was recorded during our Longest Night service in December of 2019

Prayer of the Day

Gracious God, you have called us, your servants, to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not always knowing where we go, but only that your hand is guiding us and your love supporting us, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Word

A Reading from the Book of Genesis. Genesis 21:9-21

9But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac." 11The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring." 14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

15When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him." 19Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.
20God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. 21He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Creed, Prayers, Passing of the Peace

The Creed

We are not alone, we live in God’s world. We have faith in God who lives among us:

We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus,

the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.

We trust in God. We are called to be the Church:

to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in creation,

to love and serve others, to seek peace and resist evil,

to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God!

The Meal

The Offering

We have a number of ways to participate and contribute when you are unable to attend worship in person. You can make a one-time donation, or manage ongoing giving. You may also chose to use the GivePlus App. Simply download the GivePlus app, and then search for “Holy Spirit Lutheran Church” using our zip code: 98034 (there are two other Holy Spirit Lutheran Churches in the country). Through that app you can also set up one-time or ongoing giving from your phone.

Sending

Our sending song is Sunstreams by Ian Clarke performed by Lisa Hedley, flute, and John Sparkman, piano. Played for worship services at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Kirkland, WA, on May 19 and June 23, 2019.

Church is more than a building – church is who we are called to be, no matter where we are. This week, we’ll be working on finding opportunities to be the church in our community and world during this time. What might that look like for you? Here are some emerging opportunities:

• If you know how to sew and have been wondering what to do with all that extra fabric at home, join the 100 Million Mask Challenge created by Providence.

• The Sofia Way, which provides shelter and resources for women, is looking for additional help in providing meals (several options can be done from home).

• The New Bethlehem Project has expanded their hours and is also looking for help in providing meals. Again, many of their options can be done from home, or from a distance.

Worship Reflection

Pastor Mike has provided reflection questions based on his sermon. We invite you to reflect on these questions throughout the week.

1. Discuss the times you may have felt left out?

2. Who have been angels in your desert moments?

3. How do you cope with the anxieties of the coronavirus epidemic?

4. Think up some strategies to stay connected with those who may be quarantined. Act on them.

If you would like to share your reflections, we invite you to tag us on social media.

facebook.com/hslc425

instagram.com/hslckirkland