WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who journeys with us these forty days, and sustains us with the gift of grace. Amen. Let us acknowledge before God and one another our need for repentance and God’s mercy.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Holy God, we confess to you our faults and failings. Too often we neglect and do not trust your holy word; we take for ourselves instead of giving to others; we spoil rather than steward your creation; we cause hurt though you call us to heal; we choose fear over compassion. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, as we seek to follow in your way of life. Amen.
Hear the good news: God so loved the world that God gave the only Son, so that all may receive life. This promise is for you! God embraces you with divine mercy, ☩ forgives you in Christ’s name, and revives you in the Spirit’s power. Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: WHY by Jessica Nordeman, SUNG BY JESSICA HEMMENWAY

APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

KYRIE page 203 (front of hymnal)
HYMN OF PRAISE page 204

PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray: Merciful God, the fountain of living water, you quench our thirst and wash away our sin. Give us this water always. Bring us to drink from the well that flows with the beauty of your truth through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

FIRST READING: EXODUS 17:1-7
1From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” 4So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”. Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

PSALM 95 (please read responsively)
1Come, let us sing to the LORD; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
2Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving and raise a loud shout to the LORD with psalms.
3For you, LORD, are a great God, and a great ruler above all gods.
4In your hand are the caverns of the earth; the heights of the hills are also yours.
5The sea is yours, for you made it, and your hands have molded the dry land.
6Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
7For the LORD is our God, and we are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand. Oh, that today you would hear God’s voice!
8“Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert.
9There your ancestors tested me, they put me to the test, though they had seen my works.
10Forty years I loathed that generation, saying, ‘The heart of this people goes astray; they do not know my ways.’
11Indeed I swore in my anger, ‘They shall never come to my rest.’ ”

SECOND READING: ROMANS 5:1-11
1Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL: JOHN 4:5-42
The Holy Gospel according to John the 4th Chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.
5[Jesus] came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 19The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” 27Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 28Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” 30They left the city and were on their way to him. 31Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” 34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON Pastor Kurt Bockoven

HYMN: #335 JESUS, KEEP ME NEAR THE CROSS (v. 1, 2, and 4)

(Offering plates will be passed during this time)

APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION (please answer “Hear Our Prayer”)

OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray, God of good gifts, receive these and all our offerings as we present them in faithful service for the sake of your gospel. Prepare our hearts to receive you in this meal as you pour out your very presence through Christ Jesus, the wellspring of eternal life. Amen.

HOLY COMMUNION / LORD’S PRAYER
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy… and join their unending hymn: (Please sing:)
Holy, holy, holy Lord, 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.
In the night he was betrayed…. Do this for the remembrance of me. Our Father who art in heaven….

INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Come and receive Jesus, our strength in the wilderness.
(All who hunger for God’s grace are welcome at this meal. White grape juice and gluten free wafers are available for those who need them. Children who have not had first communion training are welcome to come for a blessing.)

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray: Embodied God, at your table, we have tasted the goodness of Jesus. With the eyes of our hearts open to your promise, empower us to hear the needs of our neighbors and touch the world with your love. Amen.

BLESSING
God, the giver of love, ☩ Christ, the resurrection and the life, and the Holy Spirit of rebirth bless you in this Lenten journey. Amen.

CLOSING HYMN: #807 COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING

DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve in love. Thanks be to God.

Reagan Rose Piano Recital is TODAY at 11 am with reception and brunch following
6:30 PM Lenten Services on Wednesdays, March 8, 15, 22, 29 – Soup Supper 5:30 pm
FISH FRY Diner on March 24 from 4-7 pm Advance Ticket Sales only

Thank You to Today’s Assistants: Michel Family and Morem Family, Steve for video, Cliff Johannessen for Reader, Reagan Rose for Organ/Piano.
Please remember our homebound and senior care residents: Merle Roelofs, Carla Erickson, Joyce Hanlon, Lee Fishbaugher, Walt Ward, Mel Mikkelson, Thelma Applen.
Please keep in prayers: David & Kim Wangen, Bernie Hurley.
Liturgy taken from sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright 2014 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SB134626. CCLI Streaming License #20959486