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March 19, 2023
Theme for Today
We know that unbelief will have consequences in the future – eternal separation from God. But unbelief also has consequences now. It makes you blind, in a sense. In his ministry, Jesus healed those who were physically blind. But even if our eyes work just fine, we still need Jesus to give us spiritual vision. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Christ comes to shine his light into our darkened eyes that we might see him and live. Jesus meets our greatest needs. He provides sight for the spiritually blind.
Pastor Westendorf’s Welcome
Just as I Am, without One Plea – CW 814
1 Just as I am, without one plea
but that thy blood was shed for me
and that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2 Just as I am and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
3 Just as I am, though tossed about
with many’‿a conflict, many’‿a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
4 Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
5 Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
6 Just as I am; thy love unknown
has broken ev’ry barrier down;
now to be thine, yea thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Invocation
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Confession
Lord God Almighty, what you say in the 6th Commandment is plain:
You shall not commit adultery.
You call both the married and the unmarried to lives of purity.
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
You warn us not to view sexual sin lightly, even though many around us do.
Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders … will inherit the kingdom of God.
You tell us that purity begins with our eyes and hearts.
I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
You urge husbands and wives to mirror the relationship of Christ and the church.
The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
So today Lord, we confess our misuse of your gifts marriage:
Sins of impurity committed with our bodies.
Sins of impurity committed with our words.
Sins of impurity committed with our eyes and hearts.
Sins against our spouses that damaged or destroyed our marriages.
We ask you to forgive us, Lord, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
Declaration of Grace
God, our merciful Father, has forgiven all our sins. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Redeemer and Savior. Jesus paid the penalty for our guilt by his death on the cross and freed us from death by his resurrection from the grave. We have peace with God now and forever.
Amen.
Reflections – Sing to Jesus
The Word
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Prayer of the Day
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, by your almighty power you opened the eyes of the blind and showed yourself to them. Turn our eyes away from worthless things, and lead us to love you sincerely; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading – Isaiah 42:14-21
“For a long time I have kept silent,
I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.
I will lay waste the mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.
But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
will be turned back in utter shame.
“Hear, you deaf;
look, you blind, and see!
Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,
blind like the servant of the Lord?
You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
It pleased the Lord
for the sake of his righteousness
to make his law great and glorious.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 27 – The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation
Hear my voice when I / call, Lord;
be merciful to me and / answer me.
Do not hide your / face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my / helper.
Do not reject me or for- / sake me,
God my / Savior. Refrain
Though my father and mother for- / sake me,
the Lord will re- / ceive me.
I remain confi- / dent of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the / living.
Wait / for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait / for the Lord.
Glory be to the Father and / to the Son
and to the Holy / Spirit,
as it was in the be- / ginning,
is now, and will be forever. / Amen. Refrain
Second Reading – Ephesians 5:8-14
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Gospel – John 9, selected verses
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
Jesus said,“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to you, O Christ!
Amazing Grace – CW 576
1 Amazing grace – how sweet the sound –
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see.
2 The Lord has promised good to me,
his Word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.
3 Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
4 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
than when we’d first begun.
Pastor Frick’s Sermon – Isaiah 42:12-21
I Was Blind, But Now I See
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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 into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer
O Lord, our light and our salvation, make your Word great and glorious among us.
Open our eyes to the truths of your Word, that we may know you, accept your teaching as true, and put our full trust and confidence in you.
Shine the light of your gospel on people who live in the darkness of sin and unbelief. Use us to bring your Word to them, and by your Spirit, turn their trust from idols to you.
We give thanks for the many people who work for the good of others, highway workers, engineers and planners, sanitation and waste disposal workers. Give them hearts willing to serve and keep them safe as they carry out their duties.
Have mercy on those who struggle with feelings of guilt, despair, and the heaviness of life’s troubles. Give them hope in your goodness, and patience to wait for your good purpose.
Your Son, Jesus, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to the infirm, and healing to the sick. In your mercy, give healing to those who wait for you. Lord, awaken us with your light, and Christ will shine on us.
Gracious Father, you gave your only Son to be the light for the blind, the way for those who stray, and the resurrection of the dead. Enlighten the darkness of human hearts and minds, bring sinners to repentance, that we may live in you and for you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Offering
Son of God, by God Forsaken – CW 421
5 Light of Light, no brightness cheering
rends the gloom of that dread day
till your mercy’s beams, appearing,
drive the clouds of sin away.
6 Come, O Christ, and grant us freedom
by your bondage on the tree.
Lead our steps to that fair kingdom
where you reign eternally.
Prayer
Almighty God, we thank you for teaching us the things you want us to believe and do. Help us by your Holy Spirit to keep your Word in pure hearts that we may be strengthened in faith, guided in holiness and comforted in life and in death, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.
Amen.
Jesus, Lover of My Soul – CW 533
1 Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
till the storm of life is past;
safe into the haven guide.
O receive my soul at last!
2 Other refuge have I none;
hangs my helpless soul on thee.
Leave, ah, leave me not alone;
still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed;
all my help from thee I bring.
Cover my defenseless head
with the shadow of thy wing.
3 Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
more than all in thee I find.
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is thy name;
I am all unrighteousness.
False and full of sin I am;
thou art full of truth and grace.
4 Plenteous grace with thee is found,
grace to cover all my sin.
Let the healing streams abound;
make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art;
freely let me take of thee.
Spring thou up within my heart,
rise to all eternity.