Fifth Sunday in Lent – April 6, 2025
Our God makes all things new. In the first reading God promises it. In the gospel Mary anticipates it, anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial. In the second reading Paul recalls his transformation from the persecutor Saul into an apostle. In baptism, God’s new person (you!) rises daily from the deadly mire of trespasses and sins.
PRELUDE
PROCESSIONAL Lamb of God Redeemer Choir
GREETINGS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP A Prophet-Woman Broke a Jar Redeemer Choir
Redeemer’s Mission is to Grow in Faith.
The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.
C: Amen.
P: Let us return to God, confessing our sin in the assurance of God’s abiding love.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P: Compassionate One,
C: you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, but our lives do not always reflect you and your love for the world. We do not show others the tender compassion you have shown to us. We do not welcome others with the radical hospitality you grant to all people. We oppress others, even though you have set us free again and again. We squander the abundant gifts of the earth. Transform our lives and guide us again in the way of the cross. Amen.
P: Beloved in Christ, God’s arms are always stretched open wide to welcome the wandering ones home. In Christ your sins are forgiven. You have a place in God’s house forever.
C: Amen.
GATHERING HYMN When I Survey the Wondrous Cross ELW 803
SALUTATION AND PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Creator God, you prepare a new way in the wilderness, and your grace waters our desert. Open our hearts to be transformed by the new thing you are doing, that our lives may proclaim the extravagance of your love given to all through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
Please be seated.
Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.
God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching and song
from the Old Testament, Psalms, and the New Testament.
FIRST READING Isaiah 43:16-21
The prophet declares that long ago God performed mighty deeds and delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage through the waters of the sea. Now, God is about to do a new thing, bringing the exiles out of Babylon and through the wilderness in a new Exodus.
16 Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.
The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
PSALM (responsively) Psalm 126
1 When the Lord restored the for- | tunes of Zion,
then were we like | those who dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with | shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great | things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great | things for us,
and we are | glad indeed.
4 Restore our for- | tunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses | of the Negeb.
5 Those who | sowed with tears
will reap with | songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, carry- | ing the seed,
will come again with joy, shoulder- | ing their sheaves.
SECOND READING Philippians 3:4b-14
Writing to Christians in Philippi, Paul admits that his heritage and reputation could give him more reason than most people to place confidence in his spiritual pedigree. But the overwhelming grace of God in Jesus calls Paul to a new set of values.
[Paul writes:] 4b If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Please stand, if able, to welcome the Gospel.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION FOR LENT Return to the Lord, Your God
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twelfth chapter.
GOSPEL John 12:1-8
Judas willfully misinterprets as waste Mary’s extravagant act of anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume. Jesus recognizes that her lavish gift is both an expression of love and an anticipation of his burial.
1 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
Please be seated.
MESSAGE David Allman, Pastor
HYMN Take My Life sheet
Please stand, if able, for the Apostles’ Creed.
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He 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, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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.
Redeemer’s Mission is to Love All People.
Prayers on behalf of others.
Led by the Spirit, let us turn to God in prayer for the church, the world, and all those in need.
A brief silence.
The church declares your praise, O God. Guide us in the example of Isaiah’s imagination, Paul’s transformed identity, and Mary’s faith and devotion; that our lives, too, may be poured out in love as we trust in your promises. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
The earth declares your praise, O God. Make a way for the planet’s future in the sea and the wilderness, the mountains and plains, the tundra and wetlands. Repair habitats and sustainable ecosystems on, above, and beneath the ground. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
The nations declare your praise, O God. Where religious differences divide, bring together those who worship you in the name of Jesus Christ and those who call to you with different names. Guide interreligious dialogue, that faith may unite rather than divide communities. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
The people declare your praise, O God. Restore those whose hope has been dampened through a health diagnosis, job or home loss, divorce, or death. Bring healing to those in need. May all who weep now sing songs of joy again. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
The gifts of the Spirit declare your praise, O God. We thank you for artists who proclaim the gospel. Inspire music, poetry, and images that proclaim the new thing you are doing. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
The communion of saints declares your praise, O God. Giving thanks for those who have died, we trust in the one who has made them his own: Christ Jesus, our crucified and risen Savior. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
The congregation declares your praise, O God We pray that you remember those of our congregation who may be suffering physically, emotionally or spiritually. Please bring healing, peace and comfort to all those that we name in our hearts and minds. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
The people that offer protection to all declare your praise, O God. We pray that you watch over our first responders and military personnel and keep them safe, whether they are at home or overseas. Hold them in your loving hands and protect them as they protect us. God, in your mercy, receive our prayer.
P: Receive the prayers of your people and draw all things together in your love, in the name of Jesus, who leads us from death to life.
C: Amen.
Please be seated.
OFFERING/ ANTHEM Without His Cross Redeemer Choir
Please join in singing the offertory response.
OFFERTORY RESPONSE – Create In Me a Clean Heart
OFFERING PRAYER
P: Gracious Provider, you set your immense treasures among us, opening your heart to the world. As we prepare to feast on your bountiful love, deepen our commitment to sharing those treasures with others, through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
C: Amen.
The Meal
God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ. All baptized Christians are invited to receive Holy Communion. Communion Assistants, Ushers, and the choir will receive Holy Communion first. If you are unable to come to the altar for Holy Communion, please let an usher know and Holy Communion will be brought to you.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Speak to us, O Lord, in the breaking of the bread, and make us one with you. There are both wine and purple grape juice available. Tell the Communion Assistant if you prefer juice.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in remembrance of me.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Please be seated.
DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION– Lamb of God
Please stand, if able.
P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
C: Amen.
SENDING OF COMMUNION
P: O God of tender compassion, as you healed the sick and welcomed the stranger, bless those who leave this assembly to share the gifts of this table with our sisters and brothers who are sick, homebound, or imprisoned. May they be sustained by the love and prayers of this community, and by the Bread of life that satisfies all hunger, Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.
BENEDICTION
P: The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us. The Lord look on us with favor and give us peace. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
C: Choral Amen.
SENDING HYMN In the Cross of Christ ELW 324
Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.
P: Go in peace. Care for others as God cares for you.
C: Thanks be to God.
Redeemer Lutheran Church
David R. Allman, Pastor
701 Valley Forge Blvd., Sun City Center FL 33573 – 813-634-1292
email: sccredeemerlc@gmail.com web: redeemerlc.com
Sandra Gundacker, Choir Director and Organist · Kadie Dehne,-Office Administrator
Michael Knaub, Bookkeeper
Reprinted/Streamed/Songs: with permission under One License: A-715411, CCLI: 22045044 Liturgy: Augsburg: SAS013536
April 2, 2025 3:00 PM
I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
INVOCATION AND CALL TO WORSHIP
Please stand, if able
P: The protecting presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, the power of God the Father, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: Amen.
P: Spread your protection over us
C: That those who love your name may exult in you. (Psalm 5:11)
P: May the Lord answer us in the day of trouble!
C: May the name of the God of Jacob protect us! (Psalm 20:1)
P: Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
C: Is God in his holy habitation. (Psalm 68:5)
P: Spread your wings over your servants,
C: For you are Redeemer. (Ruth 3:9)
P: In peace I will lie down and sleep;
C: For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)
HYMN Jesus, Refuge of the Weary Sheet
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
P: Lord Jesus, our protecting friend, hear us as we confess our sins.
C: Forgive me, Jesus, from the sin that assaults my heart and soul.
P: Protect me from the punishment that my sin rightly brings.
C: Have mercy on me, Lord Jesus, for the times that I have failed to protect others.
P: Repair the hurts that I have caused with my sinful words and actions.
C: Lead me away from the dangerous way of rebellion.
P: Lead me, Jesus, in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake.
C: Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
(Please silently reflect on the danger of sin and the protecting forgiveness of Jesus.)
P: Our friend Jesus does indeed have mercy! Jesus protects us from the punishment of sin as he has lived for us, died for us, risen for us, and now forgives us of all our sins. His mercy provides protection, and his salvation makes us new. Rejoice now in the protecting presence and forgiveness of our friend Jesus.
C: What a friend we have in Jesus.
Redeemer’s Mission is to Grow in Faith.
The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.
SALUTATION AND PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Mighty Savior and fortress of my soul, let this season of Lent be a time of return. Bring us back to your protecting presence, and cover us with your grace and mercy. Remind us that we are never alone because you are our ever-present friend. We pray this in your name, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
C: Amen.
Please be seated.
Redeemer’s Mission is to Proclaim Jesus Christ.
God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching and song.
FIRST READING Isaiah 121: 1-8
I lift up my eyes to the hills — from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
SECOND READING 2 Thessalonians 3:3-4
The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command.
The reader concludes: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Please stand, if able, to welcome the Gospel.
GOSPEL John 14:18-27
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me. “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Please be seated.
MESSAGE David Allman, Pastor
HYMN A Mighty Fortress ELW 504
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He 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, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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.
Redeemer’s Mission is to Love All People.
Prayers on behalf of others
P: Mighty fortress, protector and friend, our Lord and Savior, Jesus: we come before you in prayer. Incline your ear to us and hear the prayers and petitions of your people.
C: Lord, hear our prayer.
P: Protect us from pride and arrogance, lest we think that we can live on our own apart from you.
C: Lord, hear our prayer.
P: Protect us from sin and temptation, sending us your Spirit of truth and deliverance so that we can lead lives of righteousness and holiness according to your will.
C: Lord, hear our prayer.
P: Protect the weak and vulnerable, the traveler and fatherless, the widow and orphan, and the dying.
C: Lord, hear our prayer.
P: Protect those in warring nations and provide your perfect peace to places caught in warfare and strife.
C: Lord, hear our prayer.
P: Protect those who are charged with the task of protecting others — police, firefighters, soldiers, parents, caretakers, and all others whose task it is to protect and serve their neighbors.
C: Lord, hear our prayer.
P: Protect us from ingratitude and indifference so that we can always thank and praise you for all your goodness and mercy.
C: Lord, hear our prayer and protect us unto eternity. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
BENEDICTION
P: Go now with the peace and power, the protection and provision of our friend, Jesus. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. Amen.
C: Amen. What a friend we have in Jesus!
HYMN How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds ELW 620
P: Go in peace and serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
By A. Trevor Sutton. Art and design: Jamie Wyatt. Images: Adobe Stock. © 2025 Creative Communications for the Parish, a division of Bayard, Inc., 1564 Fencorp Dr., Fenton, MO 63026. 800-325-9414. www.creativecommunications.com. All rights reserved.