OPENING HYMN: # 96 INVOCATION P: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen.

CONFESSION P: You who are God's people have gathered here to be forgiven. No matter how hard we try to keep God's law we fail. But God promises His people that if they humbly confess their sins to Him they will be forgiven because Jesus' blood justifies them (Romans 5:9). The Holy Spirit moves each of us to confess our sins to God and to receive His free gift of salvation which is ours in and through His Son Jesus Christ. Take a moment now to contemplate your sins of this day and past days, confessing them to your Lord. (A time for reflection and self-examination.) PROCLAMATION OF FORGIVENESS P: The Lord hears all who turn to Him. Listen to these words of St. Paul: "But now a righteousness from God, apart for the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:2124). As a called and ordained servant of God, I announce to you that your sins are forgiven. Live in His peace. C: Amen. THE PSALM P: Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. C: But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost

my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. P: Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. C: This is what the wicked are like-always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel and afterward You will take me into glory. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. It is good to be near God. COLLECT P: We come before the Lord with an ever-increasing awareness of the gift that He has given and the tremendous cost of that gift. Together we join in prayer. C: Lord God, the sacrifice of Your Son becomes more real to us as we consider it in human terms-the anxiety, the pain, the suffering, and death. For all of this we give thanks to You. By Your Holy Spirit increase our faith and give us such strength to follow His example in our daily lives. Amen. THE READINGS Job 19: 13-27

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Matthew 27:11-26

SERMON HYMN: # 355

OFFERING OFFERTORY Psalm 107 (selected verses) P: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. C: Let the redeemed of the Lord say this - those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. P: Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. C: Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders. P: Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord. PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P: Lord God, You have given us this time to worship You. This time to understand the human suffering of Jesus. C: Jesus prayed that our punishment might be removed from Him if it would be Your will. P: But Your will called for a perfect sacrifice that only Jesus could give. His blood shed for us, sweat for us, is the price that had to be paid. C: No anxiety that we will ever have will match that of what Jesus went through for our sake. P: He has borne our sins and carried our sorrows. He has opened heaven's doors for us through His pain and suffering.

C: From the agony of the Mount of Olives, to the humiliation of the trials, to the pain of the cross Jesus remained sinless. P: And now we can be seen as sinless in God's eyes because of the determined sacrifice of His Son. C: Keep us in prayer, Lord, through Your Holy Spirit's action in our hearts. Create a new heart in us so that we might be able to understand more fully Your will for our lives. Amen. LORD'S PRAYER BENEDICTION Pastor: John's words speak of Jesus when he says, C: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." P: By coming to us and taking on our form as human beings Jesus suffered as we suffer and even beyond what we suffer. He endured much so that we might be called His brothers and sisters. May God bless you with the assurance that you are a part of His family because of the price He paid for you. C: Amen. CLOSING HYMN: # 490