March 29 – Fifth Sunday in Lent

 

Lectionary

Lectionary readings from Vanderbilt Divinity Library online

(http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/BLent/bLent5.htm)

 

Jeremiah 31:31–34

“I will write my law on their hearts.”

Psalm 51:1–12 (VU pgs. 776–777)

Put a new heart in me, O God.

Hebrews 5:5–10

Christ did not glorify himself; rather he suffered.

John 12:20–33

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth….

 

Spark

Using a PowerPoint presentation or collage, link biblical images of desert and wilderness with images of “deserts” in modern-day society, e.g., folks using cell phones in a crowd or in a restaurant and ignoring those around them, or other images that show situations of aloneness/exile.

 

With Children

“To know by heart”: What do you know by heart, e.g., the alphabet, phone numbers, a poem, a night-time prayer? You might refer to John 3:16 from last Sunday’s reading and have children memorize this for today, or work on memorizing the Lord’s Prayer with the children.

 

Sermon Starter

Today’s places of exile are different from the deserts and wildernesses of the Bible. Some places of exile might be reality TV, cell phones/ BlackBerries at the Christmas dinner table. Another avenue to explore might be God’s people serving God and what needs to come to an end for us to become more humble and serving, i.e., letting go of our own personal agenda to leave space for God’s.

 

Hymns

Hebrew Scripture

VU 509            “I, the Lord of sea and sky”

VU 598            “When pain of the world surrounds us”

VU 651            “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah”

VU 686            “God of grace”

 

Psalm

MV 174           “Soil of God, you and I”

 

Epistle

VU 266            “Amazing grace”

VU 342            “You servants of God”

VU 560            “O Master, let me walk”

VU 595            “We are pilgrims”

VU 609            “In all our grief and fear”

 

Gospel

VU 364            “Forgive our sins as we forgive”

VU 562            “Jesus calls us o’er the tumult”

MV 125           “When a grain of wheat”

 

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 51)

Have mercy on us, O Lord, in your great kindness!

Blot out our wrongdoings,
and remember your promises!

We acknowledge our faults;
we know that we have sinned!

Accept our sacrifice of hearts willing to change!

 

Commissioning Prayer

And now, put a new heart in me, O Lord my God!

Give me a constant and upright spirit!

Break open my heart,
and fill it with your own love!

Open my mouth,
and let me proclaim your praise!

 

Neil Young, Erindale United Church, Mississauga, Ont.