5th Sunday in Lent
Sunday, March 22, 2026
9 a.m. Worship
Prelude
Announcements
Confession & Forgiveness
Opening Song "Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here”
Greeting
Kyrie ELW p, 203
Prayer of the Day
Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you and will cause flesh to come upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded, and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.” The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Special Music "Dem Bones" Sunday School Children
Children's Message
Gospel Acclamation "We Are Turning, Lord, to Hear You" ELW p. 205
Gospel: John 11:1-45
The holy Gospel according to John, the 11th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather, it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Hymn of the Day "This is the Air I Breathe"
Apostles' Creed
Prayers of Intercession
Offering & Special Music: "Come Alive (Dry Bones)"
Offertory Hymn: “Create in Me a Clean Heart” ELW 186
Offertory Prayer
Great Thanksgiving
Words of Institution
Lord’s Prayer
Invitation to Communion
Communion Hymns: "Hymn of Promise" UMH 707
"I Am the Bread of Life" ELW 485
Post Communion Blessing
Prayer after Communion
Sending Hymn: “(You Are) The Way”
Dismissal
Adapted from Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2026 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #014958
Weekly Calendar
Sunday, March 22—8:30 a.m. Kool Kids Bells (Spirit Center, 9 a.m.—Worship (Livestreamed), 10 a.m. Sunday School (begins in Sanctuary), Coffee Fellowship (Narthex), 11 a.m. Worship (Traditional), 2 p.m. CIC Softball game (Field #1 at North Meck Park)
Tuesday, March 24—10:30 a.m. Bible Study (Narthex), 6:30 p.m. Card Ministry (Classroom #1)
Wednesday, March 25— 1:30 p.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry (Parlor), 6 p.m. Lenten Supper (Fellowship Hall), 7 p.m. Lenten Worship (Sanctuary)
Thursday, March 26—10 a.m. Quilting Ministry (Classroom #1), 6 p.m. Agape Bell Choir (Spirit Center), Carillon Bell Choir (Spirit Center)
Sunday, March 29—8:30 a.m. Kool Kids Bells (Spirit Center), 9 a.m. –2 p.m. One Blood Big Red Bus (Parking Lot), 9 a.m. Worship (Livestreamed), 10 a.m. Coffee Fellowship (Narthex), Sunday School (begins in sanctuary), Grace Notes Bells (Spirit Center), 11 a.m. Worship (Traditional), 2 & 3 p.m. Softball Game (Field # 2 at North Meck Park)
Announcements:
Have you joined CIC's new online photo directory yet? The directory is through a program called Church Center, which
is also an app. Follow the QR code to get started.
March Grocery Cart: This month we will be collecting items for Angels and Sparrows Community Table. This month we will be collecting canned corn, canned carrots, canned cannellini beans, Rotel, and Dijon mustard. When you’re grocery shopping this month please consider picking up some ramen and add to the CIC grocery cart. Your generosity continues to make a difference in the lives of many in and around our neighborhood.
Preschool Registration for 2026/2027: Tuitions for 2026/2027: $340.00 for 2-year-old classes, $310 for 3-year-old classes, $360.00
for 4-year-old & PK class and $370 for TK class. There is an $85 non refundable registration fee.
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Questions? Contact Morgan Naum at preschooldirector@communityinchrist.net to learn more!
Happy Times Seniors: For questions about the group contact Linda Muhlbach at 704-905-5847 or lindamuhlbach@gmail.com
Prayer Shawl Ministry: We meet in the CIC Parlor Room on Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Join us for some fellowship, idea-sharing, and fun! Questions? Contact Kathy Dutton at mamabissy@gmail.com. Of course, you can also participate in this important ministry at home by crafting items, and bringing them to CIC.
Card Ministry: We’ll be meeting Tuesday, March 24th, at 6:30 p.m. in Classroom One. Participants are asked to enter through the doors nearest the Spirit Center. If you would like information contact: Kathy Shugarman at shugs02@gmail.com or 940-300-2290.
Quilting Ministry: We will meet on Thursday, March 26th, in Classroom 1@ 10:00 AM. Questions? Contact Barbara Eaker at 704-483-2060.
All women of CIC are welcome to The 5:11s. 1st Thessalonians 5:11, we are a women’s group that “encourages one
another and builds one another up, just as you are doing.” We meet monthly between services to discuss ways we can
continue to encourage and build each other up and support our church. Contact Tracy Lyon (vikingtk@hotmail.com) or
Susan Kullstam (skulls01@me.com) with any questions.
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Please refer to the newsletter for ways to connect with this group.
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See the March newsletter for information about the Women's Retreat - April 24-26.
CIC Softball! Come cheer the team on! Here is the schedule: Sunday, March 22nd at 2 p.m. in Field #.1 March 29th is a double header with games at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Field #2. April 12th, 4 p.m. in Field # 2. April 19th is a double header with games at 3 & 4 p.m. in Field #2. The tournament begins on April 26th. All games are at North Meck Park on Old Statesville Road. If you have any questions, please see Paul Miller (p.k.miller1@gmail.com) or Pastor Michael.
A VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ADVENTURE - SNOWBALL MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE - “FIND YOUR STRENGTH IN GOD!”
July 26 –July 30, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. More details and Registration Information will be in the April Newsletter. Save the date for this amazing adventure. Please contact Suzi Hinrichs or Kathy Shugarman with questions suzihinrichs@gmail.com or shugs02@gmail.com
