Fifth Sunday in Lent
Community in Christ Lutheran Church
March 26, 2023
9 a.m.
Welcome to worship! We are glad you are here today!
If you are visiting with us, please let us know if there is anything you would like to know about our family of faith.
Prelude
Announcements
Confession & Forgiveness
Song “Days of Elijah"
Greeting
Kyrie
Prayer
Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
1The 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. 2He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I 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.” 7So 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. 8I 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. 9Then 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.” 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11Then 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.’ 12Therefore 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. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I 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 "Amazing Grace" Joy Bells
Children's Message
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel: John 11:1-45
The holy gospel according to John, the 11th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.
1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But 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.” 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9Jesus 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. 10But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28When 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.” 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The 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. 32When 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.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus 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.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I 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.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The 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.” 45Many 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
Song “Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land”
Apostles' Creed
Prayers of Intercession
Peace
Offering
Offertory Hymn “Create in Me a Clean Heart”
Offertory Prayer
Great Thanksgiving
Words of Institution
Lord’s Prayer
Distribution of Communion & Communion Hymns
"Beautiful Things"
"I Am the Bread of Life" ELW 485
Post Communion Blessing & Prayer
Blessing
Song “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” ELW 325
Dismissal
Postlude
Adapted From Sundays and Seasons.com. SAS014958 Copyright 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Announcements
Coffee Cart: will be available at 10 a.m. Please enjoy a treat and some fellowship in the narthex!
Tuesday Bible Study: *** This week only - Tuesday, March 28, the bible study will meet at 9:30 a.m.
March Grocery Cart: During the month of March, we will be collecting items for Angels and Sparrows to make Easter gift baskets for the 30+ kids in their youth program. Angels & Sparrows is a Community Table and Resource Center in Huntersville for families and individuals who need assistance with food, health, education, housing, finances, and more. Requested items they would like to have include: jelly beans, peeps, chocolate bunnies, Hershey's milk chocolate eggs, Cadbury eggs, any other Easter type of candy, snack size bags
Preschool Enrollment is Open: If you are looking for a preschool or know someone who is - contact Sharon Fuller at 704-892-1020 ext 104 or sfuller9564@gmail.com for more details and to schedule a tour!
Wednesday's in Lent: Join us for a soup supper at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall followed by worship at 7 p.m.
First Communion Instruction: The next class time is April 2nd, at 12:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Prayer Shawl Ministry: We meet in the CIC Spirit Center on Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Join us for some fellowship, idea-sharing, and fun! Questions? Please 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 are planning to meet twice in March to make cards and enjoy fellowship with one another. We’ll be meeting Tuesday, March 14th at 2:00 p.m. and Tuesday, March 28th at 6:30 p.m. in the Spirit Center. Participants are asked to enter through the doors nearest the Spirit Center. Need more information? Contact: Kathy Shugarman at shugs02@gmail.com or 940-300-2290.
Quilting Ministry: If you enjoy sewing or want to learn please join us! Keep watch for April meeting dates. Questions? Contact Barbara Eaker at 704-483-2060.
CIC Softball Game: Come cheer on the team! All games are held on Sunday’s at North Mecklenburg Park on Old Statesville Road in field #2. The March game is: the 26th at 3 p.m. April games are: the 2nd at 3 & 4 p.m. (a doubleheader!); the 16th at 3 p.m., the 23rd at 2 p.m.. April 30th & May 7th are tournament games with times TBD.
Men’s Retreat - The Men's Retreat is set for Sept. 22-24 at LutherRock. We will be having a signup once further details are available.
Agapé Day Camp is coming to CIC, June 19-23! Agapé Kure Beach Ministries counselors travel to bring outdoor ministries to us.
For youth entering grades 1 to 5 in the 2023-2024 school year. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon through Thurs and 9 a.m. to Noon on Fri, June 19-23, at CIC. Pack a lunch each day. A snack is provided. Cost is $150 and can be paid on the church website or in a check written out to CIC with “Agapé Day Camp” in the memo line. Registration form included in newsletter. Theme information coming soon! Contact Pastor Lisa with questions or for a registration form, pastorlisa@communityinchrist.net. Invite a friend!
Summer Camps: Our North Carolina Synod Outdoor Ministries are registering for their summer camps! Check out what each camp has to offer this summer through their links:
Summer Camp - Agape Kure Beach (https://agapekurebeach.org/summer-camp/)
Lutheran Summer Camps | Lutheridge In North Carolina (https://lutheridge.org/summer-camps/)
Lutheran Summer Camps | Lutherock In North Carolina (https://lutherock.org/summer-camps/)
Holy Week and Easter Schedule:
Maundy Thursday Worship, April 6th, 7 p.m.
Good Friday Worship, April 7th, Noon and 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday Worship, April 9th, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.
Weekly Calendar:
Mar 26—9 a.m. Worship (Contemporary & Livestreamed); 10 a.m. Children's S.S. (Spirit Center & Classroom #1), Coffee Cart (Narthex); 11 a.m. (Traditional), First Communion Class (Fellowship Hall); 3 p.m. Softball Game (North Meck Park)
Mar 28—9:30 a.m. Bible Study (Narthex); 11 a.m. Lay Pastors (Narthex); 6:30 p.m. Card Ministry (Spirit Center)
Mar 29—1:30 p.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry (Spirit Center); 6 p.m. Soup Supper (Fellowship Hall); 7 p.m. Lenten Worship (Sanctuary)
Mar 30—6 p.m. Carillon Hand bells (Spirit Center); 6:30 p.m. Council Meeting (Zoom); 7 p.m. Agape Hand Bells (Spirit Center)
April 2 - 9 a.m. Worship (Contemporary & Livestreamed); 10 a.m. Children's S.S. (Spirit Center & Classroom #1); Coffee Cart (Narthex); 11 a.m. (Traditional); 12:15 p.m. 1st Communion Class (Fellowship Hall); 3 & 4 p.m. Softball Game (North Meck Park)