Lent
March 7, 2010

HYMNS FOR TODAY

Gathering Hymn:           Chief of Sinners Though I Be, Page 18
Hymn of the Day:          Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer, Page 19
Communion Hymn:       Let Us Break Bread Together, Page 20
Sending Hymn:              O Living Bread from Heaven, Page 21

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY

Old Testament Lesson : Isaiah 55:1-9

To those who have experienced long years in exile, the return to their homeland is a celebration of abundant life. God calls them into an everlasting covenant of love. Those who return to the Lord will enjoy new life and forgiveness, because God's ways are not our ways.

Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.\

A The Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.

Psalm 63:1-8

O God, eagerly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. (Ps. 63:1)

1O God, you are my God; eager- | ly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there | is no water.
2Therefore I have gazed upon you in your | holy place,
that I might behold your power | and your glory.
3For your steadfast love is better than | life itself;
my lips shall | give you praise.
4So will I bless you as long | as I live
and lift up my hands | in your name. R
5My spirit is content, as with the rich- | est of foods,
and my mouth praises you with | joyful lips,
6when I remember you up- | on my bed,
and meditate on you in | the night watches.
7For you have | been my helper,
and under the shadow of your wings I | will rejoice.
8My whole being | clings to you;
your right hand | holds me fast. R

Second Lesson : 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Paul uses images from Hebrew story and prophecy to speak the truth of Jesus Christ: He is our rock, our water, our food, and our drink. Christ is the living sign of God's faithfulness.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
6Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

A: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

P: The Holy Gospel according to Luke the thirteenth chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

GOSPEL : Luke 13:1-9

Asked about current tragic events, Jesus turns a lesson about whether suffering is deserved into a hard call to obedience. He then tells a parable that holds out hope that the timeline for ultimate judgment will be tempered by patience.

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them - do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

Worship continues on p. 3 of your bulletin, with the sermon.

WEEKLY GRAPEVINE

Delaware-Maryland Synod Council to Meet at Grace of God
On March 20th the Delaware-Maryland Synod Council will be meeting at our Cheer Center from 10am to 2pm. We will be responsible for providing a breakfast snack and a luncheon for the members of the council. Please watch your bulletins for more details as they become available. We are excited to extend our hospitality for this meeting. For those who would be willing to help with this event please contact Norma Rodney at 945-3446 or 717-781-0647.

ELCA Disaster Response Information
To Donate: Online: http://www.ELCA.org/ haitiearthquake, Phone: 800-638-3522, Mail: ELCA Disaster Response, 39330 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9300 , on check memo line: " Haiti Earthquake Relief"

Please sign the visitors' books!
There are visitors' books located in each row of chairs in the worship space. If you are new to Grace of God, please sign the book. We would love to send you our newsletter, or respond to any concerns or needs that you may have.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE….we've added items needed for the Grocery Club!
Please, only these items!! There is no room to store more:

peanut butter        canned tuna        toilet paper
cereal syrup     canned soup     shampoo      toothpaste      boxed pancake mix
canned beef stew       pasta/noodles        pasta sauce
beans     american cheese      boxed rice sides
bar soap      laundry detergent

Lenten Devotional Time
The Parish Life Ministry will sponsor Lenten Devotions this year, with a Prayer Shawl Ministry. Prayer shawls are made by beginners and seasoned veterans alike, to give to people who are in crisis or distress. As the shawls are created the knitters pray, weaving God's love into every stitch. Can't knit? We'll show you how in a few simple steps. Called to pray? You can be an active part of this group by praying with the knitters, even if you don't knit yourself. Already busy Wednesday nights? You can contribute by donating yarn: 3 skeins of the same type/color for each shawl.
When: Wednesdays, February 24 through March 31, 7:00 - 8:00 pm at the CHEER Center. See Marilyn McMahon, John or Margo Ranney, Gail Steward or Bill Davenport for more details.

Stewardship
The Stewardship Ministry is sponsoring our annual every-member pledge and commitment initiative. This year we are blessed with the leadership of the Key Leader organization, based in Chicago. For four Sundays during Lent, we will emphasize using our gifts to care for Grace of God and each other. There will be Temple Talks before worship, guest preachers and a Commitment Sunday (with food!) on May 9th.

I THANK GOD:
For family and friends. Iris Fisher
That every day is a blessing. Even bad days give us something to learn from. Marilyn McMahon
For our four legged furry friends. Norma Rodney

WE PRAY FOR:
Paula Gemmill on the loss of her mother. Sincere condolences, The Grace of God Congregation.
Emma Imperoture, Marie Miller's aunt, who has colon cancer
Pat Contone, Marie Miller's uncle who is in ill health.
Marcella Heck a friend of Pastor Judy.
Joanne Ferreri on the loss of her husband Mike. Sincere condolences, The Grace of God Congregation
Bev and Barb's sister, Lois Sakers who is hospitalized. Bev Russell and Barbara Welsh
Glendale Logan, Randolph's son who had a heart attack. Randolph Logan
Charlie Goodhue, Pat Barnes' brother
Frank and Mary Joseph and children, Bette Zombek's family
Chris and Megan Rippey, Pastor's children
Marcel Naruki, friend of John Ranney
Ralph and Sally Nelson, friends of Marilyn McMahon

Please add your thanks/concerns for next week's bulletin by e-mailing gogluth1@yahoo.com or contacting Pastor Judy at 344-8064 or Norma at 945-3446.
OUR PRAYER LIST
Please pray for these people and concerns this week:

†Lois Yeager, member
†Jerry Mundell, member
†Kay Landon, member
† Lois White, member
† Rich Miller, member
†Carol Dispoto, member
† Bud Allen, member
† Roberta Young, member
† Darlene and Paul Elliott,
members
† Barbara Baglin, member
† Gloria and Jack Coker, members
† Paula Gemmill, member
† Tony Dispoto, son of Carol
Dispoto, member
† Bill Sutton, friend
† Fred Sellers, Pat Sellers' husband
† Phyllis Gemmill, Russ Gemmill's
mother
† George Law, friend of Peg
Wallace
† William Tull, friend of the
congregation
† Jere Alison and Mindy Wagner, Linda Fairbee's family
†
† Russ and Karen Kirkpatrick, relatives of the Gemmill's
† Shaunna Kirkpatrick, niece of the Gemmill's
† Donna Meyer, sister of Malinda Wolf
† Angel Chestnut, relative of
Barbara Welsh
† Danny Bosley and family, friends
of the Gemmill's
† Anthony Rivituso, Roberta
and Tom Mahler's grandson
† Kayla Lasichek, cousin of Marilyn
McMahon
† Michael Hale friend of Jerry and Luan Mundell
† Community Lutheran Church
† Al Lackert, Gloria Coker's son-in-law
† Laura Fernandes, Peg Wallace's sister
† Teresa and Kimberly Gumpher, friends
† Brooke Mulford, friend of the Emilie Crosser family
† Pat Wilcoxen, friend
† Gretchen and Denny Douchette, friends of Marilyn McMahon
† Nadine Lyons, friend of the Ferreri's
† Trevor Wallace, grandson of Sharon and Denny Hess
† Luella Davison, Grandmother of Lisa and Kevin Collins

When Does Your Ministry Meet?

Trustees:     2nd Tuesday of each month, at 7:00 pm at CHEER Ctr.
Parish Life:  4th Wednesday of each month, 7:00pm at CHEER Ctr.
Worship and Music:  at CHEER Center 1st Thursday of each month at 8:30pm.
Vision Team:   last Monday of each month, 7 pm at CHEER Center.
Christian Ed:   last Sunday of each month, 11:30 am.
Stewardship:   first Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm.

Sun.,   Mar. 7 9:00am  Bible Study in the Library at the CHEER Center
                  10:00 am  Worship Service with Holy Communion
Tues., Mar. 9 7:00pm Trustees Meeting at CHEER Center
Wed., Mar. 10 10:00 am Adult Bible Study at CHEER Center

Wed., Mar. 10  7:00 Prayer Shawl Ministry

Thurs.,Mar.11 7:30pm Choir Rehearsal

Tues., Mar. 16 8:00am Men's Breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen in Millsboro


Sat., Mar. 20 10:00am Delaware-Maryland Synod Council
Sun., Mar.21 10:00am Worship with Holy Communion
Reception to follow for New Members/ Sponsored by the Altar Guild

Serving Grace of God

Assisting Minister: Today: Russ Gemmill; Next Week: Iris Fisher
Musical Director: John Ranney
Musician: M.A. Abella
Nursery: Deonna Daisy

Greeters: March Bette Zombek
                           Karyl Ritter
                           Judy Griffin
Set up: March     Dave and Barb Powers
                           Lou and Donna Gerth
                           Dave and Vicki Root
                           Roger and Sheila Galbraith
                           Doris Wilkes

Readings for next week:
Joshua 5: 9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21, Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32.

Attendance for February:
02/07 - 0. 02/14 - 38, 02/21- 61, 02/28- 61.

Pastor: The Rev. Judith Moller-Gavlick
Church e-mail address is: gogluth1@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor: Sheila Galbraith, sgalbraith2@verizon.net
Church Mailing Address: P O Box 1251, Millsboro, DE 19966
Church Phone: (302) 344-8064
Web Site: www.goglc.org