In our worship this week at St. Mark's Lutheran

We will sing the following hymns March 14th:
       Be Thou My Vision (sung to the tune of Slane)
       O Father, We Have Wandered (Passion Chorale)
       Come Ye Disconsolate (Consolator)
       Jesus, Refuge of the Weary (O du Liebe meiner Liebe)
       A Litany (Scheffler)

The following volunteers are scheduled to assist March 14th:
       Assisting Minister -- Deacon Ernest Lehr
       Chalicist -- Paul Walker
       Crucifer -- Bruce Innes
       Lector -- Terry Kenny
       Petitioner -- Johanna Hobratschk
       Greeters -- Caroline Bahr, Bruce Innes

For 21 March 2010 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent -- we will hear the following readings:
       Isaiah 43:16-21
                    Psalm 126
                                 Philippians 3:4b-14
                                                    John 12:1-8

The Lord our God makes all things new. In the first reading God promises it. In the gospel Mary anticipates it, anointing Jesus' feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial. In the second reading we recall the transformation of Saul, the persecutor, into Paul, the apostle. In baptism, God's new person (you!) rises daily from the deadly mire of trespasses and sins.
Today the church commemorates the martyr Thomas Cranmer, Bishop of Canterbury, who died in 1556. Cranmer's lasting achievement is contributing to and overseeing the creation of the Book of Common Prayer, which remains (in revised form) the worship book of the Anglican Communion. He was burned at the stake under Queen Mary for his support of the Protestant Reformation.

Prayer of the Day:
       Creator God,
       you prepare a new way in the wilderness,
       and your grace waters our desert.
       Open our hearts to be transformed
       by the new thing you are doing,
       that our lives may proclaim the extravagance
       of your love given to all through your Son,
       Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
       who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
       one God, now and forever. Amen

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 29

We will sing the following hymns March 21th:
       The Great Litany (ELW 238)
       Glory Be to Jesus (sung to the tune of Wem in Leidenstagen)
       When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Hamburg)
       Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed (Martyrdom)
       Beneath the Cross of Jesus (St. Christopher)

The following volunteers are scheduled to assist March 21:
       Assisting Minister -- Deacon Ernest Lehr
       Chalicist -- Louis Flake
       Crucifer -- John Schultz
       Lector -- Gene Miller
       Petitioner -- Jeremy Walston
       Greeters -- Gene Miller & Don Zimmerman

For 28 March 2010 -- Sunday of the Passion or "Palm Sunday" -- we will hear the following readings:
       Isaiah 50:4-9a
                    Psalm 31:9-16
                                 Philippians 2:5-11
                                                    Luke 22:14 - 23:56

The voice of the suffering savior, Jesus, can be heard in the prophet Isaiah's words and the pleading of the psalm. We are invited into the agony of our Lord in the extended reading of the story of Jesus' passion. In the second reading, we who have put on Christ in holy baptism are urged to let the mind of Christ be our own. Lent leads us to this holy moment. Embrace it.

Prayer of the Day:
       Everlasting God, in your endless love for the human race
       you sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take on our nature
       and to suffer death on the cross. In your mercy,
       enable us to share in his obedience to your will
       and in the glorious victory of his resurrection,
       who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
       one God, now and forever. Amen

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 29

The following volunteers are scheduled to assist March 28th:
       Assisting Minister -- Deacon Connie Lisch
       Chalicist -- Paul Walker
       Crucifer -- John DeLoach
       Torches -- Louis Flake, Sue Romanic
       Thurifer -- Harold Sachs
       Lector -- Nancy DeBell
       Petitioner -- Katie Stewart
       Greeters -- Gene Miller & Don Zimmerman

For 1 April 2010 -- Maundy Thursday -- we will hear the following readings:
       Exodus 12:1-14
                    Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
                                 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
                                                    John 3:1-17, 31b-35

With nightfall our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus' death and resurrection. At the heart of the Maundy Thursday liturgy is Jesus' commandment to love one another. As Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, we are called to follow his example as we humbly care for one another, especially the poor and the unloved. At the Lord's table we remember Jesus' sacrifice of his life, even as we are called to offer ourselves in love for the life of the world.

Prayer of the Day:
       Holy God, source of all love,
       on the night of his betrayal,
       Jesus gave us a new commandment,
       to love one another as he loves us.
       Write this commandment in our hearts,
       and give us the will to serve others as he was the servant of all,
       your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
       who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
       one God, now and forever. Amen

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 30

The following volunteers are scheduled to assist April 1st:
       Assisting Minister -- Deacon James Moser
       Chalicist/Crucifer -- Bruce Innes
       Thurifer -- Stephen Kohler
       Lector -- Sarah Begus
       Petitioner -- Tom Davison

For 2 April 2010 -- Good Friday -- we will hear the following readings:
       Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12
                    Psalm 22
                                 Hebres 10:16-25
                                                    John 18:1 - 19:42

At the heart of the Good Friday liturgy is the passion according to John, which proclaims Jesus as a triumphant king who reigns from the cross. The ancient title for this day--the triumph of the cross--reminds us that the church gathers not to mourn this day but to celebrate Christ's life-giving passion and to find strength and hope in the tree of life. In the ancient bidding prayer we offer petitions for all the world for whom Christ died. Today's liturgy culminates in the Easter Vigil tomorrow evening.

Prayer of the Day:
       Almighty God, look with loving mercy on your family,
       for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed,
       to be given over to the hands of sinners,
       and to suffer death on the cross;
       who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
       one God, now and forever. Amen

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 30

The following volunteers are scheduled to assist April 2nd:
       Assisting Minister -- Deacon Ernest Lehr
       Crucifer -- John Niec
       Lector -- James Newkirk