15870 46th Avenue N, Plymouth | (763) 559-0579 Email: office@AscensionPlymouth.com Website: www.AscensionPlymouth.com A member of the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)

Brian Roloff, Pastor | pastorroloff@AscensionPlymouth.com

Welcome! We are glad that you have joined us for worship today.

Brian Roloff, Pastor | pastorroloff@AscensionPlymouth.com Susan Decker, Music Director

Tammy Melott, Preschool Director/Teacher Jennifer Tripp, Teacher

March 22, 2020

We are pleased you could join us. May your worship with us draw you closer to God and equip you for a life of even more dynamic Christian discipleship.

THE ORDER OF WORSHIP

(P:=Pastor, C:=Congregation, ♫:=Congregation sings) (All hymns used by permission. CCLI License #440614.)

All scripture quotations are taken from the NIV and are used by permission.

WORSHIP THEME: Jesus calls us from selfishness to selfless service

CALL TO WORSHIP

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

P: Jesus says, “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20). Furthermore our Savior promises that we are never alone; he is always with us (Matt. 28:20). Through him and through faith in him we can always come into God’s presence with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12). Therefore let us come before God with humble and repentant hearts, acknowledging our sin, and asking him to forgive us.

C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

P: God our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

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PRAYER OF THE DAY

P: Lord Jesus Christ, you came not be served but to serve. As we follow in your steps, give us the love, humility, and faith needed to put others ahead of our- selves, out of love for you who laid your life down for us; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever

C: Amen.

THE APOSTLES' CREED (all say)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. HYMN: # 484 Brothers, Sisters, Let Us Gladly

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(song continues next page)

THE WORD

SERMON THEME: Now is the time!

TEXT: Matthew 20:17-28

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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THE PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of life, for hearts that still beat, and lungs that still breathe, and for all the dangers and perils from which you preserve us each day. These are all gifts of your hand that we so easily take for granted. But better than all these bodily blessings is the gift of your Son and the grace we receive through faith in him—mercy that is new every morning and carries us through day by day to everlasting life.

Almighty Lord, the events of these days have made us all the more mindful of the challenges facing doctors, nurses, and all health care workers. With the many sick in our land, we pray that you would bless these with a special measure of your protection and strength and wisdom and skill. Lift them up when they are weak and discouraged and teach them to rely on you, the Great Physician of Body and Soul.

Lord Jesus, you did not come to be served, but to serve all humanity by laying down your life to release us from the debt of sin and the fear of death. In these last dark days of the world show your greatness by making us your servants. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, use us to bring healing; where there is doubt, instill faith; where there is despair, fill us with hope; where there is darkness, bring enlightenment; where there is sadness, bring forth songs of joy. O divine master, grant that we seek not so much to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; to receive, as to give; to be forgiven, as to forgive. For it is in dying to ourselves and our own selfish aims that we find what it means to truly live for you. Amen.

LORD'S PRAYER (all pray)

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

BLESSING

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C: Amen.

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CLOSING HYMN: Make Me A Servant

CONNECTION CARD ON OUR APP

At this time we ask everyone to take a moment and fill out the info on the connection card, located under the Worship Today button. Please fill out any information that needs to be updated and submit.

THE OFFERING

Dear guests, please don’t feel obligated to take part in our offering. We’re glad you’re here to listen to the message about Jesus.

If members or guests would like to give an offering electronically, they can do so by going to ascensionplymouth.com and click on the GIVE tab on your right hand side or use our App. THANKS TO THOSE WHO SERVED:

Organist: Susan Decker