In Jesus' crucifixion, the old covenant (along with its laws and temple--see today's Gospel lesson) is destroyed. The new covenant of grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ makes "no distinction between Jew and Greek."

The 3rd Sunday in Lent 7 March 2021Markham Lutheran Church, 3518 W. 160th St., Markham, Illinois 60428E-mail: MLCoffice@markhamlutheranchurch.org; Tel: 708-331-4885

Website: http://www.Markhamlutheranchurch.org/Pastor Larry Schneekloth

823 May God Bestow on Us His Grace

Tune and text: Public domain

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

P In the name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit.C Amen.

P Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

P Our help is in the name of the Lord,C who made heaven and earth.P I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,C and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination.

P O almighty God, merciful Father,C I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever

offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and

merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

P Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I announce the forgiveness of your sins in the name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P The Lord be with you.C And also with you.

P Let us pray.O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and

bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

THE LESSONS FOR LENT III

Exodus 20:1-1720 Then God spoke all these words:2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before[a] me.4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.13 You shall not murder.14 You shall not commit adultery.15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.This is the word of the Lord. THANKS BE TO GOD.

Psalm 19:7 - 14 Lord, you have the words of eternal life. LORD, YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.The Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.

THE PRECEPTS OF THE LORD ARE RIGHT, REJOICING THE HEART. THE COMMAND OF THE LORD IS CLEAR, ENLIGHTENING THE EYE.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.THEY ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD, THAN A HEAP OF PUREST GOLD. SWEETER ALSO THAN SYRUP OR HONEY FROM THE COMB.

From wanton sin restrain your servant; let it not rule over me. Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. LORD, YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.

1 Corinthians 1:22-2522 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.This is the word of the Lord. THANKS BE TO GOD.

Hymn of the Day: Hymn 579 "The Law of God is Good and Wise"

5 The Law is good; but since the fallIts holiness condemns us all;It dooms us for our sin to dieAnd has no pow’r to justify.

6 To Jesus we for refuge flee,Who from the curse has set us free,And humbly worship at His throne,Saved by His grace through faith alone.

Text and tune: Public domain

The Holy Gospel according to St. John. (John 2:13-22) GLORY TO YOU, O LORD.

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.This is the Gospel of the Lord. PRAISE TO YOU, LORD JESUS CHRIST.

The Homily

431 Not All the Blood of Beasts

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The Prayer of the Church Lord, in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

(last petition:) Into your hands we commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

THE HOLY COMMUNION

The Lord be with you. AND ALSO WITH YOU.Lift up your hearts. WE LIFT THEM UP TO THE LORD.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. IT IS RIGHT TO GIVE HIM THANKS AND PRAISE.

It is indeed right... join their unending hymn: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD GOD OF HOSTS; HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE FULL OF YOUR GLORY. HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST. BLESSED IS HE (+) THAT COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST.

Our Lord Jesus...Lord's death until he comes. CHRIST HAS DIED. CHRIST IS RISEN. CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.

In the words of our Lord we pray: OUR FATHER...

Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. HAVE MERCY ON US AND GIVE US PEACE. AMEN.

The Holy Communion

Text and tune: Public domain

The Thanksgiving and DismissalO give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

AND HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER.We give you thanks, O Lord, that you have again refreshed us with your word, and with your Holy Communion. We ask you to strengthen us through your gifts of Word and Sacrament--strengthen us in our faith toward you, and in our fervent love toward one another, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

707 Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways

Tune and text: Public domain

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH CALENDAR

3/7: Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions, martyrs, 202In 202 Lucius Septimus Severus, Roman emperor, forbade conversions to Christianity. Perpetua, a noblewoman, Felicity, a slave, and other African catechumens were imprisoned and, after their baptism, were condemned to execution at the arena in Carthage. According to the contemporary account of the martyrdom, Perpetua and Felicity survived the wild beasts and were killed by the sword, having first exchanged the kiss of peace. 3/7: Thomas Aquinas, teacher, 1274Thomas was a brilliant and creative theologian and philosopher. When he decided to enter the Dominican order, his family opposed his intention and held him prisoner for 15 months; his intention persisted and he joined the order in 1244. He taught in Italy and Paris during his relatively short life. He was an incarnation of the Dominican ideal of transmitting the fruits of contemplation to others, which Thomas said was a far greater thing than simply contemplating. His prodigious writings put his stamp on the scholastic tradition of theology, making him one of the most influential of the theologians of the Western church. Certain eucharistic hymns have generally been ascribed to him; his eucharistic collect has been used among Lutherans on Maundy Thursday. He died at the age of 49 while traveling to the Council of Lyons.3/10: Harriet Tubman, died 1913; Sojourner Truth, died 1883; renewers of societyHARRIET TUBMAN was born into slavery in Maryland and remained a slave until about age thirty when, fearing she would be sold and moved farther south, she escaped with the help of the Underground Railroad. After that, she helped about 300 others to escape until slavery was abolished. After thea Civikl War, her home in Auburn, New York, became a center for women’s rights and served the aged and poor. SOUJOURNER TRUTH, too, was born a slave, in New York. Her birth name was Isabella. After slavery was abolished in New York in 1927, she was freed and, while working as a housekeeper, became deeply involved in Christianity. A number of years later, she discerned a call to become a preacher. Taking the name Sojourner Truth, she set out on an evangelistic journey, where people found her testimony to be deeply moving. In later life she also became a public speaker against slavery and for women’s rights.

Review of the Catechism: The Ten Commandments Dearly beloved, the Holy Spirit spoke to our forebears in faith and delivered to them the saving precepts of the Ten Commandments of such eloquence and brevity that their truth can neither escape our understanding nor burden our memory. So let us review the Ten Commandments with attentive minds, and write their truth in the pages of our hearts:

1. You shall have no other gods before me. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR, LOVE AND TRUST IN GOD ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE.

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT USE HIS NAME TO CURSE, SWEAR, LIE OR DECEIVE; BUT CALL ON HIM IN PRAYER, PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING.

-7-3. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT NEGLECT HIS WORD, AND THE PREACHING OF IT; BUT REGARD IT AS HOLY, AND GLADLY HEAR AND LEARN IT.

4. Honor your father and mother. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT DESPISE OR ANGER OUR PARENTS AND OTHERS IN AUTHORITY; BUT RESPECT, OBEY, LOVE AND SERVE THEM.

5. You shall not kill. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT HURT OUR NEIGHBORS IN ANY WAY; BUT HELP AND BEFRIEND THEM IN ALL PHYSICAL NEEDS.

6. You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT IN MATTERS OF SEX OUR WORDS AND CONDUCT ARE PURE AND HONORABLE, AND HUSBAND AND WIFE LOVE AND RESPECT EACH OTHER. 7. You shall not steal. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT TAKE OUR NEIGHBOR'S MONEY OR PROPERTY, OR GET THEM IN ANY DISHONEST WAY; BUT HELP OUR NEIGHBORS TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THEIR PROPERTY AND MEANS OF MAKING A LIVING.

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8. You shall not bear false witness. What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT BETRAY, SLANDER, OR LIE ABOUT OUR NEIGHBORS; BUT DEFEND THEM, SPEAK WELL OF THEM, AND EXPLAIN THEIR ACTIONS IN THE KINDEST WAY.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. What does this mean WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT DESIRE TO GET OUR NEIGHBOR'S POSSESSIONS BY SCHEMING, OR BY PRETENDING TO HAVE A RIGHT TO THEM; BUT ALWAYS HELP OUR NEIGHBORS TO KEEP WHAT IS THEIRS.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant or his cattle, or anything that is your neighbor's What does this mean? WE ARE TO FEAR AND LOVE GOD, SO THAT WE DO NOT TEMPT OR COAX AWAY FROM OUR NEIGHBORS THEIR SPOUSE OR WORKERS; BUT ENCOURAGE THEM TO REMAIN LOYAL.

Beloved, allow this brief abundance so to live in your hearts that at all times you may use the defense of these commandments against all snares of the enemy. Enjoying the protection of him whom we confess, let us persevere in the confirmation of our baptism, so that receiving the forgiveness of sins and newness of life, we may have our share in the fullness of God's kingdom according to his promises in Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.