Asbury United Methodist Church

March 9, 2025

Welcome!

Prelude

 Joys, Concerns, Announcements

*Greeting (Liturgist)

God, you are our refuge.

You are the shore in sight,

you are hands that reach out,

you are the ground on which to rest.

God, you are our strength.

You are the life we long for,

you are the refusal to give up,

you are the keys of home we carry with us.

God, you are our help in time of trouble.

We call on you from the ruins and the rubble,

We call on you from the wildness and the deep,

We call on you to meet us in this place! Amen.

(Found in Cláudio Carvalhaes, Liturgies from Below: Praying with People at the Ends of the World (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2020), 40.)

*CALL TO WORSHIP (responsive) (Liturgist)

ONE: On this first Sunday in Lent, we join Jesus in the wilderness, a place of wild and dangerous things, of testing and temptation away from the security of home.

ALL: God, rescue us in the wilderness!

ONE: Once again, we watch and listen as Satan throws out temptation upon temptation, and we find our security in Jesus, who does not waver from the truth.

ALL: God, rescue us within the wilderness!

ONE: Once again, we face our own frailty and realize that the wilderness is not nearly as dangerous as our choices to prioritize selfish gain and hoarding of power.

ALL: God, rescue us through the wilderness!

ONE: Once again, we call upon God in the wildernesses of our lives, and we trust God’s faithful reply:

ALL: Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. Thanks be to God! Amen.

(Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, August 2024.)

*Hymn #269 “Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days”

Lord, who through-out these forty days

for us didst fast and pray,

Teach us with thee to mourn our sins

And close by thee to stay.

As thou with Satan didst contend,

And didst the victory win,

O give us strength in thee to fight,

In thee to conquer sin.

As thou didst hunger bear, and thirst,

So teach us, gracious Lord,

To die to self, and chiefly live

By thy most holy word.

And through these days of penitence,

And through thy passion tide,

Yea, evermore in life and death,

Jesus, with us abide.

Abide with us, that so,

This life of suffering over past,

An Easter of unending joy

We may attain at last.

1st READING Deuteronomy 26:1-11 NRSVUE             Carol Hills

“When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess and you possess it and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.’ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.   

Psalm 91- UMH page 810-11       Carol Hills

Response: Grant us salvation, Lord; in trouble be our refuge.

R

Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,

Who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

Will say to the Lord,

“My refuge and my fortress:

My God, in whom I trust.”

For the Lord will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the deadly pestilence

And will cover you with his pinions;

Under the Lord’s wings you will find refuge.

God’s faithfulness is a shield and buckler.   R

You will not fear the terror of the night,

Nor the arrow that flies by day,

Nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

Not the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

The thousand at your right hand,

But it will not come near you.

You will only look with your eyes

And see the recompense of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord you refuge,

The Most High you habitation,

No evil shall befall you,

No scourge come near your tent.  R

For God will give his angels charge over you

To guard you in all your ways.

They will bear you up on their hands

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the adder,

The young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

Because they cleave to me in love, I will deliver them;

I will protect them, because they know my name.

When they call to me, I will answer them;

I will be with them in trouble,

I will rescue them and honor them.

I will satisfy them with long life

And show them my salvation.    R

Anthem

2nd Reading: Romans 10:8b-13 NRSVUE             Carol Hills

But what does it say?

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Gospel Reading Luke 4:1-13 NRSVUE               Pastor Alison

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,

   and serve only him.’ ”

Then the devil led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,

   to protect you,’

and

‘On their hands they will bear you up,

   so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Pastor: The word of God for the people of God.   

People: Thanks be to God!

SERMON: “Rescue me” by Pastor Alison

Hymn #548 “In Christ There is No East or West”

In Christ there is no east or west,

In him no south or north;

But one great fellowship of love

Throughout the whole wide earth.

In Christ shall true hearts

Everywhere their high communion find;

His service is the golden cord

Close binding humankind.

In Christ is neither Jew nor Greek,

And neither slave nor free;

Both male and female heirs are made,

And all are kin to me.

In Christ now meet both east and west,

In him meet south and north;

All Christly souls are one in him

Throughout the whole wide earth.

Prayer Time

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven,

   hallowed be thy name,

   thy kingdom come,

   thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.         

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses,

  as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

  But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

  forever.  Amen

Offering

*Doxology # 94 (To the tune “Lasst Uns Erfreuen”)

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise god, all creatures here below:

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise God, the source of all our gifts!

Praise Jesus Christ, whose power up-lifts!

Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Prayer Of Dedication (Unison)

Faithful God, who journeys with us through the wilderness of our lives, as we offer these gifts, we remember your sustaining presence. In this period of spiritual renewal, strengthen us to resist temptation and guide us to live in community with love and grace. May these offerings be signs of hope and acts of compassion that reflect the love you have shown us in Christ. Empower us to rise together, supporting one another on this journey of faith and transformation. In the name of Jesus, our Redeemer, we pray. Amen.

Hymn #694 “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”

Come, ye thankful people, come,

Rise the song of harvest home;

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin.

God our Maker doth provide

For our wants to be supplied;

Come to God’s own temple,

Come, raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field,

Fruit as praise to God we yield;

Wheat and tares together sown

Are to joy or sorrow grown;

First the blade and then the ear,

Then the full corn shall appear;

Lord of the harvest, grant that we

Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,

And shall take the harvest home;

From the field shall in that day

All offenses purge away,

Giving angels charge at last

In the fire the tares to cast;

But the fruitful ears to store

In the garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,

Bring thy final harvest home;

Gather thou thy people in,

Free from sorrow, free from sin,

There, forever purified,

In thy presence to abide;

Come, with all thine angels, come,

Raise the glorious harvest home.

*Benediction

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Today 3/9

9:30 am                 Choir Practice

9:30 am                 Bible Study 

10:45 am               Worship- Potluck

Tuesday 3/11                 

9:30 am                         Quilters-Crafters

Next Sunday 3/16

9:30 am                 Choir Practice        

9:30 am                 Bible Study 

10:45 am               Worship

Pastor Alison Dix Cell: 319-573-4801 

Email: Alison.dix@iaumc.net                             

Website: www.theasburymethodistcr.com

Phone: 319-364-3188

Church office hours: Tue – Thurs 9am-1pm

To view live streaming or recordings please visit www.youtube.com and search for Asbury UMC CR and subscribe.

Prayer for at home:

Lord, help me to take time this season of lent to spend time with you. Help me to take time to center myself to music, or something else that helps me quiet my mind. You are so amazing and I want more of your love in my life. AMEN.