Third Sunday in Lent
March 20, 2022
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am
Livestream at 8:25am
Prayer of the Day
Eternal God, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Help us to hear your word and obey it, and bring your saving love to fruition in our lives, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Scripture
Isaiah 55:1-9
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9
Sermon
“Incidents and Accidents”
Luke 13:1-9
Why do bad things happen to good people? This existential question pops up wherever there is suffering or tragedy. In Jesus’ day, the question was often answered in a straightforward way: Those who suffered must have done something to deserve it. Jesus refutes such divine causality. God doesn’t work through murderous rulers or tragic accidents. Sometimes bad things happen because of the badness of others. Sometimes bad things just happen. Those people who suffer aren’t worse than us; more to the point, we’re not better than them. We’re sinners, too. If suffering is going to find us all eventually, what are we to do? Repent! Turn around. Stop wondering why bad things happen and start asking how we can respond to God’s call to righteous living. The tree of life was cut down for our sake, but Christ has been lifted up. In him is our hope. We bear fruit to help those who suffer. We bear fruit as signs of the coming Kingdom
Hymns
Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer, LBW 343
O Living Bread from Heaven, LBW 197
Glories of Your Name Are Spoken, LBW 358
LBW, Lutheran Book of Worship
In our prayers we remember the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic.