eSignature Baptism Invitation Made Easy

E signature baptism invitation

[Music] welcome to hope lutheran church in temecula california i'm pastor scottie lloyd and i welcome all of you to our 8 a.m worship we also have another service a contemporary at 10 15 and both of these services are recorded on youtube for your convenience and you can access them at any time we also have a number of activities throughout the week to help develop your relationship with god and your neighbor and we encourage you to check out our website and find those activities and get involved pandemic or not there is a way for all of us to come together as the assembly of god's people and with that i invite you as we begin our worship blessed be the holy trinity one god whose voice is upon the waters whose mercy is poured out upon all people whose goodness cascades over all creation amen let us now confess our sin trusting in the abundant grace of god holy god you search us and know us you are acquainted with all our ways we confess that our hearts are burdened by sin our own sins and the broken systems that bind us we turn inward failing to follow your outward way of love we distrust those who are not like us we exploit the earth and its resources and fail to consider generations to come forgive us gracious god for all we have done and left undone even before the world the words are on our tongues you know them receive them in your divine mercy amen how vast is god's grace through the power and the promise of christ jesus our sins are washed away and we are claimed as god's own beloved indeed we are forgiven in the wake of god's forgiveness we are called to be the beloved community living out christ's justice and the spirits reconciling peace amen i want to walk as a child of the light i want to follow jesus god set the stars to give light to the world the star of my life [Music] is i want to see the brightness of god i want to look at jesus clear son of righteousness shine on my [Music] the night and the day are [Music] looking is a coming of christ i want to be with jesus we shallow the joy of jesus [Music] is let us pray to the lord r lord have mercy for the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the lord [Music] have mercy for the peace of the whole world for the well-being of the church of god and for the unity of all let us have mercy for this holy house and for all who often hear their worship and praise let us pray to the lord r lord have mercy help save comfort and effort as gracious to god in the foreign [Music] we give you thanks we praise you for your glory glory [Music] lord jesus christ [Music] [Applause] [Music] of [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] jesus christ if the holy spirit in the glory of god the father [Music] amen let us pray together almighty god by grace alone you call us and accept us in your service strengthen us by your spirit and make us worthy of your call through jesus christ our savior and lord amen our first lesson is from jonah chapter three the word of the lord came to john a second time saying get up and go to nineveh that great city and proclaim to it the message that i tell you so jonah set out and went to nineveh according to the word of the lord now nineveh was an exceedingly large city a three days walk across jonah began to go into the city going a day's walk and he cried out 40 days more and nineveh shall be overthrown and the people of nineveh believed god they proclaimed the fast and everyone great and small put on a sackbot when god saw what they did how they had turned from their evil ways god changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them and he did not do it and from first corinthians chapter seven brothers and sisters the appointed time has grown short from now on let even those who have wives be as though they had none and those who mourn as though they were not mourning and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing and those who lie as though they had no possessions and those who deal with the world as though they have no dealings with it for the present form of this world is passing away the word of the lord thanks speak to god [Music] [Music] [Applause] hallelujah to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life [Music] the holy gospel according to mark chapter 1 glory to you o lord now after john was arrested jesus came to galilee proclaiming the good news of god and saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of god has come near repent and believe in the good news as jesus passed along the sea of galilee he saw simon and his brother andrew casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and jesus said to them follow me and i will make you fish for people. and immediately they left their nets and followed him as he went a little farther he saw james so zebedee and his brother john who were in their boat mending the nets immediately he called them and they left their father zebedee in the boat with the hired man and followed him the gospel of the lord praise to you of christ let us begin in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen let me start with a question how much is your faith in christ worth seriously how much is it to you how much is it worth how far would you respond in taking a loss in your life if your spiritual loyalty to christ was challenged would you wince and tithe 10 of all your income to god that certainly scares a number of people would you sacrifice your time with family or popularity with people in order to share christ with others would you submit to torture in a martyr's death rather than recant your deepest christian beliefs much like the challenge that peter had on the night in which jesus was betrayed when jesus said he would suffer and die and peter said no way lord i will die for you and of course that night three times he denied jesus even swore he ever knew the man and the scripture says he left and wept bitterly some years back i watched the movie silence perhaps you've seen it directed by martin scorsese and starving liam neeson the movie setting is in 17th century japan and depicts the systematic extermination of christianity through horrible violent torture and martyrdom this long and deeply serious movie is not easy for entertainment so i warn you don't gather the whole family around some night and watch it you might want to take it easy it challenges one's christian faith to the very core this true historical movie gets into the face of a believer in jesus christ and asks the questions i previously presented how much is your faith in christ worth perhaps we should add is there anything in today's world of internet news and half truths fallen heroes and exposes worth claiming what any person holds most dear and would die for i suspect jonah thought twice when god directed him to nineveh for preaching a single message forty days more and nineveh shall be overthrown wow in effect jesus our god was telling jonah to tell those people repent or burn oh yes and nineveh was a hated violent people who crushed and conquered their neighbors including the israelites in fact there was a time in which the ninevites were known that when they would capture people they would literally take a fish hook and tear it through their lips tie it to a rope bind the people and then drag them off into exile and that was the least of what they did they were cruel they were harsh they were the worst of the people of their day no doubt jonah had suffered several ways due to the ninevites god's mission must have seemed to be a sick insult but after trying to run from god jonah realizes the futility and shows up for duty on the streets of his enemies and what amazes him and us the people listen hear and repent it is a miracle of reconciliation and it begs the question then on whom should god have mercy in our world of correctness left or right opinions whose sins are forgiven and who must roil and broil before the hot lights of killing public opinion or do the pimp walk while the cameras roll whose statues get pulled down or removed and whose honors are made permanently public is forgiveness deserved by an appropriate amount of shame disgrace punishment and loss or is there an unforgivable sin defined by the hurt and disgusted god's answer seems disarmingly simple and terribly unfair repent and show a changed person and life may continue both here and hereafter the story of jonah is open-ended with jonah sulking over a merciful god and the reader is left with following god or joining jonah hurt and puzzled by a gracious creator the same is true with greater revelation in mark's gospel account of jesus calling his first set of disciples jesus message is as simple as jonas the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of god has come near repent and believe in the good news andrew peter james and john are confronted with this good news that repenting and faith in jesus as the christ the messiah the promised savior from god is all that is needed to launch both personal and public redemption this will join the life death and resurrection of jesus as the completed good news in capital letters all of our earlier questions now come to play on whom should god have mercy obviously this selection of followers and those who follow them indicate only one standard have a sinful soul in need of saving when confronted with this highly inclusive practice jesus says to religious leaders scribes and pharisees those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick i have come to call not the righteous in other words those who are well but sinners the sick only in one narrow instance is repentance refused later in mark's gospel jesus says truly i tell you people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit can never have forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin this passage is interpreted to mean someone who totally 100 percent always rejects god until death parts them from this earth any repentance prior to death is good for salvation equatable to a cradle to grave christian but death seals that final moment therefore saint paul in our second lesson pushes the importance of time in confessing christ and living christ light before the lord returns he says brothers and sisters the appointed time has grown short and again for the present form of the of this world is passing away paul clarifies this with a lifestyle that is ready and in some cases sacrifices the pleasures of this world this addresses our first question at the beginning what would we sacrifice to retain our faith in jesus christ the first disciples it says immediately left their nets and followed him and again and they left their father zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him andrew peter james and john leave both family and their jobs neighbors and much much more it's a revolution of their lives and risky business they would wander three years with jesus as itinerant students living off the charity of others ultimately each would die a martyr by a list of gruesome deaths not unlike the japanese christians in the 1600s that the movie silence portrays we comfortable lutheran christians in mighty america today love to belt out loudly our faith movement's signature song a mighty fortress is our god but often forget its fourth and final verse you can find it in a hymn book in hymn number 503 let me read that fourth verse to you god's word forever shall abide no thanks to foes who fear it for god himself fights by our side with weapons of the spirit if they take our house goods fame child or spouse wrench our life away they cannot win the day the kingdom's hours forever when it says wrench our life away he's referring to the old medieval rack that literally pulled one's limbs apart and when he says taking wife and child and all he means that literally not figuratively and that's the way it was in his day and in sometimes places in this world even today such sacrifices are made by those who stand committed to christ the weapons of the spirit though are there to encourage us and to bring us hope if you look at galatians chapter 5 verse 22 they are these love joy peace patience kindness generosity faithfulness gentleness and self-control we have the holy spirit we have hope and the help we need to live lives reflective of jesus's teachings sacrifice and resurrection it's a promise from god to each of us at our baptismal calling in a world of pandemics racism societal division and political turmoil our neighbors in the world needs committed christians who will follow christ wherever he calls and leads us both today and tomorrow christ fights beside us with the weapons of the holy spirit the kingdom is ours forever this is christ's cry of challenge and merciful love for us amen you have come down to the lake shore seeking neither [Music] but only asking for me to follow [Music] [Applause] [Music] i nor weapons of conquest just ease [Music] kindly smiling you've now with you i will seek other seas [Music] a love that's wild [Music] kindly smiling now with you i will sing other seasons a loving friend you have come to call me [Music] we are honored and privileged to join christians around the world as together we confess our faith the faith in which we are committed to in the form of the apostles creed let us join together and confess i believe in god the father almighty creator of heaven and earth i believe in jesus christ god's 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 and he descended to the dead on the third day he rose again he ascended into heaven and he is seated at the right hand of the father and he will come to judge the living and the dead i believe in the holy spirit the holy catholic church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting amen as we go to our lord in the prayer of the people we invite you to hear that the ending of each petition have mercy o god guided by christ made known to the nations let us offer our prayers for the church the world and all people in need for the church throughout the world for pastors and teachers for deacons and deaconesses and for musicians and servers that all proclaim the good news of god's reconciling love we especially pray for these leaders during the virus precautions that despite a different presence they may connect with people with god's enduring love let us pray have mercy o god for skies and seas for birds and fish for favorable weather and clean water and for the well-being of creation that god raise up advocates and scientists to guide our care for all the earth let us pray have mercy o god for those who provide leadership in our cities and around the world for non-profit and non-governmental organizations for planning commissions and homeless advocates that god inspire all people in the just use of wealth we pray for lutheran social services of southern california along with the many other elca expressions that help let us pray have mercy o god for those who are sick distressed or grieving for the outcast and all who await relief especially those we name aloud to now that in the midst of suffering god's peace and mercy surround them let us pray have mercy o god for hope lutheran church and the greater temecula area of communities for families big and small and for hope's preschool and kindergarten classes that god's steadfast love serve as a model for all relationships let us pray have mercy o god for discernment in the days ahead as hope lutheran congregation wrestles with its mission and priorities in bringing the gospel message to people in our neighborhoods let us pray have mercy o god in thanksgiving for our ancestors in the faith whose lives serve as an example of gospel living that they point us to salvation through christ let us pray have mercy o god merciful god hear the prayers of your people spoken or silent for the sake of the one who dwells among us your son jesus christ our lord amen it is that time in which we have the opportunity to share christ's peace with each other and i invite you to do that in a moment and as you do so also keep in mind others who after the service you can call text but reach out to with that same love of christ may the peace of christ be with you always and also with you may the peace of christ be with you gailene morgan may the peace of christ be with you from john and carol may the peace and love of jesus be with you today and always karen blankford may the peace of the lord be with you always my blessing mark york may the peace of the lord be with you from the schumachers may the peace of christ be with you always from the doty family may the peace of christ be with you on amen from gary and granada jefferson it is that time in our worship in which we have again the opportunity the privilege as a part of our worship to offer back to god a portion of what he has always given to us and that is the offering that we bring to the lord this day in our time talent and treasures in the next few slides it will show you how to do that and i invite you to take that seriously as not only a part of the worship but the extension of ministry that we do through hope lutheran church here in temecula thank you for your gifts [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] do [Music] let us thank god that we have the privilege to be able to give oh god receive these gifts as you receive us like a mother receives her child with arms open wide nourish us in you in your tender care and empower us in faithful service to tend to others with this same love through jesus christ our saving grace amen i invite you to bring your bread wine or juice that you may have and bring it forward at this time as we come to the lord's table this is our opportunity to meet christ in a special way the lord be with you and also with you lift up your hearts we lift them to the lord let us give thanks to the lord our god it is right to give god our thanks and praise because in the night in which he was betrayed our lord jesus took bread and he gave thanks and he broke it and he gave it to his disciples saying take and eat this is my body given for you do this for the remembrance of me and again after supper he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it for all to drink saying this is my blood of the new covenant shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for whenever you eat of this bread and drink from this cup you proclaim my death until i come again and we rejoice in that blessing gift sacrifice and victory of christ jesus for us through this gift and let us respond with the prayer that our savior has taught us the 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 and the power and the glory for ever and ever [Music] amen of the world have mercy on us have mercy on us [Music] beloved here is bread here is wine here is jesus come and be fed the body of christ given for you i invite you to take a piece of that bread now and share it with each other the blood of christ shed for you amen and let us share the blood of christ so may these gifts of jesus body and blood strengthen you and keep you always in his grace amen christ jesus at this table we have feasted on your very life and are strengthened for our journey send us forth from this banquet nourished in body and in spirit to proclaim your good news and serve others in your name amen and receive now the blessing of the lord god the creator strengthen you jesus the beloved fill you and the holy spirit the comforter keep you in his peace amen good morning i have a few announcements for you if you are viewing this on sunday the 24th we want to remind you that our annual meeting will take place today at 11 45 on zoom so please join us if you can we have a lot of important business and information to share with you and following the meeting please watch your email because we'll be sending out instructions on how you will vote for our council members for 2021 so take take a look on your email for that uh voting will start right after this meeting and it will close on monday the 25th at 6 00 pm and there's instructions on how to do it and if you have any trouble who to contact for help also we want to make you aware that you should be receiving an email about our transition team our soon to be formed transition team who will work with our interim pastor as we take some time as a congregation to do some self-reflection and planning and thinking about the future at hope so we'll be asking for folks to step forward for that team and we hope you'll consider it lastly i want to thank everyone who was involved in two events that occurred this past week on martin luther king day we were involved in a national day of service and i want to say we were overwhelmed with contributions of blankets and jackets and food we we couldn't believe how much we brought in not only from hope members which was fabulous but also from the community since this was a national event we had many community members drive through our parking lots and donate so we are happy to be replenishing supplies for those that serve the homeless and displaced in our community by that event it was exciting to know that there were 3 000 events across the country on martin luther king day and hope was one of them so we were really excited about that and then on tuesday hope participated in the national moment of remembrance for the over four hundred thousand americans who have lost their lives to covet we were so excited to have our own bells of hope the church bells that hope claims as our very own to make the event so very special so they were willing to brave very gale-forced winds and questionable weather to make the event really special we hope you'll stay on for another minute to watch a video clip of this event and maybe even take a moment to do some remembrance of those you love as well thanks so very [Music] much a reading from romans chapter 8 the spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we ought but that very spirit intercedes with sights signs too deep for words and god who searches the heart knows what is in the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for all the saints according to the will of god we know that all things work together for the good of those who love god who are called according to his purpose for those whom he foreknew we also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn with a large family and those whom he proved destined he also called and those he called he also justified and those he had justified he also glorified what then are we to say about these things if god is for us who is against us who did not withhold his own son but gave him up for all he will not with him will he not also with him give us everything else who will bring any charge against god elect it is god who justifies who is to be condemned it is jesus who died yes who was raised who is at the right hand of god who indeed intercedes for us who will separate us from the love of christ will hardship or distress or persecution or faith famine or nakedness or pearl or sword or coronavirus no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for i am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor heights nor depth or anything else in all creation be able to separate us from the love of god in christ our lord [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so is [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] jesus is we can change [Music] all heaven rejoices [Music] go in peace be the light of christ remember the poor heal the sick feed the hungry thanks be to god [Music] amen [Music] so [Music] you