Bulletin

Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Wartburg

5765 Maeystown Road – Waterloo, IL 62298

Pastor Dan Ostlund

Office: 618-939-7094 – cell 618-301-6358

Office: hcwartb@htc.net, Pastor: wartburg.pastor@gmail.com

Website: www.holycrosswartburg.com

Third Sunday in Lent

Our Service can be found on your radio at 87.9 FM

March 23, 2025

Guests Welcome! We are delighted that you are with us for worship this morning. Consider us your church home– at least for today. We hope we will see you again soon!

We celebrate Holy Communion: In this Supper of our Lord we receive the true body and blood of Jesus Christ under the earthly forms of bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Since this Holy Communion is also a sign of how we commonly confess the Christian faith, we welcome to the Lord’s Table those who are confirmed members of congregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. If this is your first time communing with us, please speak with the pastor or an usher before the service begins. If you are a guest who has not been instructed concerning the Lord’s Supper and our church’s teaching, and desire to commune with us, we invite you to first attend our instructional classes.

Divine Service Setting 4 – page 203

Ringing of the Bell

Opening Hymn #579 The Law of God Is Good and Wise

Confession and Absolution

Please stand if you are able

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 Our help is in the name of the Lord,

C who made heaven and earth.

P If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

C But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.

P Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

C Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.

P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

Service of the Word

Introit Psalm 5:4–8; antiphon: Psalm 1:6

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
    I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies;
    make your way straight before me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
    and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
    is now, and will be forever. Amen.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Kyrie LSB 204

C Lord, have mercy;

Christ, have mercy;

Lord, have mercy.

Gloria in Excelsis (Omitted during Lent) LSB 204

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.

Sit

Old Testament Reading Ezekiel 33:7–20

7“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

10“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ 11Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

12“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. 13Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. 14Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, 15if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.

17“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. 18When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. 19And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by them. 20Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Gradual Hebrews 12:2

[O come, let us fix our eyes on] Jesus,
the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Epistle 1 Corinthians 10:1–13

1I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Please stand if you are able

Alleluia and Verse (omitted during lent)

Holy Gospel Luke 13:1–9

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the thirteenth chapter.

C Glory to You, O Lord.

1There were some present at that very time who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

6And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C Praise to You, O Christ.

Nicene Creed

C I believe in one God,

the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth

and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of His Father before all worlds,

God of God, Light of Light,

very God of very God,

begotten, not made,

being of one substance with the Father,

by whom all things were made;

who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried.

And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

and ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of the Father.

And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord and giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,

and I look for the resurrection of the dead

and the life + of the world to come. Amen.

Sit

Hymn of the Day #722 Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me

Sermon Luke 13: 1-9 “The Patient Hand of God”

Please stand if you are able

Prayer of the Church

Sit

Offering – Choir Sings “Jesus, Lamb of Calvary”

Service of the Sacrament

If you are visiting and desire to receive Holy Communion,

please see our Communion statement on the front of our bulletin

Please stand if you are able

Preface LSB 208

P The Lord be with you.

C And also with you.

P Lift up your hearts.

C We lift them to the Lord.

P Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

P It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, for the countless blessings You so freely bestow on us and all creation. Above all, we give thanks for Your boundless love shown to us when You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and laid on Him our sin, giving Him into death that we might not die eternally. Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

Sanctus LSB 208

C Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth adored;

Heav’n and earth with full acclaim shout the glory of Your name.

Sing hosanna in the highest, sing hosanna to the Lord;

Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Text: Stephen P. Starke

Lord’s Prayer

C 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

forever and ever. Amen.

The Words of Our Lord

P Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My + body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My + blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Pax Domini

P The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C Amen.

Agnus Dei LSB 210

C 1 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,

You take the sin of the world away;

O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,

Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray.

2 O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God,

You take the sin of the world away;

Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ,

And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray.

Text: Stephen P. Starke

Sit

Distribution

Distribution Hymns

#609 Jesus Sinners Doth Receive

#421 Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing

Dismissal

Please stand if you are able

Nunc Dimittis LSB 211

C 1 O Lord, now let Your servant

Depart in heav’nly peace,

For I have seen the glory

Of Your redeeming grace:

A light to lead the Gentiles

Unto Your holy hill,

The glory of Your people,

Your chosen Israel.

2 All glory to the Father,

All glory to the Son,

All glory to the Spirit,

Forever Three in One;

For as in the beginning,

Is now, shall ever be,

God’s triune name resounding

Through all eternity.

Post-Communion Collect

A Let us pray.

O God the Father, the fountain and source of all goodness, who in loving-kindness sent Your only-begotten Son into the flesh, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this Sacrament, and we ask You not to forsake Your children but always to rule our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may be enabled constantly to serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Benedicamus LSB 212

A Let us bless the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Benediction

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace.

C Amen.

Closing Hymn #809 Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Acknowledgments

Divine Service, Setting Four from Lutheran Service Book

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

OUR PRAYERS

For the sick and/or injured – Rick Jones (Cancer – Randy’s brother), Gavin Kohlmeier (recovery from back surgery), Bob Lunk (bladder cancer), Dean Reichert (heart issues), Tiffany Schultheis (recovery from shoulder surgery), Carol Sondag (rehab at home), Charlene Wagner (rehab at Evergreen Pointe)

Greyson Fizzelle (health complications – son of Dallas Robert’s work associate), Taylor Gregory (recovery from surgery – Dean & Linda Harbison’s son-in-law), Brenden Harms – (hospitalized after auto accident – member at St. John’s), Mike Huebner (health issues – brother-in-law of Ron & Pat Unterseh), Bill Keel (hospice – brother-in-law of Arlene Baum and Howard & Mike Schmidt), Mary Mahoney (wrist surgery – friend of Brett and Jilliane), Philip Schmidt (treatment for Leukemia – Howard & Mike’s son), Leo David Trost (many health challenges/born with scoliosis – grandson of Kathy Bollinger), Beth Vincent (ALS – friend of Kenny & Radar), Delbert Wittenauer (health issues – Pearl Braun’s brother)

Cody and Carla Jakobitz – Cody’s brother Blaise Nowak passed away in an automobile accident. Comfort for family. Cody and Carla are friends of Brett and Jilliane

For those in Nursing Homes, the home bound, and those unable to be with us in worship.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Serving Today:

Organist: Barb Boeder

Elder Asst. Darren Johanning

Ushers: Randy Jones & Brett Dunker

Acolyte: Kelsey Crook

Altar Care: Pearl Braun/Rejona Reichert

Serving Wednesday March 26th

Organist: Barb Boeder

Acolyte: Kegan Schultheis

Altar Care: Pearl Braun/Rejona Reichert

Serving Next Sunday March 30, 2025

Organist: Barb Boeder

Elder Asst. Carl Brewer

Ushers: Spencer & Tyler Kostecki

Acolyte: Colton Glessner

Altar Care: Pearl Braun/Rejona Reichert

This Week at Holy Cross

Today 9:00 a.m. Worship Service

10:00 a.m. Fellowship

10:15 a.m. Sunday School/Bible Class

Monday Pastor Day Off

Wednesday 6:00 p.m. Choir Practice

7:00 p.m. Midweek Lenten Service

Sunday, Mar. 30th 9:00 a.m. Worship Service

10:00 a.m. Fellowship

10:15 a.m. Sunday School/Bible Class

Birthday

Cooper DeWilde Mar. 24 Catherine Cooper Mar. 25

Tiffany Schultheis Mar. 25 Carter Rednour Mar. 28

Barb Schmeding Mar. 29

2025 Lent Theme: The Hand of the Lord

Hands are used to heal, mend, build, teach, comfort, and so much more.

Yet, as humans, our hands are sinful and unclean. Christ’s hands are the ones that can transform our dirtied hands into beautiful, clean ones for His plans. Join us this Lent exploring God’s Word to see how His hands are used in both the New and Old Testaments, from creation to crucifixion and eternal life.

Did you know that our churches encourage the continuing use of private confession and absolution? The Augsburg Confession, Article 11 says, “Our churches teach that private absolution should be retained in the churches…” One may be asking, “Should I feel forced or compelled to confess my sins privately to the pastor?” By no means. This is one of the abuses taken out of confession and absolution during the Reformation. Never would we want to make law out of gospel. Never would we want to make mandatory something placed in the realm of Christian freedom. Privately confessing your sins simply allow the confessor to name the sin that is troubling him or her so that they may hear the pastor directly say to them, “Your sin is forgiven because of Jesus’ death.” Know also that whatever you confess before the pastor always remains completely confidential. Since Lent is a penitential season, I encourage you to stop by the church, or give me a call, to set up a time to avail yourself of this gift we have as Christians. Blessings in Christ, Pastor

Food Bank– Donations go to House of Neighborly Service –Monroe County.

Food Bank bin is located in our Narthex.

THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS. If you have 2024 Thrivent Choice Dollars available, consider directing them to Holy Cross, Wartburg

HURRY! You must do this by March 31. Call Thrivent at 800-847-4836 to find out if you have any dollars available.

SID OLDER ADULT RETREAT

Camp Wartburg. April 1, 2025. 9 am to 3 pm. Cost $40

Rev. Bill Geis. Director of Missions in Missouri District will speak on THE INFLUENCERS, and the rise of senior “Granfluencers” among younger

generations. Lunch will be at noon, followed by a service project, and pickleball and hiking. Email or call Caitlin Dehne to register, 618-939-7715 ext 1 or caitlin_dehne@lcfs.org

Our Good Friday German Service will be on April 18 at 10:00 a.m. We are going to be live on KFUD radio, 850 am. If you would like to sponsor the broad cast, you can do by writing a check to KFUD for $150.00.

Council Meeting will April 1, 2025 at 7:00

Voter’s Meeting will be on April 6, 2025 after church service.