Immanuel Lutheran Church LCMS

Wanting to Be Anywhere But Here | Sermon for March 29, 2020

Worship Service for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Rev. Gregory Mech | Sunday, March 29, 2020 | Immanuel Lutheran Church ONLINE – Joplin, MO

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“Wherever you are on that long journey to resurrection, Jesus has come to be with you. He is the Resurrection and the Life — even in the midst of sorrow, filling our present-days with love, life and hope.”

-Pastor Mech from today’s sermon, entitled “Wanting to Be Anywhere But Here”

Hymn

“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” LSB 656

1 A mighty fortress is our God,A trusty shield and weapon;He helps us free from ev’ry needThat hath us now o’ertaken.The old evil foeNow means deadly woe;Deep guile and great mightAre his dread arms in fight;On earth is not his equal.

2 With might of ours can naught be done,Soon were our loss effected;But for us fights the Valiant One,Whom God Himself elected.Ask ye, Who is this?Jesus Christ it is,Of Sabaoth Lord,And there’s none other God;He holds the field forever.

3 Though devils all the world should fill,All eager to devour us.We tremble not, we fear no ill;They shall not overpow’r us.This world’s prince may stillScowl fierce as he will,He can harm us none.He’s judged; the deed is done;One little word can fell him.

4 The Word they still shall let remainNor any thanks have for it;He’s by our side upon the plainWith His good gifts and Spirit.And take they our life,Goods, fame, child, and wife,Though these all be gone,Our vict’ry has been won;The Kingdom ours remaineth.

Verses

This is the day the Lord has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

The name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.  Psalm 84:10

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord, 

Teach me Your ways. Psalm 25: 4

Sanctify us on Your truth. 

Your Word is truth. John 17:17

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

The name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

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.

Kids Talk

Readings from Holy Scripture

Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore