Author: Julie Raffa

Introit Psalm 27:4–6; antiphon: Psalm 25:15
My eyes are ever | toward the Lord,* for he will pluck my feet out | of the net. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek | after:* that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his | temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of | trouble;* he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high up- | on a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with | shouts of joy;* I will sing and make melody | to the Lord. Glory be to the Father and | to the Son* and to the Holy | Spirit; as it was in the be- | ginning,* is now, and will be forever. | Amen. My eyes are ever | toward the Lord,* for he will pluck my feet out | of the net.
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Old Testament Reading Isaiah 42:14–21
14For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant. 15I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. 16And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. 17They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “You are our gods.” 18Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! 19Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord? 20He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear. 21The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.
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 Ephesians 5:8–14
8For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Holy Gospel John 9:1–41
1As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
35Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”
Announcements
Easter Flowers order forms are now available. When you have your form filled out, please put it in the manila envelope outside the church office.
Orders must be in by noon on March 19. If you need an extra form, please see the posters in the Narthex and outside the fellowship hall or stop in the Church office.
Lenten Services will continue at 1 & 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays during Lent.
Lenten Dinners will be served at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays during Lent.
Aluminum tabs are being collected to help support Children’s Hospital. Please save your aluminum tabs and place them in the containers you can find in the Narthex and the Fellowship hall.
Needed for the Pilgrim Pantry Toilet paper, if you get the larger packages of toilet paper please make sure they are able to be separated. The pantry is also in in need of Kleenex and storage bags assorted sized. Thank you.

Fourth Sunday in Lent
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book: Page:
Liturgy: Setting 4 Apostles Creed 203
Hymns:
Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me 756
God So Loved The World So That He 571
Communion Hymns:
Jesus, Priceless Treasure 743
Christ, the Life of All the Living 420
Come to Calvary’s Holy Mountain 435
The Gospel Shows the Fathers 580
Rejoice, My Heart, Be Glad and Sing 737
Scripture Readings:
Old Testament: Isaiah 42:14-21
Epistle: Ephesians 5:8-14
Gospel: John 9:1-41
In our prayers, we remember:
X all who live under the flag of our nation,
X our government and judicial officials,
X law enforcement officers, military personnel, and their families,
X those struggling with health issues:
Rev. Kurt Ziemann, Deb Brathovde, Rev. Clark Davis, Jeff Kreuser, Dan Grosskreuz, Michael Ferguson, Dorothy Kroll, Rev. John Wille, Mary Margaret Hatfield, Phyllis Laabs-Darkow, Suzanne Stadelmayer, George Muth, Joyce Virchow, Rev Donald & Carolyn Bren, Jerry Sullivan, Richard Lewandowski, Mark Selzler, Ethan Tinlin, Sheryl Pajewski, Paul Lierman, Judy Clark, Louise Kreis, Betty Steely, Inez Schwoch, Elaine Kuenzel, Diane Behrens
X pastors, missionaries, and those who serve God’s people with the gifts of Christ,
X Christians persecuted for the confession of the faith, and especially we remember
X all who have forsaken the faith, that they may be restored to gladness of heart and be made wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Preacher: Rev. Joseph Fisher
Liturgist: Rev. Christopher Raffa
Elder: Dave Fellenz, Gary Jenovai
Cantor: Tanner Schmidt
Organist: Ben Grosskreuz

Coming Up at Pilgrim
Sunday, March 26:
8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
9:15 a.m. Sunday School: Bible Studies
9:30 a.m. Adult Class: Small Catechism
12:30 p.m. Bible Study: 2nd Samuel
Monday, March 27:
Tuesday, March 28:
2:00 p.m. Chapel @ Auxiliary Court
Wednesday, March 29:
4:00 p.m. Youth Catechesis
6:30 p.m. Adult Class: 1 & 2 Kings
Thursday, March 30:
9:00 a.m. Adult Class: 2nd Samuel
1:00 p.m. Midweek Lenten Divine Service
5:30 p.m. Lenten Dinner/ Men’s Breakfast
7:00 p.m. Midweek Lenten Divine Service
Friday, March 31: Office Closed
Saturday, April 1:
7:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study

Cable Worship Schedule Pilgrim’s Sunday 8:00 a.m. Divine Service is broadcast on WB 987 and AT&T Uverse 99 multiple times during the week: Sundays: 6:00 a.m. Mondays: 4:00 p.m. Tuesdays: 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays: 9:00 a.m. Wednesdays: 4:00 p.m. Bible Study, Thursdays: 4:00 p.m. This service is also live streamed and archived on the church’s YouTube channel:
Pilgrim Lutheran Church- West Bend, WI

Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 19, 2023
8For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light Ephesians 5:8
Welcome and blessings to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!
We welcome all who gather with us around the Altar and Pulpit to hear the Word of God. If you are visiting, we are happy that you could join us today. Please sign the guest book in the narthex and fill out one of the pew cards and pass it in with the offering plate to leave a record of your visit.
Communion Statement: By the design and specific warning of our Lord Jesus Christ in His Word, the precious gift of the Lord’s Body and Blood is to be shared with His blessing only with those prepared to take it rightly. (1 Cor 11:23-32) At the first communion our Lord did not commune all believers, but only those who had been instructed by Him daily for three years. The custom of our church is to offer the Sacrament only to confirmed members of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. So that our pastors would faithfully fulfill their obligations, (1 Cor 4:1; Heb 13:17; 1 Cor 11:27), all first-time visitors should speak to one of the pastors prior to communing. Our pastors are eager and available to provide instruction leading to a right and salutary reception our Lord’s holy Body and Blood, so that in the future you may join us in the blessing of this sacrament.

Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
462 Meadowbrook Drive, West Bend, WI 53090
(262) 334-0375 www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org