Reading and Psalm for March 16, 2025, Second Sunday in Lent

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Though we sometimes doubt and often resist God’s desire to protect and save us, our God persists. In holy baptism, God’s people have been called and gathered into a God-initiated relationship that will endure. Lent provides the church with a time and a tradition in which to seek God’s face again. Lent provides another occasion to behold the God of our salvation in the face of the Blessed One who “comes in the name of the Lord.”

Prayer of the Day

God of the covenant, in the mystery of the cross you promise everlasting life to the world. Gather all peoples into your arms, and shelter us with your mercy, that we may rejoice in the life we share in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 13:31-35

First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
  7 Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
  12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
  17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Psalm: Psalm 27

 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then  shall I fear?
  The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I  be afraid?
 2 When evildoers close in against me to devour my flesh,
  they, my foes and my enemies, will stumble and fall.
 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart  will not fear.
  Though war rise up against me, my trust will  not be shaken.
 4 One thing I ask of the Lord; one  thing I seek;
  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 seek God  in the temple. 
 5 For in the day of trouble God will  give me shelter,
  hide me in the hidden places of the sanctuary, and raise me high upon a rock.
 6 Even now my head is lifted up above my enemies  who surround me.
  Therefore I will offer sacrifice in the sanctuary, sacrifices of rejoicing; I will sing and make music  to the Lord.
 7 Hear my voice, O Lord,  when I call;
  have mercy on me and  answer me.
 8 My heart speaks your message—  “Seek my face.”
  Your face, O Lord,  I will seek. 
 9 Hide not your face from me, turn not away from your servant in anger.
  Cast me not away—you have been my helper; forsake me not, O God of  my salvation.
 10 Though my father and my mother forsake me,
  the Lord will  take me in.
 11 Teach me your  way, O Lord;
  lead me on a level path, because of  my oppressors.
 12 Subject me not to the will  of my foes,
  for they rise up against me, false witnesses  breathing violence.
 13 This I believe—that I will see the goodness  of the Lord
  in the land  of the living!
 14 Wait for the Lord  and be strong.
  Take heart and wait  for the Lord! 

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17—4:1

17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus,] “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”

From sundaysandseasons.com.  Copyright © 2025 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS022632. New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.

Readings and Psalm for March 9, 2025, First Sunday in Lent

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

These forty days called Lent are like no other. It is our opportune time to return to the God who rescues, to receive the gifts of God’s grace, to believe with the heart and confess with the mouth the wonder of God’s love in Jesus, and to resist temptation at every turn. This is no small pilgrimage on which we have just embarked. It is a struggle Jesus knew. It is a struggle Jesus shares. The nearness of the Lord, in bread and wine, water and word, will uphold and sustain us.

Prayer of the Day

O Lord God, you led your people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide us now, so that, following your Son, we may walk safely through the wilderness of this world toward the life you alone can give, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

1 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5 you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

 1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
  who abide in the shadow of the Almighty—
 2 you will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my stronghold,
  my God in whom I put my trust.” 
 9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
  and the Most High your habitation,
 10 no evil will befall you,
  nor shall affliction come near your dwelling.
 11 For God will give the angels charge over you,
  to guard you in all your ways.
 12 Upon their hands they will bear you up,
  lest you strike your foot against a stone. 
 13 You will tread upon the lion cub and viper;
  you will trample down the lion and the serpent.
 14 I will deliver those who cling to me;
  I will uphold them, because they know my name.
 15 They will call me, and I will answer them;
  I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue and honor them.
 16 With long life will I satisfy them,
  and show them my salvation. 

Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13

 8b “The word is near you,
  on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
  5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
 ‘Worship the Lord your God,
  and serve only him.’ ”
  9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
 ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
  to protect you,’
11 and
 ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
  so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2025 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS022632. New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.

Nourish Our Future – An Invitation from Paul Manganiello

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

On Sunday, March 2, 2025, Paul Manganiello spoke during worship and invited participation in this year’s Bread for the World Offering of Letters. It’s easy – click here to participate!

Our annual Bread for the World’s Offering (BFW) of Letters, is entitled “Nourish our Future.”

This is BFW’s 50th Anniversary; it was founded by a Lutheran Pastor in NYC in 1974. It so happens, that it is also the 50th Anniversary of the Federal anti-hunger program, the Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants and Children, better known as WIC. 

I was very disturbed by a recent post made by Vice President JD Vance. Vance who converted to Catholicism in 2019, legitimized the current Trump Executive Orders pertaining to migrants, and attacking the federal agency of USAID, through invoking the medieval Catholic concept of “Ordo Amoris,” or “order of love.” He suggested that Catholics must give priority to non-immigrants, “you love your family; and then you love your neighbor; and then you love your community; and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country,” Vance, then went on to say… “And then, after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.”

Pope Francis firmly rejected Vance’s interpretation of “Ordo Amoris,” and suggested that true interpretation can be found in the story of the Good Samaritan, saying that “Ordo Amoris must be promoted, by meditating constantly on the parable of the Good Samaritan, that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.” This morning’s Offering of Letters will focus on showing our concern for the welfare of all of God’s creation.

We need to constantly check our moral compass…Jesus. Jesus fortunately freed us from the Jewish law and “simplified” how we are to act. When asked, which commandment was the greatest. He responded, “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” There was no hierarchy presented.

This year’s Offering of Letters, we will be advocating nationally for the WIC program; and internationally, the global nutrition programs.

I promise, these are the only statistics I will cite. Unfortunately, 1/5 American’s children are at risk for food insecurity. Most WIC recipients live in poverty; as an example, a family of three, in 2024, would earn an annual income of $25,820. Can you imagine trying to make do on $26,000/year?

We know a lot of what WIC has accomplished. WIC provides participating pregnant women prenatal health care; improving the dietary intake of pregnant and postpartum women. WIC has been shown to improve breastfeeding rates; reduce the rates of low birthweight infants, premature births, as well as stillbirths and infant mortality. WIC improves the growth of nutritionally at-risk infants and children; boosts children’s intellectual development and helps them get ready to start school. WIC’s nutrition education has been shown to increase the consumption of healthy foods. These measures are truly Pro-Life.

In 2022, Congress passed the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (GMPTA) with strong bipartisan support. This act makes existing U.S. global nutrition programs more effective and supports countries in their efforts to prevent and treat child and maternal malnutrition. BFW and its members were instrumental in both the development and passage of this legislation.

In 2023, USAID’s nutrition programs reached nearly 40 million women and children globally providing critical nutrition interventions. By robustly funding these global nutrition programs, we can reach more women and children with evidence-based, highly effective treatment that saves lives and provides a brighter future for children and their families. For every $1 invested in nutrition, it results in up to $35 in economic returns. Better nutrition for children and women will enable countries to improve the health of their populations, send more children to school, and strengthen their economies.

There may be individuals here today who are undocumented and others who are documented non-citizens, but I believe that most of us here today are individuals who were born in this country, and there are individuals amongst us who have gone through the arduous naturalization process.

For those of us who are natural-born citizens, we have been given an incredible gift, totally undeserved, the gift of citizenship, and what we do with that gift can be incredibly impactful. It doesn’t matter your political party affiliation, if you are not voting or periodically contacting your legislators, those are lost opportunities to be God’s hand in this suffering world.

Today, every day we need to speak out: speak out against injustice; speak out against hate; speak out against fear. We need to speak in favor of making sure that everyone, to the best of our ability, is clothed, housed, educated, is safe from violence and abuse, and for today’s discussion, all are fed.

We can do this in the comfort of our home, you don’t need to demonstrate in Washington DC; being an American citizen we should not fear to cast a ballot, write, or call our legislators. In fact, they encourage us to do so. It is comforting for them to know that you “have their backs”!!

This year’s Offering of Letters will again be virtual. Info on how to participate is here. We also ask you to contact us if you will be participating, since we will bring to the altar, the following Sunday, an envelope with the number of individuals who participated.

Thank you!!

Click here to participate in this year’s Bread for World Offering of Letters!

Bread for the World 2025 Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

As people of faith, we are called to give of our time, talent, and treasure for a greater purpose. Bread for the World invites you to use your voice to help end hunger.

Every year, Bread for the World (BFW) organizes churches, community organizations, and people of faith from across the country to write letters and emails to their members of Congress who have the power to impact the policies and programs that can end hunger.

Your letter matters. Your letter, joined with the voices of thousands of advocates across the country, is an expression of faith and hope, urging U.S. decision makers to pursue a world without hunger. God uses these letters to change hearts and minds, and again and again, Bread for the World wins help and opportunity for our neighbors who face hunger.

Millions of children in the U.S. live in households facing food insecurity. Globally, almost 45 million children suffer from severe hunger, and nearly half of all preventable deaths among children under five are attributed to malnutrition. Child hunger is a local and a global problem, but together, we can make a difference. 

Despite progress over the past few decades, the world continues to lose more than two million young children to malnutrition every year.1

In 2023, USAID nutrition programs reached more than 39 million women and children globally with critical nutrition interventions.

Ask your senators and representatives to fully fund and strengthen the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and provide robust funding for global nutrition programs.

How to Participate in BFW’s 2025 Offering of Letters

Click here to visit bread.org/OL — then it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Step 1: Look up your elected officials – Just fill in your information and the elected officials will populate.

Step 2:  Check the box that says, “Yes, this is an Offering of Letters” and enter “Our Savior Lutheran Church, Hanover, NH.”

Step 3: Write Your Message: The information is already prewritten and you can personalize it.

Tips for an Effective Letter

  • Ask for a specific action, using your own words or this sentence:  “I urge you to fully fund and strengthen WIC, and provide robust funding for global nutrition programs.”
  • Give reasons for your request and make it personal.
  • Share a personal reason or story that motivated you to write.
  • Show your commitment: “I am helping by…but I also urge you fully fund and strengthen these pro-family, life-affirming nutrition programs.”

Once you’ve written your letter, please email Wendy or Paul Manganiello that you’ve participated in this year’s offering of letters. Thank you!

Readings and Psalm for March 2, 2025, Transfiguration of Our Lord

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Witnesses to the glory of God in the face of Jesus reflect that glory in the world. It was true for Moses. It was doubtless true for Peter, James, and John. We pray that it will be true of all of us who see God’s glory in the word and in the supper and who are being “transformed into the same image” by God’s Spirit.

Prayer of the Day

Holy God, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing, yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Transform us into the likeness of your Son, who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Readings and Psalm

Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm 99
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-36

First Reading: Exodus 34:29-35

29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Psalm: Psalm 99

 1 The Lord is king; let the people tremble.
  The Lord is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.
 2 The Lord, great in Zion,
  is high above all peoples.
 3 Let them confess God’s name, which is great and awesome;
  God is the Holy One.
 4 O mighty king, lover of justice, you have established equity;
  you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 
 5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord and fall down before God’s footstool;
  God is the Holy One.
 6 Moses and Aaron among your priests, and Samuel among those who call upon your name, O Lord,
  they called upon you, and you answered them,
 7 you spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud;
  they kept your testimonies and the decree that you gave them.
 8 O Lord our God, you answered them indeed;
  you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their evil deeds.
 9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord and worship upon God’s holy hill;
  for the Lord our God is the Holy One. 

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

 4:1 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.

Gospel: Luke 9:28-36

28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2025 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS022632. New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Revised Common Lectionary, Copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts, admin Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission.

Write for Rights – Updates from Amnesty International

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Thank you to each person who took the time to write letters of advocacy for the Amnesty International (AI) Write for Rights 2024 campaign.  We know the actions work as a total of 18,341 letters were written and 2 of the featured cases have had positive outcomes.

Ana da Silva Miguel (also known as Neth Nahara) was released on December 25th when Angola’s President Joao Lourenço granted the social media commentator a pardon.

On January 20th, we learned that Native American activist Leonard Peltier’s sentence was commuted by U.S. President Biden hours before he left office. This commutation will allow Leonard to finish the remainder of his sentence under home confinement with his loved ones and community instead of behind bars. 

If by any chance you received returned letters for Maryia Kalesnikava, Amnesty International recently learned that solidarity letters and letters for advocacy for her have been returned. We apologize for this inconvenience. Please use the following address instead:

Mariya Kalesnikava
C/o Amnesty International
FSM
Sonnenallee 221 C
12059 Berlin
Germany

Advocacy appeals for Mariya should be mailed to:

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus
C/o Embassy of Belarus in the United States Chargé d’Affaires Mr. Pavel Shidlovsky
1619 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20009
Email: usa@mfa.gov.by