Fourth Sunday in Lent	March 10, 2024
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, grant that we, who for our evil deeds worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of your grace, may mercifully be relieved; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 
4From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
Psalm 107:1-9 (LBW)
1Give thanks to the Lord, for | he is good,*
	and his mercy en- | dures forever.
2Let all those whom the Lord has re- | deemed proclaim*
	that he redeemed them from the hand | of the foe.
3He gathered them out | of the lands;*
	from the east and from the west, from the north and | from the south.
4Some wandered in | desert wastes;*
	they found no way to a city where | they might dwell.
5They were hun- | gry and thirsty;*
	their spirits lan- | guished within them.
6Then they cried to the Lord | in their trouble,*
	and he delivered them from | their distress.
7He put their feet on a | straight path*
	to go to a city where | they might dwell.
8Let them give thanks to the Lord | for his mercy*
	and the wonders he does | for his children.
9For he satis- | fies the thirsty*
	and fills the hungry | with good things.
Psalm 107:1-9 (ESV)
1Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble
3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
7He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
8Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Second Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 
1You were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Gospel: John 3:14-21
14{Jesus said to Nicodemus,} “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Next Week’s Readings:
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:[32-34] 35-45