Sunday, August 30, 2020
Manuscript for the service on August 30
P In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, by Your gift alone Your faithful people render true and laudable service. Help us steadfastly to live in this life according to Your promises and finally attain Your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS
C 1 To God on high be glory
And peace to all the earth;
Goodwill from God in heaven
Proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!
We praise and bless You, Father;
Your holy name, we sing—
Our thanks for Your great glory,
Lord God, our heav’nly King.
2 To You, O sole-begotten,
The Father’s Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior,
You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus;
Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow’r are seated
At God’s right hand on high—
3 For You alone are holy;
You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever,
Be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit
Alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father’s glory.
“Amen!” our glad reply.
PSALM 146
1Praise |
the Lord!*
Praise the Lord, | O
my soul!
2I will praise the Lord
as long | as I live;*
I will sing praises to my God while I
have my | being.
3Put not your trust in | princes,*
in a son of man, in whom there is no
sal- | vation.
4When his breath departs he returns | to the earth;*
on that very day his plans | perish.
5Blessèd is he whose help is the
God of | Jacob,*
whose hope is in the | Lord his God,
6who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is | in them,*
who keeps faith for- | ever;
7who
executes justice for | the oppressed,*
who gives food to the | hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8the Lord opens the eyes | of
the blind.*
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord
loves the | righteous.
9The Lord watches
over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the | fatherless,*
but the way of the wicked he brings to | ruin.
10The Lord
will reign for- | ever,*
your God, O Zion, to all generations. | Praise the Lord!
EPISTLE 2 Corinthians 3:4–11
4Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
HOLY GOSPEL
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the seventh chapter.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
APOSTLES’ CREED
C I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
SERMON
And looking up to heaven, [Jesus] sighed
and said to [the deaf man], “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
(Mark 7:34)
I can remember when I was a child, gatherings at my Grandma Koch’s house, she’d tell a story and when she threw in a German word or two all the grown ups would laugh, and us kids wouldn’t have a clue. But it seems clear now that using the old German made the humor more powerful.
So Jesus hear uses this old word from another language, Ephphatha. If your Bible has footnotes, you might see that this is a word from Aramaic. Jesus, like some of our ancestors, probably spoke several languages. He drew from those languages the best choice of words; powerful, meaningful words.
“Ephphatha”, He said. And the deaf ears were opened.
The people
standing around were amazed to see such a miracle. Soon all over the region
people were talking about this, they were saying, “He has done all things well.
He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Jesus was fulfilling what God
had promised. This was the reality that Isaiah had only seen in visions when he
prophesied the word of the Lord,
“In that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and
darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see”
(Isaiah 29:7).
In the catechism we say, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures, that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my reason and all my senses.” We thank God regularly for making us bodily, and preserving us in health. We are overwhelmed with joy each time we have a new healthy baby born. And we pray with hope when one of us is in danger of losing health or losing a sense or losing reason.
All five of our senses are a precious gift from God. All the members of our body are wondrously designed and created by God. But when Jesus said “Ephphatha” and the deaf ear was opened, he has us consider a lesson on the ear and hearing.
Martin Luther loved to preach on this miracle of Jesus. “Ephphatha” for Him was such a powerful miraculous command of the Lord. He went so far as to say “the ear is the only organ of a Christian.” Now what’d he mean by that? When it comes to faith. It’s the ear that gets it.
We usually think a lot of our eyes. It is such a benefit to be able to see clearly. There are many fears about what you can’t see. Many worry, how would we live if we couldn’t see. But here’s the thing, eyes do no good at all for our faith. Because often what we see with our eyes goes against faith. Our eyes see the rich and powerful win and succeed at everything. But our ears hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the poor”. And He says, “I will exalt the lowly.” And the rich He sends empty away.
The eyes see poorly when it comes to faith. Our ears must hear and have the Word of God constantly correct what our eyes see. Our eyes see our loved ones die. In our ears is the Gospel of Jesus, whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life.
The ears are the organ for faith. Not so much the brain. Now knowledge is a component of faith. You need to know that Jesus is the Son of God, that He lived and died and rose again and that He loves you and forgives you. But the knowledge in the brain only gets you so far. Some fear they have a weak faith because they’ve been told that they’re not smart. Nonsense. On the other hand, some despise the Christian faith because they have too much smarts and their human reason, faulty reason, prevents them from hearing what the Good Lord, the wise Teacher says.
The ears are the organ for faith. Not the heart or the gut or whatever is the seat of emotion. Many confuse feelings and faith. There’s this opinion I’ve seen around many times about this or that person, who is so devout in appearance. You can just tell when they talk about God, they must believe it, because they are so heart felt, so passionate, so intense. Maybe they are. Or maybe they’re just psychotic. Don’t feel guilty for not having some spectacular emotional experience every time you think of heaven or smell a flower or sing In the Garden. Certain emotions will usually result from faith. But emotions are not the same thing as faith.
Even in this so-called “new normal” it is vitally necessary for the Christian Church to preach out loud, continually the saving words of Jesus. It is vitally important for Christian people to hear and listen with ears to the words of our Lord Jesus. Now sometimes, in this broken world, we have to “listen” in an artificial way, like through the images on screen or reading a page. The important thing, we must have Jesus Christ command our ears and our faith to be open to Him, So that His Word, His word that creates good things out of nothing, His word like “Ephphatha” would create for you new ears for hearing, a new mind for believing, a new heart for feeling.
You don’t have
to remember that this Aramaic word Ephphatha means “be opened.” But remember
this lesson, Jesus is saying to your ears, “Be opened, listen, put away your
faulty reason and your foolish emotions. Take no heed of the sights your eyes
see that would lead you to think that there is no hope, no help from above.
Hear my word of life and salvation. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
P Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
For all the baptized, and especially for the saints here at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, that our ears would be opened by the Spirit to the Gospel of peace and salvation, and that our lips would show forth our thanks and praise, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For all pastors, that they would be faithful and compassionate in the exercise of their duties, and that they would speak the truth in love as they catechize the young and old, bring mercy to the sick and shut-in, provide counsel and care to those in need, pray for all under their charge, and proclaim the Gospel as those who recognize how much they need it themselves, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For good stewardship of God’s creation, that we would seek to provide clean air, water and land to all peoples, praying always for God’s providential care of the planet He has given us, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For all in authority by whose service God provides for us the gift of order, including parents and family, our government, our police and firemen, our military and our schools, that God would give them strength and endurance to carry out their duties for the good of those entrusted to their care, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For the sick, the frail and the dying, [especially _____________,] that God would focus them upon Christ and His love and restore them to health, according to His will; and for doctors, nurses, therapists and all who tend to our brothers and sisters in need, that God would bless them as they put the talents He has given them to good use, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy
P For the saints who have gone before us and now rest from their labors, let us give thanks to the Lord; that we would, by God’s grace, be kept in their holy communion unto eternal life in Christ’s kingdom, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C Amen.
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.
BENEDICAMUS
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 T give you peace.
C Amen.
528 OH, FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES TO SING
1 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honors of Thy name.
3 Jesus! The name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin;
He sets the pris’ner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me.
5 Look unto Him, ye nations; own
Your God, ye fallen race.
Look and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.
6 See all your sins on Jesus laid;
The Lamb of God was slain.
His soul was once an off’ring made
For ev’ry soul of man.
7 To God all glory, praise, and love
Be now and ever giv’n
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heav’n.
Text: Public domain
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.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Manuscript for the online service for Trinity 11
+ August 13, 2020 +
11th Sunday after Trinity
Online
INVOCATION
P In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
686 COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING
1 Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory
Fills my heart with joy and love,
Teach me ever to adore Thee;
May I still Thy goodness prove.
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
3 Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let that grace now like a fetter
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
4 Oh, that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in the blood-washed linen,
How I’ll sing Thy wondrous grace!
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry;
Take my ransom’d soul away;
Send Thine angels soon to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
Text: Public domain
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than we either desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of Your mercy, forgiving those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things that we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Genesis 4:1–15
1Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
8Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 15:1–10
1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the eighteenth chapter.
9[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
APOSTLES’ CREED
C I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life T everlasting. Amen.
The tax collector
said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ Luke 18:13.
Jesus told this parable to “some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (verse 9). He illustrated the self-righteous attitude by creating this character of the pompous Pharisee, who says, to God, “I thank you that I’m not like other people.” It’s clear that in his mind, he pretends to be better than all others.
You who are in Christ, by virtue of your baptism and faith, have been called by God to a different way of thinking, a different way of life. You have been called by God, anointed and appointed by Him to do just the opposite: to trust not in yourselves, but in the Lord -- to glory not in your own righteousness, but to glory in Christ and His righteousness. Your are called to not treat others with contempt but to treat others as you would have them treat you.
Consider your calling in life. You should regularly exam your actions and words and thoughts -- what you do and what you leave without doing. Is your daily life in keeping with your calling?
All of us have different vocations as the Lord gives us talents, responsibilities and opportunities. Some are students, some are teachers, some are fathers, some are children, some are bosses, some are workers. But when it is all boiled down all of our different vocations are built on the same calling -- to glorify God and to serve others. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.
Actually, every person in the world has that as his or her calling. Everyone who has ever lived since the first people, Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel, all were created to glorify the Lord and love their neighbor. That’s why it was not good for Adam to be alone. He needed a wife. He needed to have her be a neighbor to love.
But sadly, most people don’t realize their purpose in life. They don’t hear Jesus calling them to give glory to Him and love each other. The self-centered, self-absorbed sinful human nature is prone to treat others with contempt, rather than see them as who they truly are, children of the good creator. The pompous ego gets frustrated with others and says, I don’t need them. I’m good on my own.
About Adam, God declared it’s not good for man to be alone. By himself he was incomplete. What good was all the world if there were no one for Adam to share it with. God had to make Eve so that Adam would not continue alone. One of the tasks that God gave to Adam was to name all the living creatures of the newly created world. But what good would that have done to have names for the creatures, if he could not speak those names to someone else. So God gave Adam and Eve children to love and to care for and to teach all about life, including, I’m sure those lessons, like the dog goes woof, the cat goes meow.
From that first family onward, God gives opportunities for each person to think beyond oneself and to think of others with care and love and service. That’s our vocation, to serve God, by serving others as He gives us the ability and the opportunity to do so. But when contempt enters into the heart, we fail. Cain is the prototype example.
Jesus Christ, like everyone else in all creation, has a vocation. He was called to glorify His Father and love His neighbor. He said a number of times that He came no to be serve but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many. One specific aspect of His vocation is that He is the anointed Prophet of God. He proclaims the Word of God. He preaches the law of God to convict sinners and bring them to repentance. He preaches the Gospel of God to comfort and to bring peace to the troubled hearts of repentant believers.
In this parable in Luke 18, Our Great High Prophet preaches a powerful sermon. He Preaches about this Pharisees pride and contempt, which could rise up in each of us -- even at the place of worship and prayer. The Pharisee was proud of His tithe, His fasting, His righteous, outward appearance. The result was that He was not the one declared righteous by the Lord, whose call matters most. What is more, the lesson for us is that in his pride, the Pharisee is no good to the Lord and no good to His neighbor. He has failed at his vocation and his calling in life. When you glory in yourself, you are not glorying God and you are despising your neighbor.
That’s why Cain despised His brother so. He was trying to demonstrate how good he was, to show off before God and everyone else with his religious acts and sacrificing. Showing off comes from pride, not from love and a heart of service.
The prophet Jesus preaches this parable so you will give up on your own works and your own pretended righteousness. Jesus preaches this parable to give you faith, faith like that of the tax collector who said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Be merciful. That was the prayer of one who has nothing to show off. No righteousness to offer on his own. But it’s a prayer of faith, trusting that by mercy, help will come from the Lord. Amen.
OFFERTORY LSB 192
C Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
P Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Be merciful to us, heavenly Father, for daily and much do we sin and transgress Your holy will. For the sake of the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, forgive our sins. Fill us with Your Spirit, that we would remain humble, never forgetting that we have been saved by grace, through faith, which was not our doing but Your gracious gift. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Be merciful to our neighbors, especially those who have sinned against us and done us harm. Give us patience and strength, that we would deal with them gently and humbly, and that we would be ready to forgive as we have been forgiven. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Be merciful to Your Church both here and in every place. Send forth faithful servants to deliver Your grace and mercy to sinners in need. Defend all pastors from arrogance and pride, and strengthen them in the faithful preaching of Your Word, that true unity in the faith would be found wherever Christ crucified is proclaimed. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Be merciful to our leaders, that they would exercise the authority given them with wisdom and righteousness, so that we would be enabled to live in freedom and peace. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Be merciful to all those in need, especially children who lack food, clothing and shelter, and provide for their needs. Look in mercy also upon all orphans who are in need of parents to care for them. Provide them with loving fathers and mothers. Until such provision is realized, bless those who care for them, that they would do so in love, which is filled with mercy and compassion. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Be merciful to this world, to bring an end to the pandemic that we may live in peace and safety. Watch over children returning to schools, educators and staff, that they may all carry out their tasks of learning and teaching. For those going away to college, grant to them health and safety, and so enable them to fulfill their vocation from you in Christ Jesus. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
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.
BENEDICAMUS
A Bless we the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
BENEDICTION
P The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
C Amen.
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Manuscript for the online service on Trinity 10
Online Service for August 16, 2020
P In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
Introit Psalm 55
I call to God, and he | hears my voice;*
he redeems my soul in | safety.
Cast your burden | on the Lord,*
and he will sus- | tain you.
Give ear to my prayer, | O God,*
and hide not yourself from my plea for
| mercy!
My heart is in anguish with- | in me;*
the terrors of death have fallen up- | on me.
Fear and trembling come up- | on me,*
and horror over- | whelms me.
But I | call to God,*
and the Lord will
| save me.
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.
I call to God, and he | hears my voice;*
he redeems my soul in | safety.
Cast your burden | on the Lord,*
and he will sus- | tain you.
Gloria in Excelsis LSB 204
C 1 To God on high be glory
And peace to all the earth;
Goodwill from God in heaven
Proclaimed at Jesus’ birth!
We praise and bless You, Father;
Your holy name, we sing—
Our thanks for Your great glory,
Lord God, our heav’nly King.
2 To You, O sole-begotten,
The Father’s Son, we pray;
O Lamb of God, our Savior,
You take our sins away.
Have mercy on us, Jesus;
Receive our heartfelt cry,
Where You in pow’r are seated
At God’s right hand on high—
3 For You alone are holy;
You only are the Lord.
Forever and forever,
Be worshiped and adored;
You with the Holy Spirit
Alone are Lord Most High,
In God the Father’s glory.
“Amen!” our glad reply.
Collect of the Day
P Let us pray.
O God, You declare Your almighty power above all in showing mercy and pity. Mercifully grant us such a measure of Your grace that we may obtain Your gracious promises and be made partakers of Your heavenly treasures; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Old Testament Reading Jeremiah 7:1–11
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. 3Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’
5“For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, 7then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.
8“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.”
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Epistle Romans 9:30—10:4
30What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a
rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not
be put to shame.”
1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the nineteenth chapter.
41When [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
45And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
47And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Apostles’ Creed
Central to the Old Testament faith was
the presence of God in the temple. Central now to the New Testament faith we
have, is the flesh of Christ, where God is present for us. Our faith allows us
to trust that when we go through the motions of coming to church, singing the
hymns and liturgy, hearing the word of Christ, eating the bread and drinking
the wine, we are in the presence of our God. He is stooping down from His
throne on high, to come near to us, to have communion with us, to love us.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
Amen.
Prayer of the Church
P Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Gracious heavenly Father, keep us, Your baptized children, as the apple of Your eye and hide us in the shadow of Your wings. Turn us from all false doctrine, whereby Your holy name is blasphemed and profaned. Give ear to our prayers for mercy, and forgive our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Defend Your Church throughout the world, O Lord. Give strength to our brothers and sisters in Christ who experience persecution, and turn the hearts of our enemies, that they would be brought to repentance and faith and joined to the fellowship of all believers. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Give us hearts to recognize that all that we have comes from Your gracious provisions, and keep us faithful when we have more than we need, that we would be generous in our tithes and offerings and in our assistance of those who need help. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Bless the relief agencies of our Synod and all other groups who provide relief and aid to those in need. Let compassion and mercy be their guiding light, and give wisdom and discernment to those who administer these agencies, that their use of resources would be wise and beneficial. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Bless President Trump; Governor Reynolds; all those who make and administer our laws; and all judges, that they might serve our country faithfully and make decisions with wisdom. Defend all who serve in our military, and give courage to both them and their families. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Support and strengthen those who are sick or suffering [including _____________]. In the midst of their trials, keep them always focused upon Christ and the everlasting hope they have in Him, and, if it be Your will, restore them to physical health and strength. Lord, in Your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
C Amen.
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.
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 T give you peace.
C Amen.
427 In the Cross of Christ I Glory
1 In the cross of Christ I glory,
Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time.
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
2 When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me;
Lo, it glows with peace and joy.
3 When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.
4 Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.
Text: Public domain
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.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
