Manuscript for the service on September 27

 + 16^th Sunday after Trinity +

 

544 O LOVE, HOW DEEP

1 O love, how deep, how broad, how high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortals’ sake!

 

2 He sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame,
And to this world Himself He came.

 

3 For us baptized, for us He bore
His holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp He knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.

 

4 For us He prayed; for us He taught;
For us His daily works He wrought,
By words and signs and actions thus
Still seeking not Himself but us.

 

5 For us by wickedness betrayed,
For us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death;
For us He gave His dying breath.

 

6 For us He rose from death again;
For us He went on high to reign;
For us He sent His Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.

 

7 All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore
Forever and forevermore.

Text: Public domain

 

INVOCATION

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

 

INTROIT  Psalm 86

Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
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.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

 

COLLECT OF THE DAY

P O Lord, we pray that Your grace may always go before and follow after us, that we may continually be given to all good works; 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 1 Kings 17:17–24

¹⁷After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. ¹⁸And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” ¹⁹And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” ²¹Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” ²²And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. ²³And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” ²⁴And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

 

A This is the Word of the Lord.

 

 

EPISTLE Ephesians 3:13–21

¹³So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 

A This is the Word of the Lord.

 

 

 

HOLY GOSPEL Luke 7:11–17

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the seventh chapter.

 

¹¹Soon afterward [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹²As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

 

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.

 

 

SERMON

 

From life to death   Luke 7:11-17

 

¹¹ Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

Try to imagine this scene.  Picture in your mind what it was like in the town called Nain that day.

Two crowds of people come together at the entrance to the town:

· One, Jesus and all his followers; the other, the funeral procession of a young man who had died.

· Jesus’ group was on the way into the city. The funeral group was on the way out of the city.

· One crowd was in grief from learning that this young man had died leaving his mother, a widow, destitute. The other crowd was all excited and expectant for more because they had seen how the wonderful miracles of Jesus, they had high hopes he’d do even greater things.

· One crowd was headed up by death. One crowd was headed up by the Lord of life.

 

There is good news for all of us in this passage from Luke’s Gospel – Good news for all of us who must in one way or another come face to face with death. There’s good news for us who are following behind Him who holds the power of life and death in his hands.

Hear again verse 13. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

You know, you’re not really supposed to tell someone that. If you have a chance to speak to a widow woman at the death of her only son, you probably shouldn’t say, “Don’t weep.” Unless you’re going to fix it. Unless you’re going to do something to take her tears away.  You can’t tell a person “don’t weep.” Unless you’re Jesus.

For the rest of us, we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Sadly, realistically, there are times when you ought to let a sad person be sad.

Yes it might sound as though it were a compassionless thing for Jesus to say to her, “Do not weep.” But as the events play out, we see in that command to her, a promise just about to be fulfilled.

¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

That’s how Jesus did it. No flash of lightning. No magic potion. No glitz or glamour. He just said the word, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

That’s how Jesus gives life. That’s how the Lord gives all good things to His creation -- Through His gracious, good word. That’s how the Lord gave you life.

The good word of Jesus was spoken to each of us who have been baptized, much like when Jesus spoke to the dead young man.

Because of sin, you were dead in trespasses – spiritually dead. Then the word of the Lord was applied to you, with water and you became alive, born again.

It’s the Lord’s word alone. No flash of lightning. No magic potion. No glitz or glamour.

Some will think little of baptism because you don’t see anything spectacular happen. Some of you even slept through yours. But baptism saves you not because of what you see with your eyes, but because of what you hear in your ears and believe in your soul. Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”  Jesus said it, and it’s so.

¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus^[d] gave him to his mother.

That’s a nice touch there. Jesus gave him to his mother. That young man was rescued from death so he could serve his Lord by serving others. This miracle was not just for his own good, but for the good of others. Jesus gave him to his mother.

You have been saved, rescued from sin, death and the power of the devil in order that you can do some great things. “That you may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness.” And you will serve him by loving you mother, and husbands loving your wives, and wives honoring your husbands, and teachers, blessing your students. And so forth.

We, much like that young man in Nain have been given our new life from the Lord when He speaks His life giving word.  Now our lives are lived in service to Him, in love to our neighbor.

¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 

Among the crowds there was a growing understanding and faith in Who this man was. “A great prophet” they said, that is one who preached the word of God that powerful word of God that changed lives, changed destinies, changed death to life.

“God has visited his people!” they said. And they were on to something there. We say that same thing. God has visited his people. He comes and checks in on us, as it were. In love for us, He cares enough to visit the oppressed, the dying, the troubled, the scared, yes even the sinner. He comes to visit with His patient yet firm words of repentance and then His miraculous gospel of forgiveness for the sake of Jesus.

¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

And so it would go that the reputation of Jesus would continue to spread. Some would marvel at His wonderful miracles and seek to know more. Some would scoff at the rumors, reject His Gospel and wish Him dead.

And after he was dead, and after He the Lord of life, rose again to eternal life, He charged His disciples and all of us who would follow Him to continue to spread that report in our churches, in our homes, in our love for each other and the world for His sake.

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

Almighty and most merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we give You thanks for all Your goodness and tender mercies, especially for the gift of Your dear Son and for the revelation of Your will and grace. Implant Your Word in us that, with good and honest hearts, we may keep it and bring forth the fruits of faith.

     We humbly implore You to rule and govern Your Church throughout the world. Bless all those who proclaim Your truth that we may be preserved in the pure doctrine of Your saving Word and that faith in You may be strengthened, love toward others increased, and Your kingdom extended. Send forth laborers into Your harvest, and sustain those whom You have sent that the Word of reconciliation may be proclaimed to all people and the Gospel preached in all the world.

     Grant health and prosperity to all who are in authority, especially to the president and congress of the United States, the governor and legislature of this [state/commonwealth], and to all those who make, administer, and judge our laws.     Grant them grace to rule according to Your good pleasure for the maintenance of righteousness and the hindrance and punishment of wickedness, that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty.

     According to Your good pleasure, turn the hearts of our enemies and adversaries that they may cease their hostilities and walk with us in meekness and in peace.

     Comfort, O God, with Your Holy Spirit all who are in trouble, want, sickness, anguish of labor, peril of death, or any other adversity. Grant courage and steadfastness especially to those who suffer for Your name’s sake that they may receive and accept their afflictions in the confidence that You will acknowledge them as Your own.

     Although we have deserved Your righteous wrath and punishment, yet, we ask You, O most merciful Father, not to remember the sins of our youth nor our many transgressions. Out of Your unspeakable goodness and mercy defend us from all harm and danger to body and soul. Preserve us from false doctrine, from war and bloodshed, from plague and pestilence, from all calamity by fire and water, from hail and tempest, from failure of harvest and from famine, from anguish of heart and despair of Your mercy, and from an evil death. In every time of trouble, show Yourself a very present help, the Savior of all, especially to those who believe.

     Cause all needed fruits of the earth to prosper that we may enjoy them in due season. Give success to the Christian training of the young, to all lawful occupations on land, sea, and air, and to all pure arts and useful knowledge, crowning them with Your blessing.

     Receive, O God, our bodies and souls and all our talents, together with the offerings we bring You, for by His blood Your Son has purchased us to be Your own that we may live under Him in His kingdom.

     These and whatsoever other things You would have us ask of You, O God, grant us for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your only Son, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

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 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 T give you peace.

C Amen.

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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.

Service for Trinity 15

 

Manuscript for the service on Sept 20

 + 15^th Sunday after Trinity +

 

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

 

INTROIT   Psalm 86

Incline your ear, O Lord, and  answer me,
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious;
turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maid-servant.
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.
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
save your servant, who trusts in you—you re my God.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.

 

COLLECT OF THE DAY

P .

O Lord, we implore You, let Your continual pity cleanse and defend Your Church; and because she cannot continue in safety without Your aid, preserve her evermore by Your help and goodness; 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 LSB 187

P Glory be to God on high:

C and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee,

we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee, for Thy great glory.

O Lord God, heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.

Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.

Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.

For Thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord.

Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost,

art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

 

 

OLD TESTAMENT READING 1 Kings 17:8–16

⁸Then the word of the Lord came to [Elijah], ⁹“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” ¹⁰So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” ¹¹And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” ¹²And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” ¹³And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴For thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” ¹⁵And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

 

A This is the Word of the Lord.

 

 

EPISTLE Galatians 5:25—6:10

²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

¹Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. ²Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ³For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ⁵For each will have to bear his own load.

⁶One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. ⁷Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. ¹⁰So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

 

A This is the Word of the Lord.

 

 

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixth chapter.

 

 

²⁴[Jesus said:] “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

 

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

 

NICENE CREED

C I believe in one God,

     the Father Almighty,

     maker of heaven and earth

          and of all things visible and invisible.

 

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

     the only-begotten Son of God,

     begotten of His Father before all worlds,

     God of God, Light of Light,

     very God of very God,

     begotten, not made,

     being of one substance with the Father,

     by whom all things were made;

     who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

     and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

     and was made man;

     and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

     He suffered and was buried.

     And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

          and ascended into heaven

     and sits at the right hand of the Father.

     And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

     whose kingdom will have no end.

 

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

     the Lord and giver of life,

     who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

     who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

     who spoke by the prophets.

     And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,

     I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,

     and I look for the resurrection of the dead

     and the life T of the world to come. Amen.

 

 

Sermon

 

Matthew 6 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them (vs. 26). 

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these (vs 28 & 29).  

You have been invited by your friend and Savior Jesus Christ, to pause for a moment. Put away all thoughts of money and debts. Stop for now thinking of income and losses, of balances and net worth. Take a break from all those anxious thoughts. Put them out of your mind and consider the birds of the air. Our heavenly Father feeds them. 

No other preacher, theologian, or philosopher in all the history of the world has ever been able to say it so well. Every human being, all over the world, of all generations can benefit from this: Pause for a moment and look at the birds of the air. Consider the lilies of the field. See God at work all around. He cares for His creation. So it is for you to remember that. Hear these sure words of Jesus and keep them.  

If you are prone to anxious thoughts -- and I know that many of you listening are -- Learn these words of Jesus by heart. Print these words out and tape them to your bathroom mirror or your desk top, so you see them again later. Pause again. Look at the birds. Consider the lilies. If God takes care of them, why would you worry that He won’t take care of you, O you of little faith?  

Doesn’t it sting a little to hear Jesus say that, “O you of little faith”? This is a section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is talking to the disciples. He’s not talking to the crowds. He’s not talking to the world. He’s talking to disciples, His followers, Christians. Why would Jesus say of them (or of people like us) that we have a little amount of faith? These are disciples who, within a few years would be in heaven. But at this moment they are living on earth and thinking too much as if all that matters is the stuff of earth. They rely on what their eyes see too much. They rely on their faulty reason too much. They live with their fears too much.  

Their eyes see the troubles of this world. Their faulty reason takes in all the sights of pestilence, and violence, and poverty and weakness, and rumors of wars and economic collapse, environmental catastrophes. And their faulty reason uses only what can be noticed in this world and so it breeds fear and anxiety. So the Lord has to once again, speak out. Stop. Take a pause. Look at the birds. Consider the lilies. Believe in the care of your heavenly Father. Believe it. There’s so much more going on than what we can see right now. 

If your anxious thoughts get out of control, if you have an old bad habit of suffering troubles that haven’t even come your way yet, if you worry when you should believe, you have to admit it. You are one of those of little faith. Go ahead and admit it. Admit that it’s a sin. Realize you have sins of thought, word and deed. This is a sin of thought. 

And then look again at Jesus’ words. Remember Jesus words. You can believe Jesus words. Your heavenly Father takes care of you, and that includes even up to the point of forgiving you all of your sins of thought, word and deed. The Heavenly Father certainly does that; He put His Son on the line to do so. 

Here’s a crude example, but it might help. None of us here can see viruses. Perhaps we’ve seen electronic images of them. But even that is far removed from our personal perception. We only see the symptoms. We’ve been told about them from professionals, whom  we expect to be knowledgeable and honest. So we believe in viruses. Further, we’ve heard instructions about how we should treat viruses. And our lives have been changed by that instructions. If you can do all that, for some germ you can’t see, but you’ve been warned about, then you had better also take to heart what Jesus your Lord says is so. And change your thought patterns, your behavior and your course of life, because of what Jesus tells you.

Here’s a better example, because it comes from the Bible. You reap what you sow. “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8). If all your attention is on the flesh and the earthly matters pertaining to the flesh, you end up disappointed, eternally disappointed. If you give attention to the things of the Spirit, you’ll have eternal life. The Spirit puts faith in your soul, as you hear Jesus’ words. The Spirit, from baptism on, dwells with the believer constantly, guiding, comforting assuring of the love and patient care of God, Father, Son and Spirit. 

God takes care of you. Moment by moment, day by day, and on into eternal life God takes care of you. These present worrisome troubles are not worth worrying about. God is taking care of us for eternal life because of Jesus who lived, died and rose again, all so you could trust Him when He says, God takes care of you. 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.

 

Heavenly Father, be gracious to us, Your baptized children, for temptations and anxieties surround us. Gladden our souls with the good news of Your Son’s perfect life and sacrificial death for our salvation. Strengthen us in the faith, and fill us with Your Spirit, that we might trust in You for all things temporal and eternal. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

 

P Heavenly Father, show Your abundant mercy to all those whom You have called to preach Christ and Him crucified. According to Your gracious will, grant faithful pastors to all vacant congregations, and restore to service those pastors without a congregation to serve. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

 

P Heavenly Father, grant opportunities for honest and faithful labor to all, especially to the unemployed, and give us all contentment and joy as we carry out our daily tasks. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

 

P Heavenly Father, grant wisdom to the president, the Congress and the Supreme Court of the United States; to the leaders of our states and localities; and to the rulers of the world, that they would seek peace, promote life and protect the weakest among us. Guard and protect those who serve in our armed forces and emergency services, that they may serve with integrity and return home safely. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

 

P Heavenly Father, give ear to our prayers for the sick, the suffering, the lonely, the shut-in, the depressed, the dying and all those in any need. Be merciful and gracious to them, and strengthen them in their trials. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

 

P Heavenly Father, grant that all who partake of Your Son’s body and blood in the fellowship of this altar today would do so in repentance and faith, and to their abundant blessing. Lord, in Your mercy,

C hear our prayer.

 

P Heavenly Father, according to Your will, and in Your time, You call Your children to rest from their labors. Receive our thanks for those who have gone before us in the faith, and grant that we, who walk as yet by faith, may join them in their holy rest, until that day when You raise us incorruptible and immortal. 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

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 T give you peace.

C Amen.

 

750 IF THOU BUT TRUST IN GOD TO GUIDE THEE

1 If thou but trust in God to guide thee
    And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
    And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move.

 2 What can these anxious cares avail thee,

    These never-ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
    O’er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

 3 Be patient and await His leisure

    In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whate’er thy Father’s pleasure
    And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

4 God knows full well when times of gladness

    Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
    And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.

5 Nor think amid the fiery trial

    That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
    Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And sets a bound to ev’rything.

 6 All are alike before the Highest;

    ’Tis easy for our God, we know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
    To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.

 7 Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,

    Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word; though undeserving,
    Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

Text: Public domain

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Divine Service, Setting Three 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.