P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
500 CREATOR SPIRIT, BY WHOSE AID
1 Creator Spirit, by whose aid
The world’s foundations first were laid,
Come, visit ev’ry humble mind;
Come, pour Your joys on humankind;
From sin and sorrow set us free;
May we Your living temples be.
2 O Source of uncreated light,
The bearer of God’s gracious might,
Thrice-holy fount, thrice-holy fire,
Our hearts with heav’nly love inspire;
Your sacred, healing message bring
To sanctify us as we sing.
3 Giver of grace, descend from high;
Your sev’nfold gifts to us supply;
Help us eternal truths receive
And practice all that we believe;
Give us Yourself that we may see
The glory of the Trinity.
4 Immortal honor, endless fame
Attend the_almighty Father’s name;
The Savior-Son be glorified,
Who for all humankind has died;
To You, O Paraclete, we raise
Unending songs of thanks and praise.
Text: Public domain
INTROIT Psalm 85:1, 7, 9, 11; antiphon: Jeremiah 29:11a, 12
I know the plans I have for you, de- | clares the Lord,*
plans for wholeness and not for | evil.
Then you will call upon me and come and | pray to me,*
and I will | hear you.
Lord, you were favorable | to your land;*
you restored the fortunes of | Jacob.
Show us your steadfast love, | O Lord,*
and grant us your sal- | vation.
Surely his salvation is near to those who | fear him,*
that glory may dwell | in our land.
Faithfulness springs up | from the ground,*
and righteousness looks down | from the sky.
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 know the plans I have for you, de- | clares the Lord,*
plans for wholeness and not for | evil.
Then you will call upon me and come and | pray to me,*
and I will | hear you.
P Let us pray.
O Lord, absolve Your people from their offenses that from the bonds of our sins, which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon ourselves, we may be delivered by Your bountiful 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.
EPISTLE Philippians 3:17–21
17Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
HOLY GOSPEL
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-second chapter.
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [Jesus] in his talk. 16And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
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
Philippians 3:20 & 21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
“Wait for the Lord.” That’s what the Psalms tell you. “Be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). Waiting can be difficult. There’s always something to look forward to, isn’t there? Some say, “I can’t wait until Christmas!” Parted lovers say, “I can’t wait to see you again.” We all say, “We can’t wait for things to get back to normal.” So, in the meantime, in the waiting time, what do you think, what do you do? It would be a shame to waste away the meantime. There is a knack to waiting, patiently. A big part of it is deciding to appreciate and enjoy the present moment. Today doesn’t have to be ruined because tomorrow has not yet come. “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.”
The biggest thing we are waiting for, the most important thing, is when Jesus Christ comes again. “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” God has something to say to us, to you, to me, really to every person in the world. He says, “You have a Savior, my Son Jesus. He is for you. He came to earth for you, lived for you, died a sacrificial death for you, rose and now lives for you -- so you have something to look forward to.” Now God says, “This Jesus Christ your Savior is presently with me in heaven. And that’s where you belong to. You are a part of this. Heaven’s gates are open wide. My Son Jesus will return again, for you. Just wait for it.”
God promises the return of Jesus and the resurrection on the last day. He will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. But for now, we “wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”
Here’s four things to consider while we wait for the Lord: Patience, Repentance, Faith and Diligence.
Patience. Wait with patience. When are you going to go to heaven? When is our Savior Jesus going to come from there. Well, that’s his call not ours. Lord, give us patience, we will wait for you.
Repentance. Wait with Repentance. Every day that we must wait is a day for repentance. Daily remember your baptism. Your sin and guilt were drowned in that water. A new creation came out of that water -- A citizen of heaven, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto. So daily repent of worry about the future. Drown it. Daily repent of wasting time and neglecting the opportunities to rejoice in the day the Lord has made. And then daily believe, which is the next of the four things to consider while we wait:
Faith. Wait with faith. Believe in God. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ your Savior. And believe what He says: he will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. That’s faith like the great father of all the faithful, Abraham. Abraham’s faith enabled him to endure a great test. He was supposed to sacrifice his son Isaac. Shocking. Scary. It seemed to go against everything that was holy, true and right. But it was what God commanded. So Abraham trusted God. He knew that God would be good and would do good -- even, if necessary, raising the dead. With this kind of faith, we can face whatever difficulties, struggles, diseases, losses in this meantime as we wait for our Lord Jesus. He will come. He will save. He will lift us up out of suffering and death.
Diligence. Wait with diligence. Our citizenship is in heaven and we wait for our Savior from there. And in the meantime, well, we don’t just sit around, whiling away the time. Jesus says, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4). God has called you to believe in Him and to love your neighbor. Your citizenship is in heaven, but while you’re waiting he puts you in this society and tells you give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. Pay taxes. Fulfill your duties. Be nice to each other.
Know your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember all that He promises. Today has its share of problems. Tomorrow might be more difficult; we just don’t know. We are waiting for our Savior Jesus to come and transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Wait for that. Wait with patience, with repentance, with faith, with diligence. 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 the baptized, that they would walk according to the faith they’ve been given, always remembering that they have been marked as those who have been redeemed by Christ the Crucified, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For the healing of divisions among God’s people, that the Lord would curb sinful ambition, silence the desires of our sinful flesh, and grant us hearts to be reconciled with each other in Christian love, so that all people will know we are His disciples, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For true humility among the saints, that we may never be arrogant and prideful and thus provoke the Lord’s wrath, but in all lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of His grace, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For our national, state and local officials; all who work in government; and all who contribute to our general welfare, that God would grant them wisdom and temperance; and for our police, firefighters and all who serve in the armed forces, that they may be kept from harm and danger and that, in accordance with God’s will, peace may be established in our day, let us pray to the Lord:
C Lord, have mercy.
P For the sick and injured, [and especially for ______________,] that God would grant them comfort and healing, in accordance with His will, 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 Jesus Christ, Your Son, 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 LSB 166
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.
851 LORD OF GLORY, YOU HAVE BOUGHT US
1 Lord of glory, You have bought us
With Your lifeblood as the price,
Never grudging for the lost ones
That tremendous sacrifice;
And with that have freely given
Blessings countless as the sand
To the_unthankful and the evil
With Your own unsparing hand.
2 Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to give You
Gladly, freely of Your own.
With the sunshine of Your goodness
Melt our thankless hearts of stone
Till our cold and selfish natures,
Warmed by You, at length believe
That more happy and more blessèd
’Tis to give than to receive.
3 Wondrous honor You have given
To our humblest charity
In Your own mysterious sentence,
“You have done it all to Me.”
Can it be, O gracious Master,
That You deign for alms to sue,
Saying by Your poor and needy,
“Give as I have giv’n to you”?
4 Lord of glory, You have bought us
With Your lifeblood as the price,
Never grudging for the lost ones
That tremendous sacrifice.
Give us faith to trust You boldly,
Hope, to stay our souls on You;
But, oh, best of all Your graces,
With Your love our love renew.
Text: Public domain
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Divine Service, Setting One 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 © 2020 Concordia Publishing House.
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