Prelude – Holy Manna
Greeting and Welcome
Call to Worship – Vocal Duet – Softly and Tenderly
(Lyrics provided for reflection)
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.
Come home, come home, ye who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, “O sinner, come home!”
O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me;
Tho’ we have sinned He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.
Come home, come home, ye who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, “O sinner, come home!”
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (LSB 549)
All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.
The God incarnate, man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all.
We’ll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all.
+ Preparation +
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Opening Sentences
P: Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
C: You have been our good and faithful Master.
P: You have poured out blessings upon us.
C: You have given us all we need to support this body and life.
P: We meditate on all that You have done.
C: We ponder the work of Your hands.
P: On account of Your name, O Lord, preserve our lives.
C: In Your righteousness, bring us out of trouble.
Confession and Absolution
P: Indeed, our heavenly Father has done wonderful things for us. He has given us more than we could ever ask for or imagine. Yet, there have been times when we have been ungrateful for God’s gifts, times when we have been lazy and selfish with what He has given us, times when we have been unfaithful servants. Yet, our heavenly Father invites us to return to Him and ask for His forgiveness.
Silence for reflection
P: Heavenly Father,
C: we confess that we have not been faithful with all of the good gifts You have given us. We have sinned in our thoughts, words, and actions. We have failed by our inactivity. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, O Lord, that we might be restored as Your servants.
P: God hears your confession and has promised to be with you always. Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son, Jesus Christ, to die and rise for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen. We are forgiven. We are restored in Jesus.
+ Word +
First Reading – Zephaniah 1:7–16
Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.
And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—
“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons
and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud.
“On that day,” declares the Lord, “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.
Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the traders are no more;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.
At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men who are complacent,
those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.’
Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.”
The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Colossians 4:2–6
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – Matthew 25:14–30
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-fifth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Hymn – Somebody’s Knockin’ at Your Door (AGPS 216)
Somebody’s knockin’ at your door;
Somebody’s knockin’ at your door;
O sinner, why don’t you answer?
Somebody’s knockin’ at your door.
Knocks like Jesus, Somebody’s knockin’ at your door;
Knocks like Jesus, Somebody’s knockin’ at your door;
O sinner, why don’t you answer?
Somebody’s knockin’ at your door.
Children’s Sermon
Hymn of the Day – Beautiful Savior (LSB 537)
Beautiful Savior, King of creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
Vocal Duet:
Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands,
Robed in flow’rs of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
He makes our sorr’wing spirit sing.
Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.
Sermon
