Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – Beautiful Savior (LSB 537)
Hymn of Invocation – Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (LSB 802)
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life Thou givest—to both great and small—
In all life Thou livest, the true Life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree
And wither and perish—but naught changes Thee.
+ Preparation +
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Opening Sentences – Jeremiah 31:31, 33; Mark 10:43–44
P: The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant.
C: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
P: And I will be their God,
C: and they shall be My people.
P: Whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
C: and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Confession and Absolution – Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 5:9
P: Bearing our sins and in need of a Savior, let us go to our heavenly Father, asking for forgiveness.
Time for reflection on the word of God and for personal examination.
P: Most merciful, heavenly Father, You promised a covenant written on Your people’s hearts.
C: But we do not always rely on Your promises and great love. We are sorry.
P: Gracious Holy Spirit, through Your use of Word and Sacrament, many people know the Lord.
C: But we have not taken advantage of every opportunity to share Your Word with others. We are sorry.
P: Jesus taught that the greatest in the Kingdom is the servant of all.
C: But our hearts have not always been humble and eager for service. We are sorry. Our thoughts, words, and deeds fall short. As fallen sinners, we are helpless to change. For Jesus’ sake, forgive us, and give us new and clean hearts to love You and serve our neighbors.
P: God promised in the new covenant, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” In the sacrifice of Himself, Jesus, being perfect, “became the source of eternal salvation.” 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.
+ Word +
First Reading – Jeremiah 31:31–34
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Hebrews 5:1–10
For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – Mark 13:14-27
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the thirteenth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. False christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
[Jesus said:] “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Hymn – His Banner over Me Is Love (AGPS 118)
I’m feasting at His banqueting table;
His banner over me is love.
I’m feasting at His banqueting table;
His banner over me is love.
I’m feasting at His banqueting table;
His banner over me is love,
His banner over me is love.
He placed my feet on the firm foundation;
His banner over me is love.
He placed my feet on the firm foundation;
His banner over me is love.
He placed my feet on the firm foundation;
His banner over me is love,
His banner over me is love.
Children’s Sermon
Hymn of the Day – Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me (LSB 761)
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure:
Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.
Nothing in my hand I bring;
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
Sermon
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.
Prayer of the Church
+ Celebrating birthdays this week: 21 – Jenny Lane; 24 – Jeri Crotzer, Nathan Hempel, Elizabeth Ryan, Steven Schmidt; 25 – Bill Bach; 26 – Rick Faeth; 27 – Gwendolyn Boehme
Special Celebrations and Needs:
+ Church family members: Janet Hurley, upon the death of her sister, Beverly; Ken Kight, upon the death of his father; family and friends of Charlotte Moret upon her death; prayer of thanksgiving for Lily Ruth Sullivan, newborn granddaughter of John & Sharon Willmann; prayer of thanksgiving for Fiona Marie Wise, newborn granddaughter of Julie Atwood-Wise; prayer of thanksgiving for Charlotte Nichole Jacobson, newborn granddaughter of Bob & Debbie Jacobson
+ Friends of our congregation: Rebecca Guion, daughter-in-law of Mary Guion, who is receiving treatment for lymphoma; Ryan Barnett’s father, who has cancer; the family and friends of former Glendale Lutheran member Nancy Allen upon her death
+ Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Mary Guion, Corinne Gutzler, Anne Hammann, Bettie Welch, Joan Winkler, Ruth Wussler
Offertory
