Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – Amazing Grace (LSB 744)
Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see!
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
His grace has brought me safe thus far,
His grace will lead me home.
+ Preparation +
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Opening Sentences – Psalm 113:1–3
P: Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord,
C: praise the name of the Lord!
P: Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!
C: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
Confession and Absolution – Mark 1:15; Psalm 113:1–3
P: Gracious Lord, by Your name You have called us Your own, and we are to pray, praise, and give thanks to You.
C: Yet we often do not live as You have called us to live as Your own. We do not always honor Your name nor Your calling with our praise.
P: We confess our sins to God in repentance, turning from those things that lead us away, turning back to You as we follow in faith.
Silence for reflection.
P: Almighty and ever-compassionate Lord,
C: we are by nature sinful and unclean. We confess our many failures as we have not followed You joyfully and trustingly. We have not loved others as ourselves, and our thoughts, words, and deeds have not been pleasing to You. We have not always welcomed Your call for us to follow You and You alone.
P: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel. Hear and rejoice in the Good News. Jesus Christ died for you, and for His sake, God has compassion. As a called and ordained servant of the Word, and in His stead, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen. Thanks be to God!
P: Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord,
C: praise the name of the Lord!
P: Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!
C: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
+ Word +
First Reading – Jonah 3:1–5, 10
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – 1 Corinthians 7:29–31
This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – Mark 5:1-20
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the fifth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Hymn – Father, I Adore You (AGPS 94)
Father, I adore you,
Lay my life before you,
How I love you.
Jesus, I adore you,
Lay my life before you,
How I love you.
Spirit, I adore you,
Lay my life before you,
How I love you.
Children’s Sermon
Hymn of the Day – Jesus Comes Today with Healing (LSB 620)
Jesus comes today with healing,
Knocking at my door, appealing,
Off’ring pardon, grace, and peace.
He Himself makes preparation,
And I hear His invitation:
“Come and taste the blessèd feast.”
Christ Himself, the priest presiding,
Yet in bread and wine abiding
In this holy sacrament,
Gives the bread of life, once broken,
And the cup, the precious token
Of His sacred covenant.
Now have I found consolation,
Comfort in my tribulation,
Balm to heal the troubled soul.
God, my shield from ev’ry terror,
Cleanses me from sin and error,
Makes my wounded spirit whole.
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: 25 – Rodger Lubben; 28 – Dan DeFosset, Andy Ryan; 29 – Cindy Smith; 30 – Dana Metzler
+ Wedding anniversaries: 28 – Gerry & Vicki Lucas
Special Celebrations and Needs:
+ Church family members: Gwen Peiper, in the hospital recovering from a fall; Charlotte Moret, recovering from Covid; Judy George, recovering from pacemaker surgery; Judy Lubben, upon the death of her mother; family and friends of Jack Rutter upon his death; Jim & Judy Thielker upon the death of their son, David
+ Friends of our congregation: Jameson, son of CCLS-Glendale teacher Kelsey, who is being tested for hip issues and starting physical therapy; Gary Brugere, for healing from hip surgery; Donna, friend of the Brugere family, experiencing vascular health issues
+ Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Mary Guion, Corinne Gutzler, Anne Hammann, Bettie Welch, Joan Winkler, Ruth Wussler
Offertory
