Prelude Greeting and Welcome Lighting of the Candles Hymn of Invocation – How Great Thou Art (LSB 801) O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder Consider all the works Thy hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed; Refrain Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art! When through the woods and forest glades I wander, I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze; Refrain But when I think that God, His Son not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in— That on the cross my burden gladly bearing He bled and died to take away my sin; Refrain When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration And there proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!” Refrain + Preparation + Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit C: Amen. Confession and Absolution P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. C: But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination. P: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father. C: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen. P: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die 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. + Word + Introit P: My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. C: One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. P: For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. C: And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. All: 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 P: My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Kyrie P: In peace let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord. C: Amen.
Salutation and Collect of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. First Reading – Isaiah 42:14–21 For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant. I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “You are our gods.” Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord? He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear. The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Epistle – Ephesians 5:8–14 …for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Holy Gospel – Matthew 22:34-40 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-second chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord. When the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ. Children’s Hymn – I Love You, Lord (AGPS 129) I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice To worship You, O my soul rejoice. Take joy, my King, in what You hear, May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear. (Repeat) Children’s Message – Stephanie Chapa
Hymn of the Day – Eternal Father, Strong to Save (LSB 717) Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep: O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea. O Christ, the Lord of hill and plain, O’er which our traffic runs amain By mountain pass or valley low; Wherever, Lord, Thy people go, Protect them by Thy guarding hand From ev’ry peril on the land. O Spirit, whom the Father sent To spread abroad the firmament; O Wind of heaven, by Thy might Save all who dare the eagle’s flight, And keep them by Thy watchful care From ev’ry peril in the air. O Trinity of love and pow’r, Our people shield in danger’s hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe’er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad praise from air and land and sea. Sermon Apostles' Creed 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 – Jerry Crotzer; 25 – Bill Bach Special Celebrations and Needs: + Church family members: Greg and Karen Frimel, upon the death of their daughter Kim; family and friends of Gene Smith, upon his death; Pastor Scott, recovering from a stroke + Friends of our congregation: Rebecca, daughter-in-law of Mary Guion, undergoing treatment for lymphoma + Those who are homebound or in nursing facilities: Twylah Atwood, Mary Aufderheide, Jules Bush, Frank & Sharon Gaal, Mary Guion, Jerry & Jane Keathley, Rosemary Orloff, Judy Thielker, Shirley Williams |