| Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (LSB 803, verses 1, 3)
Joyful, joyful we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love! Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee, Praising Thee, their sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, Drive the gloom of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day.
Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest, Wellspring of the joy of living, Ocean-depth of happy rest! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Fountainhead of love divine: Joyful, we Thy heav’n inherit! Joyful, we by grace are Thine!
+ Preparation +
Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen.
Confession and Absolution - Romans 7:15; Matthew 11:28 P: With the apostle Paul today we admit, “I do not understand my own actions. C: For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” P: At the invitation of God our Savior, let us bring our weariness and burdens to the Lord, that His forgiveness may restore to us the joy of His salvation. C: For if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 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 and cannot free ourselves. Daily our sins of thought, word, and deed cause us grief. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we come at His invitation seeking the true rest of the forgiveness of our sins. Amen. P: “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Upon this, your confession, I by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word announce the grace of God to you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. P: Amen.
+ Word +
Salutation and Prayer of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; 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 – Zechariah 9:9–12 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Romans 7:14–25a For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel – Matthew 11:25-30 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the eleventh chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ.
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.
Children’s Message – Pastor Albers
Hymn of the Day – God of Grace and God of Glory (LSB 850, verses 1, 4)
God of grace and God of glory, On Your people pour Your pow’r; Crown Your ancient Church’s story; Bring its bud to glorious flow’r. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage For the facing of this hour, For the facing of this hour.
Save us from weak resignation To the evils we deplore; Let the gift of Your salvation Be our glory evermore. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, Serving You whom we adore, Serving You whom we adore.
Sermon – “War of Wills” (Romans 7:15)
Offertory | 
