| Prelude
Greeting and Welcome
Lighting of the Candles
Hymn of Invocation – Be Still, My Soul (LSB 752)
Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side; Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; Leave to your God to order and provide; In ev’ry change He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul; your best, your heav’nly Friend Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul; your God will undertake To guide the future as He has the past. Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul; though dearest friends depart And all is darkened in this vale of tears; Then you will better know His love, His heart, Who comes to soothe your sorrows and your fears. Be still, my soul; your Jesus can repay From His own fullness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul; the hour is hast’ning on When we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored. Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past, All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.
+ Preparation +
Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen.
Confession and Absolution P: Our help is in the name of the Lord, C: who made heaven and earth. P: If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? C: But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared. P: Since we are gathered to hear God’s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner. C: Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen. P: Almighty God, merciful Father, in Holy Baptism You declared us to be Your children and gathered us into Your one, holy Church, in which You daily and richly forgive us our sins and grant us new life through Your Spirit. Be in our midst, enliven our faith, and graciously receive our prayer and praise; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. C: Amen.
+ Word +
Introit P: I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. C: I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, P: for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, C: as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 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: I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Kyrie Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
Gloria in Excelsis To God on high be glory And peace to all the earth; Goodwill from God in heaven Proclaimed at Jesus' birth! We praise and bless You, Father; Your holy name we sing— Our thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, our heav'nly King. To You, O sole-begotten, The Father's Son, we pray; O Lamb of God, our Savior, You take our sins away. Have mercy on us, Jesus; Receive our heartfelt cry, Where You in pow'r are seated At God's right hand on high— For You alone are holy, You only are the Lord. Forever and forever, Be worshiped and adored; You with the Holy Spirit Alone are Lord Most High, In God the Father's glory. "Amen!" our glad reply.
Salutation and Collect of the Day P: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. P: Let us pray. Almighty God, You invite us to trust in You for our salvation. Deal with us not in the severity of Your judgment but by the greatness of Your mercy; 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 – Job 29:1–13 And Job again took up his discourse, and said: “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness, as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent, when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were all around me, when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil! When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the square, the young men saw me and withdrew, and the aged rose and stood; the princes refrained from talking and laid their hand on their mouth; the voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard, it called me blessed, and when the eye saw, it approved, because I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him. The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle – Philippians 4:4–13 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.
Alleluia and Verse Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Holy Gospel – Matthew 22:1-14 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twenty-second chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord.
Again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Nicene Creed I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life + of the world to come. Amen.
Children’s Hymn – Let Me Learn of Jesus (AGPS 156)
Let me learn of Jesus; He is kind to me; Once He died to save me, Nailed upon the tree.
When I go to Jesus, He will hear me pray, Make me pure and holy, Take my sins away.
Oh, how good is Jesus! May He hold my hand And at last receive me To a better land.
Children’s Message – Ryan Philpot
Hymn of the Day – When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (LSB 425)
When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ, my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a tribute far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all!
Sermon
Offertory – Choir
(Lyrics for reflection)
Bow the knee; Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see. Bow the knee; Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity. And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan, In the presence of the King, bow the knee. | 
