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Prelude Greeting and Welcome Lighting of the Candles Hymn of Invocation –575 My Hope is Built on Nothing Less My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; No merit of my own I claim But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. Refrain On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils His lovely face, rest on His unchanging grace; In ev’ry high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. Refrain When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness alone, Redeemed to stand before His throne! Refrain
+ Preparation + Invocation P: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. OPENING SENTENCES Habakkuk 1:2; 2:4 P Although we may say with Habakkuk, C “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and You will not hear?” P The Lord has answered, C “The righteous shall live by his faith.” Confession and Absolution P. Having heard the complaint of the prophet Habakkuk, let us confess our sins. C: We confess, almighty God, that we have not trusted Your promises; we have wondered if You have heard our cries for help. In our own sinfulness, we confess that we have considered ourselves better than others. We have failed by our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. We are helpless to change without Your grace and mercy. For Jesus’ sake, forgive us and renew our trust in Your promises and protection. P The prophet did not get an answer about when his prayers would be answered by almighty God, but he trusted nonetheless. Faith is a gift from God by which we can trust Him, hear the Good News, and truly listen. Through the sacrifice of His Son for us, God declares us righteous even as we struggle in our daily problems. The promises of God were all kept by our Lord Jesus Christ. In His Son’s resurrection, we receive the promise of eternal life. 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. Thanks be to God. + Word + KYRIE P In peace, let us pray to the Lord. C. Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith. P. For peace from above in times of trial and weak faith, let us pray to the Lord. C. Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith. P. For peace in the world and the bold proclamation of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord. C. Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith. P For ourselves and all who join us to listen to God’s Word and respond in worship and prayer, let us pray to the Lord. C Lord, have mercy, and the righteous shall live by faith. P Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord. C Amen. 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. Salutation and Prayer of the Day P. Let us pray. O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, by Your grace hear the prayers of Your Church. C. Grant that those things which we ask in faith we may receive through Your bountiful mercy; P. 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 –Nehemiah 1:1–11 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your dispersed be under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 1They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 1O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king. C: Thanks be to God. Epistle – Philippians 1:12–14, 19–30 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Holy Gospel – Matthew 20: 1-16 P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the twentieth chapter. C: Glory to You, O Lord. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.” P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ. 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. Children’s Hymn – Seek Ye First (712) Seek Ye first the kingdom of God And His righteoness And All these things shall be added unto you Allelu, alleluia Ask and it shall be given unto you Seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be open unto you Allelu, alleluia Man does not live by bread alone But by every word That proceeds from the mouth of the Lord Allelu Alleluia! Children’s Sermon – Pastor Scott Hymn of the Day – My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (LSB 575 My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; No merit of my own I claim But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. Refrain On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In ev’ry high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. Refrain His oath, His covenant and blood Support me in the raging flood; When ev’ry earthly prop gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. Refrain Sermon
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