St. Matthew Lutheran Church

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Prelude: Meditation on “Hankey”

Welcome and Announcements

Gathering Hymn: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” – LBW # 328, vs 1- 4

Confession & Forgiveness

Greeting & Kyrie

Canticle of Praise: “Glory to God…”

Prayer of the Day

First Reading, Isaiah 55:1-5

Psalm # 136:1-9, 23-26

Second Reading, Romans 9:1-13

Holy Gospel, Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Hymn of the Day: “Take My Life, that I May Be” – LBW # 406, vs 1 - 6

Apostle’s Creed

Prayers of the Church

The Lord’s Prayer

Blessing

Dismissal

Sending Hymn: “I Love to Tell the Story” - LBW # 390, vs 1 – 3

Postlude: Voluntary on “Coronation”

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Service Supplement

(Congregational responses are in bold print)

Prelude Meditation on “Hankey”

Welcome and Announcements Pastor John

Gathering Hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” LBW # 328, vs 1 – 4

All hail the pow'r of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem And crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem And crown him Lord of all.

Crown him, you martyrs of our God, Who from his altar call; Extol the stem of Jesse's rod And crown him Lord of all. Extol the stem of Jesse's rod And crown him Lord of all.

O seed of Israel's chosen race Now ransomed from the fall, Hail him who saves you by his grace And crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace And crown him Lord of all.

Hail him, you heirs of David's line, Whom David Lord did call - The God incarnate, man divine - And crown him Lord of all. The God incarnate, man divine - And crown him Lord of all.

Confession & Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever. Amen.

God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve

you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.

Greeting

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

Kyrie

In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. 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. Lord, have mercy. For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord. Amen.

Canticle of Praise “Glory to God…”

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Let us pray…Almighty, eternal God, your kindness is far more than we desire or deserve. Generously pour out your mercy to forgive where our conscience is afraid and to provide that for which by ourselves, we do not even presume to pray; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Reading Isaiah 55:1-5

God invites Israel to a grand banquet at which all will eat at no cost, promising an everlasting covenant with the entire nation that includes promises previously extended only to kings and their descendants. In response, Israel shall serve as a witness to all nations concerning the glory of God.

¹“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. ³Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. ⁴Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. ⁵Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.” This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.

Psalm # 136:1-9, 23-26

The psalmist thanks God for his steadfast love by enumerating myriad ways in which God has displayed his love for his people over time, concluding that God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures forever.

Who only does great wonders, for his mercy endures forever;

Who by wisdom made the heavens, for his mercy endures forever;

Who spread out the earth upon the waters, for his mercy endures forever;

Who created great lights, for his mercy endures forever;

The sun to rule the day, for his mercy endures forever;

The moon and the stars to govern the night, for his mercy endures forever.

Who remembered us in our low estate, for his mercy endures forever;

And delivered us from our enemies, for his mercy endures forever;

Who gives food to all creatures, for his mercy endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his mercy endures forever.

Second Reading Romans 9:1-13

Paul tackles the issue of Israel’s place in God’s saving plan, focusing on their identity as God’s chosen covenantal people. He declares that they are recipients of adoption, the Torah, the promises and legacy of the patriarchs, as well as the Messiah through which God is redeeming creation. The word of hope for Israel, and for all who believe, is that it is not up to us to deserve the call; God calls those whom he chooses simply because it is his choice.

¹I am speaking the truth in Christ — I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit — ²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ⁴They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. ⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. ⁹For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁰And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad — in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls — ¹²she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This is the Word of God, word of life, thanks be to God.

Holy Gospel Matthew 14:13-21

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 14^th Chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus feeds five thousand followers using five loaves of bread and two fish and ends with an abundance of leftovers. The miracle serves as both a witness to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, and as a foreshadowing of the Last Supper.

¹³When Jesus heard of John the Baptist’s death, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” ¹⁸And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ²¹And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. This is the gospel of the Lord, praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon Pastor John

Hymn of the Day “Take My Life, that I May Be” LBW # 406, vs 1 – 6

Take my life, that I may be Consecrated, Lord, to thee; Take my moments and my days; Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing Always, only, for my King; Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use Ev'ry pow'r as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine; It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it is thine own; It shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour At thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for thee.

Apostle’s Creed

Let us join together in confessing our faith with the saints who have gone before us, in the words of the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the Church

(P): Filled by the Spirit, let us join the whole people of God in Jesus Christ in praying for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation. A brief silence.

(W): Lord God, you are the one true God, and you desire all people to know you and your love. Help all those who believe in you and follow Christ to share the good news of your salvation. Grant that missionaries would be able to spread the glorious Word of your mercy and saving power to all those they meet. May their words bring relief and hope to those who hunger and thirst for your peace and salvation. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): We ask you holy Father, to strengthen our faith and encourage growth in our spiritual lives, that we would come to know you better and trust you more deeply. As the summer season continues and steady growth is occurring in fields and on farms, let our hearts be open to your Word working within us that we would experience steady growth of faith in our lives. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): God of grace, you adopted Israel as your chosen people and your love for them abides forever. Through Jesus we have been grafted into your holy family. May your people everywhere receive the Good News of Jesus Christ in ways that transform and ways that unite, for we know that through Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but only those whom you love and call by name. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): God of all mercies, your tender care is evidenced in your healing power. Grant your mercy to those who are in need this day: the wounded, lonely, oppressed, and ill. We remember particularly those who are struggling with serious trials. Grant your strength to the weak and hope to the hopeless. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(P): Into your loving hands, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your abundant mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray the prayer our Savior taught us…Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen.

Dismissal

Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

Sending Hymn “I Love to Tell the Story” LBW # 390, vs 1 – 3

I love to tell the story Of unseen things above, Of Jesus and his glory, Of Jesus and his love. I love to tell the story, Because I know its true; It satisfies my longings As nothing else would do.

(Refrain): I love to tell the story; I'll sing this theme in glory And tell the old, old story Of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story: How pleasant to repeat What seems, each time I tell it, More wonderfully sweet! I love to tell the story, For some have never heard The message of salvation From God's own holy Word. (Refrain)

I love to tell the story, For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting To hear it like the rest. And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song. I'll sing the old, old story That I have loved so long. (Refrain)

Postlude Voluntary on “Coronation”

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Announcements

Please visit the “Messages” page of our website at www.stmatthewbq.org for latest on our services or listen for our “One Call” announcements for updates and events.

Not receiving the “One Call”? Please call the office and provide a good number for our list. Thank you!

2020 Virtual VBS: “Jesus’ Instruction Book of Life” started on Monday, July 13^th and runs for 5 weeks on Facebook. The lessons will be on our private page. To register for VBS please visit our website www.stmatthewbq.org and click on the “Ministries” tab at the top, and visit “Parish Education” for information on our virtual VBS. To receive an invite to our private Facebook page, please call the office at (410)335-4210.