Sunday, September 6, 2020 – 8AM
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude: Meditation on “Kremser”
Welcome and Announcements
Gathering Hymn: “We Praise You, O God” – LBW # 241, vs 1- 3
Confession & Forgiveness
Greeting & Kyrie
Canticle of Praise: “Glory to God…”
Prayer of the Day
First Reading, Ezekiel 33:7-9
Psalm # 32:1-7
Second Reading, Romans 13:1-10
Holy Gospel, Matthew 18:1-20
Sermon
Hymn of the Day: “This Is My Father’s World” – LBW # 554, vs
1 - 3
Apostle’s Creed
Prayers of the Church
The Lord’s Prayer
Blessing
Dismissal
Sending Hymn: “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” - LBW # 535, vs
1 – 4
Postlude: Voluntary on “Grosser Gott”
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Service Supplement
(Congregational
responses are in bold print)
Prelude Meditation
on “Kremser”
Welcome and Announcements Pastor John
Gathering Hymn “We Praise You, O
God” LBW # 241, vs 1 – 3
We praise you, O God, our redeemer,
creator; In grateful devotion our tribute we bring. We lay it before you; we
kneel and adore you; We bless your holy name, glad praises we sing.
We worship you, God of our fathers, we
bless you; Through trial and tempest our guide you have been. When perils o'ertake us, you will not forsake us, And
with your help, O Lord, our struggles we win.
With voices united our praises we offer And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise. With you,
Lord, beside us, your strong arm will guide us. To you, our great redeemer,
forever be praise!
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…O Lord, always lead and follow us with
your grace, that we may be still more intent on doing good. Grant this, we
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 Ezekiel 33:7-9
The Lord appointed the prophet Ezekiel to be a
spiritual watchman over the people of Israel. If Ezekiel failed to warn them
about their wicked behavior, he would be responsible for them. However, if the
prophet were to warn them and they proceeded in their evil ways, he would not
be held responsible.
7“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the
house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them
warning from me. 8If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall
surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that
wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your
hand. 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does
not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have
delivered your soul.” This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.
Psalm # 32:1-7
The psalmist sang praises to the Lord because he had
experienced the wondrous forgiveness of the Lord. Blessed are those whose sins
are not held against them! When the psalmist confessed his sin, the Lord
forgave all his iniquities.
Blessed is the one
whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and
in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent,
my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat
of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to
you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my
transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Therefore let everyone who is godly offer
prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush
of great waters, they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place
for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of
deliverance.
Second
Reading Romans
13:1-10
Paul explained to the Romans
that there is no higher authority than God and that all in positions of
authority are subject to Him. Therefore, humans are not to resist civil
authority, for the civil authorities are God’s servants for the good of the
community. This includes the paying of taxes for the fulfilling of the law.
Paul urged believers to owe no one anything, but to love one another with a
holy love.
1Let every person be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist
have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the
authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur
judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in
authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4for
he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does
not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who
carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in
subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6For
because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God,
attending to this very thing. 7Pay to all what is owed to them:
taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom
respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. 8Owe no one anything,
except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not
murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment,
are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love
does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Word
of God, word of life, thanks be
to God.
Holy Gospel Matthew
18:1-20
The
Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 18th Chapter. Glory to
you, O Lord. Jesus was
asked a question by his disciples about who was the greatest in the kingdom. In
response to this question, Jesus pulled a young child onto his lap and pointed
to the child as the epitome of faith. In order to be
great in the kingdom, Jesus said we must humble ourselves like a child. Faith
is simple yet profound.
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2And calling to him a
child, he put him in the midst of them 3and said, “Truly, I say to
you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom
of heaven. 4Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven. 5Whoever receives one such child in my
name receives me, 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who
believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone
fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7Woe
to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come,
but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8And if your hand
or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for
you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown
into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it
out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than
with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. 10See that you do
not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their
angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12What do
you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does
he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that
went astray? 13And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices
over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14So
it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones
should perish. 15If your brother sins against you, go and tell him
his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your
brother. 16But if he does not listen, take one or two others along
with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three
witnesses. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.
And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile
and a tax collector. 18Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven. 19Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about
anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20For
where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” This is the
gospel of the Lord, praise to you, O
Christ.
Sermon Pastor
John
Hymn of the Day “This Is My Father’s World” LBW # 554,
vs 1 – 3
This is my Father's world, And to my list'ning ears All nature sings, and round me rings The
music of the spheres. This is my Father's world; I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders
wrought.
This is my Father's world; The birds their carols raise; The morning
light, the lily white, Declare their maker's praise. This is my Father's world;
He shines in all that's fair. In the rustling grass I
hear him pass; He speaks to me ev'rywhere.
This is my Father's world; Oh, let me ne'er forget That, though
the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world;
Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is king, let the heavens ring; God reigns,
let the earth be glad!
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.
(P):
With the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, let us pray for the church, those
in need, and all of God’s creation. A brief silence.
(W): Lord God, you have sent us into the world to be
your witnesses. You have made us watchmen over those you love. Help us to reach
out to others in your name, that they would know your mercy and lovingkindness
and would turn to you in faith. Hear us, O God. Your
mercy is great.
(W): Bring the presence of your peace into places where violence is an
everyday reality; our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, and across your
world. Bless and sustain all those who work for peace and advocate for an end
to violence. Help us to see all people
as your precious children whom you have created in love. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
(W): We pray this day for all who
suffer in body, mind, or spirit. Bring healing to the hopeless and courage to
the ill. Be present with the unemployed and underemployed, those who struggle
to make ends meet, and those who are despairing. Hear us, O God. Your
mercy is great.
(P):
Trusting in your mercy and goodness, we bring before you these prayers in the
name of the one who sets us free, 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 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” LBW # 535, vs 1 – 4
Holy God, we praise your name; Lord of
all, we bow before you. All on earth your scepter claim, All
in heav'n above adore you. Infinite your vast domain,
Everlasting is your reign.
Hark! the glad celestial hymn Angel
choirs above are raising; Cherubim and seraphim, In
unceasing chorus praising, Fill the heav'ns with
sweet accord: “Holy, holy, holy Lord!”
Lo, the apostolic train Join your sacred
name to hallow; Prophets swell the glad refrain, And the white-robed martyrs follow;
And from morn to set of sun Through the Church the song goes on.
Holy Father, holy Son, Holy Spirit,
three we name you, Though in essence only one; Undivided
God we claim you
And, adoring, bend the knee While we own the mystery.
Postlude Voluntary
on “Grosser Gott”
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Sick/Shut-in List: Will Scheler, Steve
Janowich, David Hamill, Gus Vourvoulas,
Casey Joyce, Scott Miller, Dennis Warwick, Bud Adams, Shirley Maddox, Jessica Zaruba, Rosemarie Buckingham, Jim & Joyce Glovier, Jerry Hower, Ken Krach, Jane Newberry, Jim Books, Charlotte Logue &
Irene Sifel.
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!
St. Matthew Women of the NALC Group is collecting donation for the Perry Point VA at
church until today. The items being requested are cloth masks, PPE items such
as surgical masks, face shields, etc., body wash, shampoo, bodywash/shampoo
combo bottles, body lotion, toothpaste, dental adhesive, powder, activity and
coloring books, simple crafts, paint-by-number sets. If you have any questions,
please contact Pam Keller or Ann Janowich.
Flea Market is scheduled
for Saturday, September 19th with a rain date of September 26th
from 8am to 1pm. Space rental is $10 per space and table rental is $5 per
table. If you are interested in reserving a space/table, please contact Donna
Jones at 410-335-1494. Thank you for your support in our Women’s Ministry.