Sunday, October 11, 2020 – 8AM & 10AM Services
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude: Meditation on “Garden”
Welcome and Announcements
Gathering Hymn: “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee” – LBW # 492,
vs 1- 4
Confession & Forgiveness
Greeting & Kyrie
Canticle of Praise: “Glory to God…”
Prayer of the Day
First Reading, 1 Chronicles 29:10-25
Psalm # 145:13-21
Second Reading, 2 Corinthians 8:8, 16-24
Holy Gospel, Luke 6:37-45
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: “On Our Way Rejoicing” - LBW # 260, vs 1 – 2
Postlude: Voluntary on “Webb”
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Service Supplement
(Congregational
responses are in bold print)
Prelude Meditation
on “Garden”
Welcome and Announcements Pastor John
Gathering Hymn “O Master, Let Me
Walk with Thee” LBW # 492, vs 1
– 4
O Master, let me walk with you In lowly paths of service
true; Tell me your secret; help me bear The strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move By some clear, winning word of love; Teach me the wayward
feet to stay, And guide them in the homeward way.
Teach me your patience; share with me A
closer, dearer company, In work that keeps faith sweet
and strong, In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray Far
down the future's broad'ning way. In peace that only
you can give; With you, O Master, let me live.
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…Lord Jesus, we give you
thanks for your unfailing faithfulness towards us. Open our hearts, open our minds and open our hands to your overflowing generosity
towards us! Holy Spirit teach us how to be generous people and stewards of your
tender mercies and keep us steadfast in your Word. Amen.
First Reading 1 Chronicles 29:10-25
This is David’s prayer before the assembly. At the
close of a remarkable life, David gives all the glory to the Lord of Israel
alone and commits his people to the Lord’s care. A foundational principle of
God’s generosity, which inspires our generosity and our trust that the Lord
will continue to supply our needs even as we give up what we have.
10 Therefore David blessed
the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David
said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever
and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the
power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the
heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you
are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor
come from you, and you rule over all. In your
hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to
make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we
thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that
we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of
your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before
you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth
are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our
God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your
holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I
know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in
uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these
things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely
and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the
hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 Grant
to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your
testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the
palace for which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the
assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly
blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and
paid homage to the Lord and to the king. 21 And
they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt
offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with
their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 And
they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness. This
is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.
Psalm # 145:13-21
God is the King,
and His kingdom is universal, extending to all His creation, through all
generations and into eternity. God provides for and sustains His creation.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your
dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his
words and kind in all his works.
The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all
who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their
food in due season.
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every
living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all
his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who
call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also
hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the
wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let
all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Second
Reading 2
Corinthians 8:8, 16-24
Paul leads a great money gathering effort, he takes
care that clergy and laity work together to ensure that the Church’s financial
dealings are untainted by scandal. Thanks be to God for His gift of willing
servants, who distribute the life-giving Gospel in all their service in Christ.
8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the
earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.
16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of
Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he
not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very
earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With him
we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his
preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has
been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act
of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord
himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course
so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being
administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is
honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And
with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found
earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his
great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my
partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are
messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So
give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you
to these men. This is the
Word of God, word of life, thanks be
to God.
Holy Gospel Luke
6:37-45
The
Holy Gospel according to St. Luke the 6th Chapter. Glory to you,
O Lord.
Jesus teaches
the disciples to judge mercifully and lead faithfully. We can never outgrow our
good teacher, who by grace judged and declared us not guilty while we were yet
dead in our sins. His grace in our lives; measured, pressed, and shaken, always
runs over.
37 “Judge not, and you will
not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and
you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will
be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,
will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be
measured back to you.”
39 He also told them a
parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a
pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone
when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's
eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me
take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log
that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the
log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck
that is in your brother's eye. 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.
(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): Shepherding God, grant that we
would hear your voice and follow you, trusting in your protection and leading
in our lives. Give us the ability to discern your voice amidst all the other
voices in the world that seek to lure us away from you and your flock. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): God of
life, we ask for your care and watchful eye to be on all those who are first
responders. Give them the ability to think quickly and act adeptly as they
rescue those in danger. Protect them from harm as they serve those in need. Lord
in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): God our ever-present help, our rock and our salvation, deepen our faith in your promise of
salvation. May your grace have free reign among us that we might be emboldened
to witness to your saving grace in our homes, our communities, and to all
nations. We trust in you, that will give us the words we need when
opportunities arise. Lord
in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): God you are our shield and our strength. Be our protector in all the
uncertainty and tragedy of life. Pour out your healing upon all who are sick or
suffering. Keep us mindful that no evil can win the day for through the cross
of your dear Son, Jesus, the kingdom is ours forever. 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 “On
Our Way Rejoicing” LBW
# 260, vs 1 – 2
On our way rejoicing Gladly let us go. Christ our Lord has
conquered; Vanquished is the foe. Christ without, our safety; Christ within,
our joy; Who, if we be faithful, Can our hope destroy?
(Refrain):
On our way rejoicing; As we forward move, Hearken to our praises, O blest God
of love!
Unto God the Father Joyful songs we sing; Unto God the Savior Thankful
hearts we bring; Unto God the Spirit Bow we and adore, On
our way rejoicing Now and evermore. (Refrain)
Postlude Voluntary
on “Webb”
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First Communion Classes will start today
at 9:45am in person in the Education Building. The classes will run for six
consecutive weeks. First Communion Sunday will be held on Sunday, November 29th
at the 11am service. If your child is in 4th grade or higher and has
not taken communion yet, please feel free to join our class. Parents are
invited and encouraged to attend the classes. If you have any questions or need
additional information, please feel free to contact the office.
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!
Services at St. Matthew: We will be
holding all of our services here on the grounds of St.
Matthew for the rest of the fall and winter seasons. We will continue with the
8am and 10am services until October 11th with the 8am service inside
and the 10am service outside. On October 18th, we will go to three
services all inside. The times will be 8am, 9:30am, and 11am. We will require
masks and social distancing at all three services.
Fellowship for St. Matthew: With 100% of
our services moving inside, we are asking for thoughts on between service
fellowship. Please contact Irene with your constructive thoughts. Please call
the office for Irene’s contact information.
Annual Congregational Meeting will be held
on Sunday, November 1st after late service. This meeting will be
held outside, weather permitted. We have reserved Sunday, November 8th
as a rain date. Due to the virus, we will not hold the meeting inside unless
all outside options are extinguished.
Two Constitutional Amendments will be voted on
at our Annual Congregational Meeting this November. At the NALC Convocation in
August, they voted to change the Annual Convocation to a Biennial Convocation,
which requires a vote from each congregation in the NALC. There is also a
change to the process of determining the number of delegates that each
congregation is allowed. Please pick up an informational packet on the proposed
amendments. If you have questions on the amendments, please feel free to
contact Pastor John.