Sunday, October 18, 2020 - recording
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude: Meditation on “Picardy”
Welcome and Announcements
Gathering Hymn: “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” – LBW # 543,
vs 1- 4
Confession & Forgiveness
Greeting & Kyrie
Canticle of Praise: “Glory to God…”
Prayer of the Day
First Reading, Exodus 35:4-29
Psalm # 24:1-10
Second Reading, Ephesians 1:3-14
Holy Gospel, Matthew 19:16-30
Sermon
Hymn of the Day: “If You But Trust in God
to Guide You” – LBW # 453, vs 1 - 4
Apostle’s Creed
Prayers of the Church
The Lord’s Prayer
Blessing
Dismissal
Sending Hymn: “Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer” - LBW # 343, vs
1 – 3
Postlude: Voluntary on “National Hymn”
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Service Supplement
(Congregational
responses are in bold print)
Prelude Meditation
on “Picardy”
Welcome and Announcements Pastor John
Gathering Hymn “Praise to the
Lord, the Almighty” LBW # 543, vs 1
– 4
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the
King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation! Let
all who hear Now to his temple draw near, Joining in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things
is wondrously reigning And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining. Have
you not seen All that is needful has been Sent by his gracious ordaining?
Praise to the Lord, who will prosper
your work and defend you; Surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew What the Almighty can do If with his love he befriend
you.
Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that is
in me adore him! All that has life and breath, come now with praises before
him! Let the amen Sound from his people again. Gladly forever adore him!
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, thank you that your Word is true and that your promises never
fail us. Help us to understand that “little can become much” when you are
involved, that through giving of our time, talents, testimony and treasures we
become rich in you! Amen.
First Reading Exodus 35:4-29
Offerings,
materials, and laborers pour into the work site to begin the task of building
the Tabernacle. Work begins as an act of faith motivated by God’s Word.
4 Moses said to all the congregation of the
people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has
commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to
the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring
the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple
and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair, 7 tanned
rams' skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, 8 oil for
the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and
onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breast piece.
10 “Let every skillful craftsman among
you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 the
tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its
pillars, and its bases; 12 the ark with its poles, the
mercy seat, and the veil of the screen; 13 the table
with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14 the
lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil
for the light; 15 and the altar of incense, with its
poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the
screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 16 the
altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils,
the basin and its stand; 17 the hangings of the
court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the
court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the
court, and their cords; 19 the finely worked
garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron
the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”
20 Then all the congregation of the people of
Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they
came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved
him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of
meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So
they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches
and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man
dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And everyone
who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair
or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone
who could make a contribution of silver or bronze
brought it as the Lord's contribution. And everyone who possessed acacia
wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And
every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they
had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All
the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats'
hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and
stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breast piece, 28 and
spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant
incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel,
whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that
the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill
offering to the Lord. This is the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.
Psalm # 24:1-10
Those who worship the Lord need “clean hands and a
pure heart”. Sinful human beings are neither prepared nor worthy to be in God’s
presence or worship him. Yet God forgives us, covers us with Christ’s
righteousness, and enables us to worship him. This is why
worship begins with Confession of sins and Absolution. By God’s grace, we
worship with clean hands and a pure heart.
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world
and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas and established it
upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in
his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does
not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the
God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek
the face of the God of Jacob.
Lift up
your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient
doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty
in battle!
Lift up
your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory
may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the
King of glory!
Second Reading Ephesians 1:3-14
Paul directs
the Ephesians away from themselves, teaching them to trust in God’s promises in
Christ. Pride tempts us to trust in our commitment to God; doubt makes us worry
that we are not committed enough. Jesus blesses us spiritually by leading us to
repent of sinful pride by the Law and calming our worried hearts through the
Gospel.
3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in
Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even
as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he
predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus
Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to
the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the
Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of
his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and
insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according
to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a
plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in
heaven and things on earth.
11 In
him we have obtained an inheritance, having been
predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according
to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were
the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In
him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy
Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of
our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the
praise of his glory. This is the Word of God, word of life, thanks be to God.
Holy Gospel Matthew 19:16-30
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew
the 19th Chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.
We cannot earn eternal life through our good works; we
can only receive it by God’s grace. But Jesus still rewards our sacrifices and
service for Him. Trying to earn eternal life is a losing proposition. The
perfection this requires is impossible for us sinners. Through faith in Christ,
God freely gives us the gift of eternal life. And if that were not enough, He
rewards the sacrifices made for His kingdom a hundredfold!
16 And behold, a man came
up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal
life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me
about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter
life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which
ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery,
You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor
your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I
have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to
him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow
me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away
sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to
his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich
person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you,
it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich
person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the
disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be
saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and
said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then
Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What
then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I
say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious
throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And
everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or
children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and
will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who
are first will be last, and the last first. This is the gospel of the
Lord, praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon Pastor
John
Hymn of the Day “If You But Trust in God” LBW # 453, vs 1 – 4
If you but trust in God to guide you And place your confidence in him, You'll find him always
there beside you, To give you hope and strength within. For those who trust
God's changeless love Build on the rock that will not move.
What gain is there in futile weeping, In
helpless anger and distress? If you are in his care and keeping, In sorrow will
he love you less? For he who took for you a cross Will bring you safe through eve’ry loss.
In patient trust await his leisure In cheerful hope, with heart content. To take whate’er your
Father’s pleasure And all discerning love have sent; Doubt
not your inmost wants are known To him who chose us for his own.
Sing, pray, and keep his ways
unswerving, Offer your service faithfully, And trust
his word; though undeserving, You'll find his promise true to be. God never
will forsake in need The soul that trusts in him
indeed.
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): Holy God, you go before us and before those who are in positions of
leadership and governance around the world. Guide them and use their lives for
your divine purposes. Remind us of the ways in which you have accomplished your
kingdom goals through the most unlikely leaders. May your kingdom come on earth
as in heaven. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): Eternal Lord, grant us the gift of faith that we
would follow Jesus in all that we do and say. Bolster our trust in you, that we
would always look to you first and listen for your voice in our lives. Be with
all those who are struggling with faith. Let them see and know that you are the
Almighty One, the creator of all that is. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): Gracious and Loving Father, you are our hope and the one who redeems our
life. Be with all those who are hopeless, that in the darkness they would find
your light, that in their grief they would find your joy, that in their
suffering they would be drawn closer to you. Lord
in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(W): Lord of the harvest, grant a
fruitful harvest so that all may be fed and sustained. Give us hearts for those
in need, that we would offer what we have been given for their sake, and that
we would tend to their immediate needs, just as you have tended to ours. 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 “Guide Me Ever, Great Redeemer” LBW
# 343, vs 1 – 3
Guide me ever, great Redeemer, Pilgrim
through this barren land. I am weak, but you art
mighty; Hold me with your pow'rful hand. Bread of
heaven, bread of heaven, Feed me now and evermore, Feed
me now and evermore.
Open now the crystal fountain Where the
healing waters flow; Let the fire and cloudy pillar Lead me all my journey
through. Strong deliv'rer, strong deliv'rer,
Shield me with your mighty arm, Shield me with your
mighty arm.
When I tread the verge of Jordan, Bid my anxious fears subside; Death of death and hell's
destruction, Land me safe on Canaan's side. Songs and praises, songs and praises, I will raise forevermore, I will raise
forevermore.
Postlude Voluntary on “National Hymn”
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