St. Matthew Lutheran Church

Sunday, October 4, 2020 - recording

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Prelude: Meditation on “Melita”

Welcome and Announcements

Gathering Hymn: “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” LBW # 293, vs 1- 4

Confession & Forgiveness

Greeting & Kyrie

Canticle of Praise: “Glory to God…”

Prayer of the Day

First Reading, Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalm # 80:7-19

Second Reading, Philippians 3:4b-14

Holy Gospel, Matthew 21:33-46

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: “Glories of Your Name Are Spoken” - LBW # 358, vs 1 – 4

Postlude: Voluntary on “Austria”

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Service Supplement

(Congregational responses are in bold print)

Prelude                                             Meditation on “Melita”

 

Welcome and Announcements            Pastor John

 

Gathering Hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” LBW # 293, vs 1 – 4

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, 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, his blood Sustain me in the raging flood; When all supports are washed away, He then is all my hope and stay. (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 the throne! (Refrain)

 

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…Generously pardon and give peace to your faithful people, O Lord, that being cleansed from every sin, we may be free and glad to serve; 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 5:1-7

The Lord lamented that Israel and Judah have gone astray and likens them to a beautiful vineyard planted with great love and hope. When the grapes came on the vines, they were not what the vine-grower expected; instead, they were wild and unruly. The Lord threatened to tear the vineyard down because of its wild yield.

 

1Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry! This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.

 

Psalm # 80:7-19

The Lord brought a vine out of Egypt and planted it in ground that was cleared specifically for this precious vine. The psalmist lamented that the Lord had broken down the protective walls around the vine, making it susceptible to enemies who take its fruit for their own use. “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!”

 

Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

You have brought a vine out of Egypt; you cast out the nations and planted it.

You prepared the ground for it; it took root and filled the land.

The mountains were covered by its shadow and the towering cedar trees by its boughs.

You stretched out its tendrils to the sea and its branches to the river.

Why have you broken down its wall, so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes?

The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it, and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it.

Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven; behold and tend this vine; preserve what your right hand has planted.

They burn it with fire like rubbish; at the rebuke of your countenance let them perish.

Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

And so will we never turn away from you; give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

 

Second Reading                                 Philippians 3:4b-14

Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, explaining that though he suffered for his faith in Christ, anything he lost he considers nothing but gain because of his increasing knowledge of Jesus Christ. He reiterated that righteousness comes not from pedigree, education, or circumstance, but solely through Christ by faith.

 

4bIf anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — 10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. This is the Word of God, word of life, thanks be to God.

 

Holy Gospel                                       Matthew 21:33-46

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 21st Chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.

 

Jesus told a story about a vineyard where wicked tenants beat and killed the vineyard owner’s servants as they came to collect the harvest of fruit. The owner of the vineyard then sent his son. In an allegory of Jesus’ own death, when the wicked tenants identified the son, they killed him in an attempt to claim the vineyard.

 

33Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” 42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. 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.

 

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): Strengthen and sustain all congregations who gather around your Word and Sacrament and venture forth to bring the Good News of your redemption to all. May we be humble in our serving, counting all as loss which we do for ourselves and all as gain that Christ does in our lives. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): Lord of creation, may the fields yield a fruitful harvest and bring forth an abundance so that all may find sustenance from the bounty of the earth. Feed those around the world that have little or nothing to eat; provide assistance to teach people to grow food and feed their children. Make us generous to all who are hungry. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): God of love, we love because you have first loved us. Grant strength to all married couples that their lives would be a blessing to those around them and that they would model your love for your people as they live with you in the center of their lives. For those who are preparing for marriage, give them a clear sense of purpose for their lives and a life-long love and commitment to sustain them. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(W): Heavenly Father, we pray for all who suffer with illness or pain. Restore them to health and wholeness and surround them with compassionate caregivers who remind them of your love, mercy, and never-failing presence. 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  Glories of Your Name are Spoken” LBW # 358, vs 1 – 4

Glories of your name are spoken, Zion, city of our God; He whose word cannot be broken Formed you for his own abode. On the Rock of Ages founded, What can shake your sure repose? With salvation's walls surrounded, You may smile at all your foes.

 

See, the streams of living waters, Springing from eternal love, Well supply your sons and daughters, And all fear of want remove. Who can faint, while such a river Ever will their thirst assuage? Grace which, like the Lord, the giver, Never fails from age to age.

 

Round each habitation hov'ring, See the cloud and fire appear For a glory and a cov'ring, Showing that the Lord is near. Thus deriving from their banner Light by night and shade by day, Safe they feed upon the manna Which God gives them on their way.

 

Savior, since of Zion's city I through grace a member am, Let the world deride or pity, I will glory in Your name. Fading are the worldlings' pleasures All their boasted pomp and show; Solid joys and lasting treasures None but Zion's children know.

 

Postlude                                            Voluntary on “Austria”

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