Sunday, October 1st
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word TLH 16
Blessed Jesus, at Thy word
We are gathered all to hear Thee;
Let our hearts and souls be stirred
Now to seek and love and fear Thee,
By Thy teachings, sweet and holy,
Drawn from earth to love Thee solely.
All our knowledge, sense, and sight
Lie in deepest darkness shrouded
Till Thy Spirit breaks our night
With the beams of truth unclouded.
Thou alone to God canst win us;
Thou must work all good within us.
Glorious Lord, Thyself impart,
Light of Light, from God proceeding;
Open Thou our ears and heart,
Help us by Thy Spirit's pleading;
Hear the cry Thy people raises,
Hear and bless our prayers and praises.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Praise to Thee and adoration!
Grant that we Thy Word may trust
And obtain true consolation
While we here below must wander,
Till we sing Thy praises yonder.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Psalm 68:1, 3, 19–20, 34–35
Pastor: God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate Him shall flee before Him!
People: But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!
Pastor: Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.
People: Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
Pastor: Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.
People: Awesome is God from His sanctuary; the God of Israel—He is the one who gives power and strength to His people. Blessed be God!
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Let us humble ourselves before God, confess our sins to Him, and ask His gracious forgiveness.
People: We now confess to God Almighty, before the whole company of heaven and before one another, that we are sinful human beings by nature and by deed. We have not always put God first and have too much followed the desires of our own hearts. We have used His holy name in ways that do not honor Him. We have been careless in our devotion and have not always honored those in authority over us. We have done violence to others in word and deed and have not always kept our thoughts, words, and deeds pure and honorable. We have taken what is not ours and have spoken that which is not helpful or true. We have wished for that which is not rightfully ours and have not put the best construction on all things and on all people. We pray God to have mercy on us, to forgive us all our sins, and to bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
Pastor: Spare them, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent, according to Your promises declared in Jesus Christ, our Lord. The almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, forgiveness, and remission of all our sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN Crown Him with Many Crowns TLH 341 vs 1, 3-5
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heav’nly anthem drowns all music but its own!
Awake my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King thro’ all eternity.
Crown Him the Lord of Love! Behold His hands and side
Rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his wond’ring eye at mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of Life! Who triumphed o’er the grave;
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of heav’n! Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, For He is King of all.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Almighty God, You exalted Your Son to the place of all honor and authority. Enlighten our minds by Your Holy Spirit that, confessing Jesus as Lord, we may be led into all truth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32
(The prophet gives words of warning.)
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? 3 As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”
EPISTLE Philippians 2:1–18
(Christians are to look to the interests of others.)
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 21:23–27 (Jesus and the elders.)
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Thy Word CH 184
Refrain: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
When I feel afraid, and I think I’ve lost my way,
|Still You’re there right beside me.
Nothing will I fear as long as You are near.
Please be near me to the end. (Refrain)
I will not forget Your love for me, and yet
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus, be my guide and hold me to Your side;
I will love You to the end. (Refrain)
SERMON
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Gathered as God’s people in supplication, let us pray for the whole Church.
Gracious Father, we beseech You for Your Holy Church. Fill it with all truth and peace. Where it is in error, reform it; where it is in need, supply it; where it is right, strengthen and confirm it; and where it is in conflict, heal its divisions. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Let us pray for the world in which we live.
Lord of all the worlds that are, Savior of mankind, we pray for the whole creation. Order the unruly powers, crush every tyranny, rebuke injustice, feed and satisfy the nations that we, laboring as Your people, may enjoy the good world that You have made and bring glory to Your name. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Let us pray for the sick and the sorrowing.
O God of all comfort, we commend to You all who are afflicted in any way, [especially . . .]. Grant them the consolations they need and assure them that nothing can separate them from Your love. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Let us pray for our students and all places of learning; let us also pray for friends and family.
O God our Father, bless all our students and teachers and the places where they learn. Inspire and encourage teachers and school administrators with a sense of purpose and responsibility that all may grow in grace. Bless those whom we love and enable us to love those whom You have blessed, that, drawing close to You, we may be drawn closer to one another. With gratefulness, we remember the saints who have gone before us and now are in Your eternal care. Teach us to follow in their ways of faith. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Almighty God, since You have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications to You and have promised to hear us, fulfill our petitions as may be best for us according to Your grace and mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
People: Amen