First Service
EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Living a New Life
August 3, 2025
AS WE GATHER
Golfers enjoy getting a mulligan—a free shot or do-over. As we look back on our lives, we sometimes see times that we wish we could go back to and have a mulligan. We would like to be able to go back and make a different decision or fix a mistake we made. We cannot turn back time. God gives us something better. He gives us a new life—a fresh start that we get to celebrate every day as we remember our Baptism and the riches God gives us.
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN God Himself is Present TLH 4
God Himself is present: Let us now adore Him
And with awe appear before Him.
God is in His temple--All within keep silence,
Prostrate lie with deepest reverence.
Him alone God we own, Him, our God and Savior;
Praise His name forever.
God Himself is present: Hear the harps resounding;
See the hosts the throne surrounding!
"Holy, holy, holy"--Hear the hymn ascending,
Songs of saints and angels blending.
Bow Thine ear To us here: Hear, O Christ, the praises
That Thy Church now raises.
O Thou Fount of blessing, Purify my spirit,
Trusting only in Thy merit. Like the holy angels,
Who behold Thy glory, May I ceaselessly adore Thee.
Let Thy will Ever still Rule Thy Church terrestrial
As the hosts celestial.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES
Pastor: 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.
People: He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
Pastor: Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
People: It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.
Pastor: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
People: The First Commandment reminds us, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Pastor: Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
People: On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Almighty God,
People: You are the giver of everything we have. Yet, we are guilty of coveting the possessions, experiences, and social standing of others. We sin by valuing these things above You. For Jesus’ sake, forgive our sins. Renew us in Your knowledge and conform us to Your image by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). We receive the riches of God’s forgiveness because of Jesus. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE Great Is Thy Faithfulness CH 139 vs 1 & 3
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not.
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Refrain: Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow –
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside! (Refrain)
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Lord Jesus, You have set us free and made us a new creation, renewed in knowledge after the image of our creator. Empower us to live this new life in our families, with our friends, and to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in all the riches You graciously give us; for You reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12–14; 2:18–26 (Enjoying your work is a gift from God.)
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
EPISTLE Colossians 3:1–11 (Live as the people you are in Christ.)
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
HOLY GOSPEL Luke 12:13–21 (Trust in the Giver of all that is good.)
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Take My Life and Let it Be TLH 400
Take my life and let it 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 Every power 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.
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: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Lord of Glory, You created this world and everything in it, and You continue to rule over it. We praise and thank You for being our Good Shepherd who daily and richly provides for us. Thank You for laying down Your life for us and taking it back up again. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Almighty God, we praise and thank You for all the blessings You generously give us. We thank You for our families, friends, opportunities, vocations, and possessions. Lead us to be good stewards of all that You place into our hands. Guard our hearts against selfishness, arrogance, and pride. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Gracious God, You promised Abram that You would bless him to be a blessing. We, too, are truly blessed as we freely receive the riches of Your kingdom. We praise and thank You for the riches of Your Word and the forgiveness we graciously receive at Your Table. Empower us by Your love to care for the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the needy. We pray now for all who are struggling in body, mind, and spirit, [especially . . .]. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Glorious Lord, we praise and thank You for calling us by the Gospel, enlightening us with Your gifts, and sanctifying and keeping us in the one true faith. We pray for those in our families, workplaces, and neighborhoods who are near to us but far from You. Pour Your love, mercy, and grace into their lives and bring them to faith in You. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Lord Jesus, we lift these prayers to You, trusting in Your mercy to hear and answer us according to Your good and gracious will. In Your glorious name, we pray.
People: Amen.