The Bulletin is at: 09-15-2019 – Bulletin
The Service in PDF format is at: 09-15-2019 – Service
or the service is as follows:
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
September 15, 2019
AS WE GATHER…If the Lord describes Himself in Scripture as our “Shepherd,” it follows that we, as those who belong to Him, are His “sheep.” True to our broken nature, we all wander away from our Shepherd’s provision, wrongly assuming we can find our own way. Not only can we never find our own way to lasting life, but we can find our own way only to everlasting death. We all stand in need of rescue! We all are the lost sheep who have wandered away. Thank the Shepherd for coming to your rescue. His death and resurrection are proof that He never gives up on us! He pursues His wanderers. Finding us and claiming us, He carries us home. And that’s exactly where He gathers us today: at home in His presence so that He, our Shepherd, can fill us, His sheep, with His love and mercy.
L: In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFIDENCE Psalm 23
L: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
C: He makes me to lie down in green pastures:
L: He leads me beside the still waters.
C: He restores my soul:
L: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
C: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
L: As sheep who have wandered from the Shepherd, we all have turned from the Lord in our disobedience to His commands.
C: All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
L: Confident in the pursuit of our Shepherd, Jesus, for those who wander from Him, let us confess our sins to God our Father.
A time for silent reflection upon God’s Word and personal prayers of confession
L: Together, we pray:
C: Good Shepherd, we are Your wandering people. We need You. We need Your love. We need Your forgiveness. We need Your pursuit of us all. Guide us back into the fold of Your care that we be cleansed of our sins. Create in us hearts to worship You in truth and follow Your Word, which alone gives us life. Amen.
L: In the mercy of almighty God, we are redeemed by Jesus Christ. In Him, our Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for us all, we are fully and freely forgiven. Receive this forgiveness today as you, like wandering sheep, are drawn back into His rescuing mercy. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
L: Let us pray. Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd, without whom nothing is secure. Rescue and preserve us that we may not be lost forever but follow You, rejoicing in the way that leads to eternal life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,
“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.’
The waters closed in over me to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.
When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Heaven’s joy will be great when sinners repent.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
L: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON HYMN: “Chief of Sinners Though I Be”
Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me,
Died that I might live on high, Lives that I might never die.
As the branch is to the vine, I am his and he is mine.
Oh, the height of Jesus’ love! Higher than the heav’ns above,
Deeper than the depths of sea, Lasting as eternity.
Love that found me wondrous thought – Found me when I sought him not.
Only Jesus can impart, Balm to heal the wounded heart,
Peace that flows from sin forgiv’n, Joy that lifts the soul to heav’n
Faith and hope to walk with God In the way that Enoch trod.
SERMON “In the Belly of the Fish” Vicar Dollar
C: I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
Born of the virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the
dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy Christian Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life + everlasting. Amen.
OFFERING
We offer our thanksgiving for what God has first given us: ourselves, our time, our possessions
OFFERTORY
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH Ezekiel 34:16
L: The Lord says through the His prophet: “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.”
Confident in the care of our faithful Shepherd, let us bring our thanksgivings, requests, and intercessions before our Father’s throne of grace.
Faithful Shepherd, You are so good to us. Even when we stray from Your presence through disobedience to Your commands, You bring us back into Your presence through the good news that we have received in this time of worship.
C: Grant that we treasure all we possess in the Gospel of Christ.
L: Guiding Shepherd, You lead us with Your mercy that we may dwell in Your presence forever. Salvation is found solely in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Enable us to bring the good news of His life, death, and resurrection to all souls for whom He offered His life.
C: Enable us to open our lips and declare Your wonders to the world.
L: Loving Shepherd, You care for all You have made, for all the world is Yours. Grant that those who are broken in heart, mind, and spirit find refreshment in Your presence. Open our eyes to the needs of our neighbors, for in them we see You.
C: Give us hearts to serve others with the mercy You give to us all.
L: Protecting Shepherd, You guard and bless those who take refuge in You. Watch over the land in which we live, guiding all servants among us to act justly with the wisdom from above. Enable us to dwell in security and peace. Lead all Christians to be people of worship, prayer, and service so that our communities are blessed by You through the works of our hands.
C: Send us out to represent our Savior in all we say and do.
L: Healing Shepherd, You bind up the wounds of those who suffer in both soul and body. [Today we lift up before You . . .] Whatever the need and whatever the circumstance, draw Your sheep into the fold of Your care that they receive the healing You desire for them.
C: Open our eyes to see Your healing hand at work.
L: As sheep who trust in their faithful Shepherd, we bring these prayers, along with all the unspoken prayers of our hearts, before You.
C: In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
CHOIR ANTHEM: “Come Share God’s Gift” By: Besig & Price
In friendship and love, faithful and true;
Come now and know the grace of God is all around you.
In worship and praise, honoring Him;
Come now and pray and thank Him for all He gives to you.
Come servants of the Lord and graciously receive the meal prepared for you this day.
In mem’ry of Christ, gathered in peace;
Come now and share this moment of fellowship and faith.
Let us break bread together in His name, in His name.
Let us break bread together in His name, in His name.
With our hearts joined as one, to His table
now we come and we seek forgiveness in His name.
The body of Christ, broken for you;
Take now and eat and let His spirit dwell with in you.
The blood of the Lord, shed for your sins;
Take now and drink and let His forgiveness make you new.
For all who break this bread and all who drink this cup
are joined in Christian harmony.
The gift of the Lord, offered in love;
Come now and share His promise of everlasting peace.
Come now and share God’s peace.
LORD’S PRAYER
DISTRIBUTION
Rock of Ages Cleft for Me
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood, From thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure; Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.
Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to thy cross I cling.
Naked, come to thee for dress; Helpless, look to thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown, See thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee.
Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.
2 King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the body and the blood,
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.
3 Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way;
As the Light of light, descending
From the realms of endless day,
Comes, the pow’rs of hell to vanquish,
As the darkness clears away.
4 At his feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!”
Just as I am, Without One Plea
1 Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2 Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
3 Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
4 Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
L: As our Shepherd, our Savior will lead us as we walk with Him in faith.
C: Following our Shepherd every day, let us share His mercy with all we meet.
L: The Lord bless you and keep you….
CLOSING HYMN: “I Am Trusting You, Lord Jesus”
I am trusting you, Lord Jesus,
Trusting only you;
Trusting you for full salvation,
Free and true.
I am trusting you for pardon;
At your feet I bow,
For your grace and tender mercy
Trusting now.
I am trusting you for cleansing
In the crimson flood;
Trusting you to make me holy
By your blood.
I am trusting you, Lord Jesus;
Never let me fall.
I am trusting you forever
And for all.
L: Go in Peace. Serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.