The Bulletin is at: 10-20-2019 – Bulletin
The Service in PDF format is at: 10-20-20190 – Service
or the service is as follows:
NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
October 20, 2019
AS WE GATHER…The last lines of today’s Gospel offer us a sober and haunting question: When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth? The problem does not lie with a God who wavers in His love for us but with our own fickle hearts, our doubts and fears. Today the Lord calls us to persist in the faith and to endure the struggles and sorrows of this life with confidence that God is on our side. As we look up to the cross that adorns our sanctuary, we see there the unmistakable sign of God’s love, affection, and saving will. Therefore, we will pray with confidence and will not lose heart, for the Lord will keep His promises.
CHORAL OPENING: “Faith to Carry On”
At the break of day, as I waken and pray,
I can feel that God is near guiding all I do,
ever faithful and true; I will never need to fear.
Though I may not understand all the things that God has planned,
In my heart I know I am not alone; God will give me strength to carry on.
Though I never know what the future may hold or the trials I may face,
I can ease my mind with the comfort I find
In the promise of God’s grace.
When there’s sadness in my heart and my life seems torn apart,
I will find a way to rejoice each day. God will give me hope to carry on.
When the storms of life surround you, You will feel God’s arms around you
Bringing comfort where there’s sorrow, giving hope to face tomorrow.
At the break of day, as you waken and pray,
Always know that God is near guiding all you do,
Ever faithful and true; you will never need to fear.
Let each moment that you live be a chance to love and give.
If you always start with a joyful heart, God will give you strength;
God will give you hope; God will give you faith to carry on.
L: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
WE CONFESS
L: Holy and gracious God,
C: I confess that I have sinned against You this day. Some of my sin I know—the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed—but some is known only to You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask forgiveness. Deliver me, O Lord, according to Your mercy and steadfast love and restore me that I may rest in Your peace. Amen.
PROCLAMATION OF FORGIVENESS
L: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us and given to us His only Son to suffer and die for our salvation. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who has begun this good work in us bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ
C: Amen.
SONG OF PRAISE: “Praise to the Lord” TOSB 172
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;
O my soul, praise him for he is thy health and salvation;
All ye who hear, Now to his temple draw near,
Joining in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustain eth:
Hast thou not see How thy desires have been
Granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper they work and defend thee;
Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee:
Ponder a new What the Almighty can do
Who with his love doth befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath come now with praises before him!
Let the amen Sound from his people a gain:
Gladly for ever adore him.
L: Let us pray. O Almighty God, You have promised that as often as we pray, You will hear and answer us according to Your gracious will. Teach us to be persistent in prayer, to live in confident faith before You, and to rest our lives and our hope in Your everlasting promises; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, with whom You and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, both now and forevermore.
C: Amen.
Continue in what you have learned and believed.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
R: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God
Always pray and do not lose heart.
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON HYMN: “Sweet Hour of Prayer” TOSB 198
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, thy wings shall m y petition bear,
To him whose truth and faithfulness engage the waiting soul to bless;
And since he bids me seek his face, believe his word and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care, and wait, for thee, sweet hour of prayer.
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, may I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height, I view my home, and take my flight;
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise to seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing thro’ the air, farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.
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 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
OFFERTORY
L: Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord has urged us to be persistent in prayer on behalf of ourselves and all people as they have need, and He has promised to answer, so let us pray.
Almighty God, Your Son encouraged us to be diligent in prayer, and Paul called on us to pray without ceasing. Hear the prayers of Your people for the sake of Your Son, and grant Your blessing to all who come before You on bended knee. Lord, in Your mercy.
C: hear our prayer.
L: Almighty God, You have promised to protect, defend, and prosper Your Church through Your Word. Give us wise and faithful pastors who will preach Your Word without constraint and open our ears and hearts to hear and believe it. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: Almighty God, You hold accountable all those who govern and lead Your people. Bless, guide, and instruct our president, Congress, governor, and all in authority that they govern according to Your will and purpose for the cause of peace among the nations, for the common good of all. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: Almighty God, You carry the burdens of us all in Your Son, who was wounded for our transgressions. Deliver the sick from illness, the suffering from their pain, the troubled from their distress, and the dying from fear, [especially . . .]. Give us courage and strength in our afflictions that we trust in Your promise and await Your promised healing with patience. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: Almighty God, You have promised never to abandon Your children. Give us such confidence in Your gracious will that we not abandon You in times of test, grow weary when hope is tried, or listen with itching ears to the false voices who would entice us. Help us always and in all things to hold on to Your promises with joy and thanksgiving. Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
L: Almighty God, You know our frailty and our weakness, that we do not always know how to pray or what to pray for, so grant us all things good and profitable for our salvation. Deliver from us all things harmful; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom all glory, honor, and worship are Yours, holy Father, in the unity of the Spirit, now and forever.
C: Amen.
EXPLANATION OF COMMUNION:
Communion is about us coming together, as the Church of God, and receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus together. It is a shared experience that brings us together, both to God and to each other. Before Pastor Lucke’s departure, he consecrated the Bread and the Wine in preparation for today. Today we celebrate Jesus’ gifts to us in His Body and Blood, remembering that the communion we have with each other in Christ crosses all boundaries of distance and time. To prepare our hearts for this Sacrament, we read from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1st Corinthians 11:23-26
LORD’S PRAYER
Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me TOSB 181
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, save me from its guilt and pow’r.
Not the labor 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 hands 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 my
Eyes shall close in death, which I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of
Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.
Great is Thy Faithfulness TOSB 55
“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.
“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!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness mercy and love.
“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!
“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!
What a Friend We have in Jesus TOSB 246
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations, is there trouble any where?
We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who with all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In his arms he’ll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.
CLOSING HYMN: “Christ be My Leader”
Christ be my leader by night as by day;
Safe through the darkness, for He is the way.
Gladly I follow, my future His care;
Darkness is daylight when Jesus is there.
Christ be my teacher in age as in youth,
Drifting or doubting, for He is the truth.
Grant me to trust Him; Though shifting as sand,
Doubt cannot daunt me; in Jesus I stand.
Christ be my savior in calm as in strife;
Death cannot hold me, for He is the life.
Nor darkness not doubting nor sin and its stain
Can touch my salvation: with Jesus I reign.