The Service in PDF format is at: September 26, 2021 Service
Video of service is at: Facebook Video
Peace Lutheran Church
We welcome you in the name of the Lord Jesus. We are honored with your presence. If you do not have a church home, you are invited to join us regularly. Please introduce yourself to Pastor Jeremy Lucke or one of the Ushers as you leave today and sign the guest book in the entryway. We continue to observe the guidelines for health safety. If you have any questions, please see an usher. Everyone is welcome.
The ringing of the bell and the lighting of the Christ candle mark the beginning of our service and a time for quiet meditation, prayer and inward reflection as we begin our worship.
Children are welcome at our worship services. If you prefer, Peace Lutheran has a playroom equipped for children three years old and younger. The room is unstaffed and can be accessed in the fellowship hall where the service is also being live streamed for your convenience and enjoyment.
Holy Communion is celebrated every first and third Sunday and will follow the order of service in the bulletin. If you are a baptized Christian and share our faith in Jesus as Savior and have been instructed in the meaning and use of the Lord’s Supper, you are invited to partake. We have pre-wrapped communion wine or juice and wafers. We also have gluten-free wafers available. If you desire a gluten-free wafer, ask the server. May the body and blood of Jesus, present in the bread and wine, be a blessing to you.
There are times during the service when you will be asked to stand if you are able. Please feel free to remain seated if standing is difficult.
Serving You
Pastor Pastor Jeremy Lucke
Music Director Colleen Schulze
Choir Director Dan Johnson
Supt. Of Sunday School Brandy Stokes & Karyn Stanley
Admin Assistant Daniel Dusek
Parish Nurse Kathy Durling
Webmaster Jim Holroyd
Audio-Visual Johnathon Holroyd, George Abele, Nicholas Abele, Merv Munster, Haley Bentsen, Caleb Santora, Joyce Long, Aaron Bentsen, Oscar Gutbrod, Reese Grube, Rick Durling, Ingrid Hellesto, Jim Holroyd
Today, September 26, 2021
Musician Karyn & Nora Stanley
Ushers Tim & Trudy Ewing
Linda Schuerman
Flowers Dusek Family
Fellowship Dusek Family
AS WE GATHER… Imagine someone asking you, “Describe, if any, what your current habits, or rhythms look like when it comes to studying Scripture. What is going well and what is not going so well?” The Bible only describes one story of Jesus as a grown child – it is found in Luke 2. In this passage, Jesus is talking with and learning from the scholars about the Scriptures. The end of this passage relates that Jesus continued to grow in wisdom. We are encouraged today to join Jesus in learning about the Scriptures. This is excellent for us because it is in the Scriptures that we discover that God desires to be in a covenant relationship with us.
OPENING SONG “Here I Am to Worship”
Tim Hughes 2000 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Light of the World,
You stepped down into darkness,
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made
this heart adore you,
Hope of a life spent with You.
Chorus: So, here I am to worship,
here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You’re my God.
And You’re altogether lovely,
altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.
King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted,
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly You came
to the Earth You created,
All for love’s sake became poor.
Chorus
And I’ll never know how much it cost
to see my sin upon that cross.
And I’ll never know how much it cost
to see my sin upon the cross.
Chorus
Pastor: In the name of the Father,
People: who created the ocean and the sky, the rivers and the clouds, the rain and the snow.
Pastor: In the name of the Son,
People: who stilled the storm of the sea and quieted the thunder with his voice.
Pastor: In the name of the Spirit,
People: who hovered over the waters of creation and was present in the winds of Pentecost. Amen.
Pastor: Sometimes in life, we don’t know where to go.
People: God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Pastor: Sometimes in life, we wonder what is in store for us.
People: God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Pastor: Sometimes in life, we feel afraid and alone.
People: There is only One we can turn to. With confidence we seek the Lord today.
WE CONFESS
Pastor: Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you.”
People: “For everyone who asks receives, and those who seek find, and to each who knocks it will be opened.”
Pastor: God knows our needs before we ask and in our asking prepares us to receive the gift of his grace. Let us open our hearts to God’s healing forgiveness and forsake all that separates us from him and from one another. Let us be mindful of all personal evil done in thought, word, and deed and confess to God what has wounded others and us through our sin.
Pastor: We confess,
People: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus, Maker of all things, Judge of all people we admit and confess our sinfulness. We have turned away from you and from each other in our thoughts, words, and actions. We do repent and are truly sorry for our sins. Have mercy on us, kind Father, because of the obedience of our Brother, Jesus, your Son. Forgive us all that is past, renew us with the power of the Holy Spirit, and move us to faithful service in the kingdom of Jesus our Lord.
Pastor: Almighty God, in His boundless love sent His Son, Jesus, to die and rise for our forgiveness and eternal life. Because of Jesus, we are restored, body and soul. Therefore, by Jesus’ authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS
Pastor: Let us Pray. O God – You delight not in pomp and show, but in a humble and contrite heart. Too often in our lives we seek after knowledge as if it will solve our problems. We understand Your wisdom is what we need to guide us in our life and through our problems. Give us a heart to seek Your wisdom for our lives. We pray this in Jesus’ name.
People: Amen.
scripture lessons
FIRST LESSON: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;[a] walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram,[b] but your name shall be Abraham,[c] for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah[a] shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give[b] you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one[a] on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,[b] it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son;[c] listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.he dead.
Reader: This is the Gospel of the Lord
People: Praise to You O Christ
I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Chorus: Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will send the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
‘Til their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
SERMON
“Being in a Covenant”
People: I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
And 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.
Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Pastor: For the Church here and around the world, witnessing to the good news in Christ, that we see the worth within one another, the value our heavenly Father places on us, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For those who do not know Christ but support the work of the Church to meet people’s physical, social, and spiritual needs, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For people who serve in positions of governmental authority among the nations, for those who raise crops and tend herds, and for all who connect resources with the needs of their fellow citizens, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For all who struggle to put bread on the table and roof over their families, those who face injustice and discrimination, and all who are denied human rights, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For all near and dear to us who call out to God in their distress, (including….), let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: For ourselves, that we recognize the gifts God has placed among us by which we may care for one another and our community, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Pastor: Grant us, heavenly Father, that what we ask for in faith we may obtain through Your unfailing mercy for the sake of Your Son, Jesus, our Lord.
People: Amen.
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
Pastor: Now may the God of heaven and earth, of sky and sea, bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you, His children, and be gracious unto you. May our Creator look upon you with favor and give you peace.
People: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN “To God Be the Glory” (TOSB 241)
By: Fanny J. Crosby & William H. Doane 1971 By William J. Gaither, The Fellowship Publications
To God be the glory,
great things He has done,
So loved He the world
that He gave us His Son.
Who yielded His life
an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate
that all may go in.
Chorus: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father,
Thro’ Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory,
great things He hath done.
O perfect redemption,
the purchase of blood,
To ev’ry believer
the promise of God;
The vilest offender
who truly believes,
That moment from
Jesus a pardon receives.
Chorus
Great things He hath taught us,
great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing
thro’ Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher,
and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport,
when Jesus we see.
Chorus
Pastor: Go in Peace. Serve the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Announcements
Holiday Bazaar. The Holiday Bazaar is coming up fast on November 6th. The Ladies guild has sponsored this event for several years, but we rely on our Church family to contribute handmade items to be sold. If you craft, knit, crochet, quilt, woodwork, make jewelry, or pretty much any other skill that you have, please consider how you can help this important event. The monies collected go to local charities such as camp Lutherwood, support for a seminarian, and several other organizations. Please consider how you can help by donating, setting up/cleaning up, baking cookies, and much more. More information will come later regarding the cookie jar, basket donations, and granny’s attic. Lastly, the tickets are now on sale for the quilt hanging in the Fellowship Hall. Please see Jani B for any questions.
New Member Class. The second new member classes will be this afternoon at 3:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. The final class will be on Sunday October 10 at 3:00pm.
Fall Decorations. It’s time to decorate the inside of the church for fall. If you have pumpkins, gourds, or cornstalks that you would be willing to donate, please let Sally Stouder or Colleen Schulze know. They would be happy to come by and pick up whatever you have after you harvest.
COnfirmation Class. Confirmation class starts today at 7:00pm in the fellowship hall. This class will be offered in person and online via Zoom. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Lucke.
Interested in helping with Audio/Visual? We have an outstanding team assembled for our Sound and Audio team at Peace. We are looking to build a deeper bench for help. If you have an interest in helping out, please connect with Oscar. The more we have on the team, the more fun we have together and the more the burden is lifted to cover this important aspect of our ministry.