Welcome & Announcements

Prelude

Confession and Forgiveness:
Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, who is eager to forgive and who loves us beyond our days.
Amen.

Dear friends, together let us acknowledge our failure to love this world as Jesus does.

Silence is kept for reflection.

God of mercy and forgiveness,
we confess that sin still has a hold on us.  We have harmed your good creation.  We have failed to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you.  Turn us in a new direction.  Show us the path that leads to life.  Be our refuge and strength on the journey, through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and friend.  Amen.

Beloved of God: your sins are forgiven + and you are made whole. God points the way to new life in Christ, who meets us on the road. Journey now in God’s abiding love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Opening Hymn: ELW 710  “Let Steams of Living Justice Flow”
Let streams of living justice flow down upon the earth;
give freedom’s light to captives, let all the poor have worth.
The hungry’s hands are pleading the workers claim their rights,
the mourners long for laughter, the blinded seek for sight.
Make liberty a beacon, strike down the iron power;
abolish ancient vengeance: proclaim your people’s hour.

For healing of the nations, for peace that will not end,
for love that makes us lovers, God grant us grace to mend.
Weave our varied gifts together; knit our lives as they are spun;
on your loom of time enroll us till our thread of life is run.
O great weaver of our fabric, bind church and world in one;
dye our texture with your radiance, light our colors with your sun.

Your city’s built to music; we are the stones you seek;
your harmony is language; we are the words you speak.
Our faith we find in service, our hope in others’ dreams,
our love in hand of neighbor; our homeland brightly gleams.
Inscribe our hearts with justice; your way–the path untried;
your truth–the heart of stranger; your life–the Crucicfied.

Apostolic Greeting:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.

Hymn of Praise:
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest;
glory to God, glory to God, and peach to God’s people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest;
glory to God, glory to God, and peach to God’s people on earth.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest;
glory to God, glory to God, and peach to God’s people on earth.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father, Amen.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest;
glory to God, glory to God, and peach to God’s people on earth,
and peach to God’s people on earth.

Prayer of the Day:
Let us pray.
God among us, we gather in the name of your Son to learn love for one another. Keep our feet from evil paths. Turn our minds to your wisdom and our hearts to the grace revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

First Reading: Amos 8:4-7
⁴Hear this, you that trample on the needy,   and bring to ruin the poor of the land, ⁵saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, ⁶buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”

⁷The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation:
Alleluia.  Lord, to whom shall we go?
Alleluia.  You have the words of eternal life.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13
This is the Holy Gospel according to Luke, the 16th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.

¹Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. ²So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ ³Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ ⁵So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ ⁷Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ ⁸And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. ⁹And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

¹⁰“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. ¹¹If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹²And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? ¹³No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Prayground Dedication/Children’s Message:
We praise you, O God, for water.
We praise you, O God, for water.

We need water to drink.
We need water to drink.

We need water to wash.
We need water to wash.

We need water to grow.
We need water to grow.

We praise you, O God, for water.
We praise you, O God, for water.

We praise you, O God, for baptism.
We praise you, O God, for baptism.

We praise you, O God, for your Spirit.
We praise you, O God, for your Spirit.

We praise you, O God, for water.
We praise you, O God, for water.

Amen, with water.
Amen, with water.

O God, you move through the waters to bring us life and joy within you. With this joy, we give you thanks for this new Worship Prayground. Pour out your blessing upon us, as we set apart this space to better know you. Help us be curious and excited as we praise you in this Prayground, may this always be a place where your presence is felt; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Sermon

Hymn of the Day: ELW 655 “Son of God, Eternal Savior”
Son of God, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace,
Word made flesh, whose birth among us hallows all our human race,
you our head, who, throned in glory, for your own will ever plead:
fill us with your love and pity, heal our wrong, and help our need.

As you, Lord, have lived for others, so may we for others live.
Freely have your gifts been granted; freely may your servants give.
Yours the gold and yours the silver, yours the wealth of land and sea;
we but stewards of your bounty held in solemn trust will be.

Come, O Christ, and reign among us, King of Love, and Prince of peace;
hush the storm of strife and passion, bid its cruel discords cease.
By your patient years of toiling, by your silent hours of pain,
quench our fevered thirst of pleasure, stem our selfish greed of gain.

Son of God, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace,
Word made flesh, whose birth among us hallows all our human race:
by your praying, by your willing that your people should be one,
grant, oh, grant our hope’s fruition: here on earth your will be done.

Apostle’s Creed:
Let us confess our faith using the Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession:
As scattered grains of wheat are gathered together into one bread, so let us gather our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of God’s good creation.

Prayers continue with each petition ending:

God of grace,
hear our prayer.

Gathered together in the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit, gracious God, we offer these and all our prayers to your; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.

Sharing of the Peace:
May the peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.

Offering:
https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/468062

Offertory Hymn:
Accept, O Lord, the gifts we bring to place upon your table.
We do not worship as we ought but only as we’re able.

The vines were planted, seeds were sown. They grew in your good pleasure.
What once was common, daily food becomes a holy treasure.

Our hopes and dreams, our toils and cares we lift in prayer before you.
Lord, by your grace now come to us, as humbly we adore you.

Offering Prayer:
Let us pray.
Gracious God, in your great love you richly provide for our needs. Make of these gifts a banquet of blessing, and make us ready to share with all in need; through Jesus Christ, who sets a table for all.
Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ; who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest. 
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.  Hosanna in the highest.

Holy, mighty, and merciful Lord, heaven and earth are full of your glory. In great love you sent to us Jesus, your Son, who reached out to heal the sick and suffering, who preached good news to the poor, and who, on the cross, opened his arms to all.

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Remembering, therefore, his death, resurrection, and ascension, we await his coming in glory.

Pour out upon us the Spirit of your love, O Lord, and unite the wills of all who share this heavenly food, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord; to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer:
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us saying:
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.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us peace, grant us peace.

Communion

Table Blessing:
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen.

Post-Communion Canticle:
Thankful hearts and voices raise; tell everyone what God has done.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and bear Christ’s holy name.
Send us with your promises, O God, and lead us forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving.  Alleluia

Post-Communion Prayer:
Let us pray.
God of the abundant table, you have refreshed our hearts in this meal with bread for the journey. Give us your grace on the road that we might serve our neighbors with joy; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Benediction:
God, who gives life to all things and frees us from despair, bless you with truth and peace. And may the holy Trinity, + One God, guide you always in faith, hope, and love.
Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 669 “Rise Up, O Saints of God
Rise up, O saints of God! From vain ambitions turn;
Christ rose triumphant that your hearts with nobler zeal might burn.

Speak out, O saints of God! Despair engulfs earth’s frame;
as heirs of God’s baptismal grace, the word of hope proclaim.

Rise up, O saints of God! The kingdom’s task embrace;
redress sin’s cruel consequence; give justice larger place.

Give heed, O saints of God! Creation cries in pain;
stretch forth your hand of healing now, with love the weak sustain.

Commit your hearts to seek the paths which Christ has trod,
and, quickened by the Spirit’s power, rise up, O saints of God!

Dismissal:
Go in peace with Christ beside you!
Thanks be to God!

Postlude

 

Prayer Requests:  Melissa Baumer-Spear, Dennis Rearick, Baby Ellie, Melody Erb, Larry Erb, family and friends of Colin, family and friends of Grace Yost, Kim Pham, Walt Bingaman, Mark Rabuck, Shirley Russell, Russ Wynn, Viv Marsh, Gladys Fawcett,  Alice Snyder, Marie Tanner, Peg Swinehart, Martha Ketchem, Bob Keifer.

 

Portions reprinted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, copyright 2006.  Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress, license #SBL09796L.  Music reprinted from the ELW, by permission of OneLicense, license #A712349.  Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.   Used by permission.