Welcome & Announcements

Prelude

Confession and Forgiveness:
Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, who makes all things new, whose mercy endures forever.
Amen.

Trusting in God’s mercy, let us confess our sin.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy one, source of our renewal,
we confess that we are wrapped up in sin, and cannot free ourselves.  We have not practiced your righteousness.  Our hearts have turned away from you.  For the sake of the world you so love, forgive us, that we may be reconciled to one another for the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Thus says our God: “The former things have come to pass and new things I now declare.” God’s mercy makes us new. We are forgiven in the name of + Christ our Savior.
Amen.

Opening Hymn: ELW 662 “Christ Is the King!”

Christ is the king! O friends, rejoice;brothers and sisters, with one voice
let the world know he is your choice. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Oh, magnify the Lord, and raise anthems of joy and holy praise
for Christ’s brave saints of ancient days. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

O Christian women, Christian men, all the world over, seek again
the Way disciples followed then. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Let Love’s all reconciling might your scattered companies unite
in service to the God of light. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

So shall the church at last be one; so shall God’s will on earth be done,
new lamps be lit, new tasks begun. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

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 be to Gob in heaven; peace, goodwill to all the earth.  Mighty God of all creation, Father of surpassing worth: we exalt you, we adore you, we lift high our thanks and praise.

Glory be to Christ forever, Lamb of God and Lord of love.  Son of God and gracious Savior, you have come from heaven above; on the cross you died to save us; now you reign at God’s right hand.

Holy One we now acclaim you; Lord alone, to you we call; Holy One in faith we name you, God most high, yet near to all: Jesus Christ, with God the Spirit, in the Father’s splendor bright.

Prayer of the Day:
Let us pray.
O God, the strength of all who hope in you, because we are weak mortals we accomplish nothing good without you. Help us to see and understand the things we ought to do, and give us grace and power to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
¹And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. ²I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, ³for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? ⁴For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?

⁵What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. ⁹For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

Gospel Acclamation:
Alleluia! Lord and Savior: open now your saving word.
Let it burn like fire within us; speak until our hearts are stirred.
Alleluia! Lord, we sing for the good news that you bring.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:21-37
This is the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, the 5^th chapter.
Glory to you, O Lord.

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

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

Children’s Message

Sermon

Hymn of the Day: ELW 772 “Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways”
Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways to keep his statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant me grace to know and do his will!

Order my footsteps by your word and make my heart sincere;
let sin have no dominion, Lord, but keep my conscience clear.

Assist my soul, too apt to stray, a stricter watch to keep;
and should I e’er forget your way, restore your wand’ring sheep.

Make me to walk in your commands, ’tis a delightful road;
nor let my head or heart or hands offend against my God.

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:
Called together to follow Jesus, we pray for the church, the world, and all in need.

Prayers continue with each petition ending:

Merciful God,
receive our prayer.

We bring to you our needs and hopes, O God, trusting your wisdom and power revealed in Christ crucified.
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:
Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord, and fill to the brim our cups of blessing.
Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown, that we may be fed with the bread of life.
Gather the hopes and dreams of all; united them with the prayers we offer now.
Grace our table with your presence, and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.

Offering Prayer:
Let us pray.
Liberating God, you break the bonds of injustice and let the oppressed go free. Receive these offerings in thanksgiving for all your works of merciful power, and shape us as people of your justice and freedom. You we magnify and adore, through Jesus our Savior.
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, 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.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, you have brought us this far along the way. In times of bitterness you did not abandon us, but guided us into the path of love and light. In every age you sent prophets to make known your loving will for all humanity. The cry of the poor has become your own cry; our hunger and thirst for justice is your own desire. In the fullness of time, you sent your chosen servant to preach good news to the afflicted, to break bread with the outcast and despised, and to ransom those in bondage to prejudice and sin.

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 all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Remembering, therefore, his death and resurrection, we await the day when Jesus shall return to free all the earth from the bonds of slavery and death. Come, Lord Jesus! And let the church say, Amen!
Amen!

Send your Holy Spirit, our advocate, to fill the hearts of all who share this bread and cup with courage and wisdom to pursue love and justice in all the world. Come, Spirit of freedom! And let the church say, Amen!
Amen!

Join our prayers and praise with your prophets and martyrs of every age, that, rejoicing in the hope of the resurrection, we might live in the freedom and hope of your Son. Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer:
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.

O Lamb of God, you bear the sin of all the world away; you suffered death our lives to save: have mercy now, we pray.  O Lamb of God, you bear the sin of all the world away; you set us free from guilt and grave: have mercy now, we pray.  O Lamb of God, you bear the sin of all the world away; eternal peace with God you made: give us your peace, we pray.

Communion

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

Post-Communion Canticle:
O Lord, now let your servant depart in heavenly peace, for I have seen the glory of your redeeming grace: a light to lead the nations unto your holy hill, the glory of your people, your chosen Israel.

Post-Communion Prayer:
Let us pray.
Holy One, we thank you for the healing that springs forth abundantly from this table. Renew our strength to do justice, love kindness, and journey humbly with you.
Amen.

Benediction:
The God who faithfully brings forth justice and breaks the oppressor’s rod + bless, strengthen, and uphold you, today and always.
Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 818 “O Master Let Me Walk with You”
O Master, let me walk with you in lowly paths of service true;
tell me your secret; help me bear the strain of toil, the fret of care.

Help me the slow of heart to move by some clear, winning word of love;
teach me the wayward feet to stay, and guide them in the homeward way.

Teach me your patience; share with me a closer, dearer company,
in work that keeps faith sweet and strong, in trust that triumphs over wrong,

In hope that sends a shining ray far down the future’s broad’ning way,
in peace that only you can give; with you, O Master, let me live.

Dismissal:
Go in peace. Follow in the way of Jesus.
Thanks be to God!

Postlude

 

Prayer Requests:
William Clewell, Loren, Ken Criswell, Robert Becker, Laurel Hertz, Amanda Galer, Peggy Dugan, Family and friends of Gladys Fawcett, Martha Ketchem, Susan Dinsmore, family and friends of Rev. Jim Fladland, Jason Russell, Annette Baker, family and friends of Jean Pfirman, Betsy Thomas, Dale Strassner, Alec Brock, Rusty, Shirley Russell, Russ Wynn, Viv Marsh, Alice Snyder, Peg Swinehart, 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.