Ezekiel on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, fresco by Michelangelo (1508 to 1512)

Transcription

1 Ezekiel on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, fresco by Michelangelo (1508 to 1512) Seventh Sunday after Pentecost July 8, 2018 Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church 460 West Annapolis Street - West Saint Paul, MN Church Office: (651) Fax: (651) stjlc@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Michael Albrecht malbrecht@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Richard Stadler rstadler@saintjameslutheran.com Tom Rowland Organist & Choir Director trowland5726@comcast.net Pastor Dale Critchley dcritchley@saintjameslutheran.com Terese Thune Youth Director tthune@saintjameslutheran.com Shirley Hess Parish Nurse shrlhess@gmail.com

2 WELCOME TO WORSHIP! Seventh Sunday after Pentecost July 8, 2018 How long has it been since you read the book of Ezekiel? The prophet Ezekiel was born into a priestly family, and was deported from Jerusalem to Babylon seven years before the Babylonians destroyed the Temple. Ezekiel received his call to preach and write while he was living in Babylon. God warned Ezekiel not to expect the rebellious house of Israel to accept his message. What does Ezekiel have to say to us today? GUESTS AND VISITORS, we are delighted that you are worshiping with us today! Please take a moment to fill out a Welcome, Guest card which can be found on the table at the top of the stairs. For every guest who completes this form, Saint James will donate $5 to the Neighbor s Food Shelf. You are always welcome here at Saint James. LARGE PRINT COPIES OF THE SERVICE ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NARTHEX. SPECIAL POCKET HEARING SYSTEMS are available from the ushers for anyone desiring an amplified broadcast of the service. PREPARING FOR WORSHIP You are invited to ponder Psalm 126, which can be found on page 113 in the front of the hymnal. THE NURSERY is not staffed but is available for parents who have young children who become noisy or restless during the service. We are thankful for families who teach their children to worship by bringing them to church. When your little ones become noisy, feel free to take them to the narthex or the nursery to settle them down. The service can be seen and heard on TV in the narthex. 2

3 THE ORDER OF SERVICE PRESERVICE HYMN SING: This is your chance to request your favorite hymn. MISSION TRIP COMMISSIONING: Youth and Leaders GATHERING HYMN: Christian Worship #221 Blessed Jesus, at Your Word Tobias Clausnitzer was born in Saxony, probably on February 5, After studying at various universities, and finally at the University of Leipzig (where he graduated M.A. in 1643), he was appointed chaplain to a Swedish regiment in In that capacity he preached the thanksgiving sermon in St. Thomas's Church at Leipzig, on Reminiscere Sunday (Second Sunday in Lent) in 1645 on the accession of Christina as Queen of Sweden. He also preached the thanksgiving sermon at the field service held by command of General Wrangel at Weiden, on January 1, 1649, after the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia, which finally brought the Thirty Years War to an end. In 1649 he was appointed first pastor at Weiden, and remained there until his death on May 7, The opening line of this hymn is engraved on the Clausnitzer memorial that hangs in the Saint Ann Church in Thum, the town where he was born. Those able, please stand for the stanza 4 PASTORAL GREETING: Pastor Albrecht THE SERVICE OF THE WORD: Christian Worship, pages PRAYER OF THE DAY Please be seated PSALM OF THE DAY: Christian Worship, page 113 Psalm 126 OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Ezekiel 2:1-5 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you." As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I listened to the one who was speaking to me. He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled When God called Ezekiel to be His prophet, first Ezekiel saw a vision (described in chapter one), then he heard a voice speaking to him. 3

4 against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this day. The descendants are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says.' Whether they listen or refuse to listen -- for they are a rebellious house -- they will know that a prophet has been among them. Reading Response P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! P: Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Alleluia! C: (sing) Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The Apostle Paul saw visions and revelations from the Lord. He also received his thorn in the flesh. This sounds similar to Ezekiel s call to be a prophet. EPISTLE LESSON: II Corinthians 12:1-10 Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don't know; God knows. I know that this man -- whether in the body or out of the body I don't know; God knows -- was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a human being is not allowed to speak. I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses. For if I want to boast, I wouldn't be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Reading Response P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! VERSE OF THE DAY: Christian Worship, page 40 4

5 GOSPEL LESSON: Mark 6:1-13 He left there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. "Where did this man get these things?" they said. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands? Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren't his sisters here with us?" So they were offended by him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household." He was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. He was going around the villages teaching. He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff -- no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt. He said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. If any place does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." So they went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. Those able, please stand When Jesus preached in the synagogue at Nazareth, and was rejected by the people of His hometown, Jesus called Himself a prophet. Like Ezekiel before Him, and the Apostle Paul after Him, Jesus endured hostility from people who did not believe what He said to them. Gospel Response P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ! APOSTLES CREED: Christian Worship, page 41 SERMON HYMN: Christian Worship #281 God Has Spoken by His Prophets George Wallace Briggs ( ) was a Canon of Worcester Cathedral and one of the most distinguished contemporary British hymn writers and hymnologists. Six of his hymns appear in the Episcopal Hymnal of 1940 (American). Another hymn entitled "Word of the Living God" was written for the 25th Anniversary of the British Bible Reading Fellowship and was sung in Westminster Abbey on June 5, It has been widely used since that time. Canon Briggs was a leading member of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland. He is also the composer of several hymn tunes, six of which have appeared in British hymnals. He is the author of one of the prayers used at the famous meeting of Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the H.M.S. Prince of Wales in 1941 when the Atlantic Charter was framed. He married Constance Emily T. Barrow in 1909, and they had five children: Margaret, Joan, David, Ruth, and Stephen. Please be seated Children are invited to come forward during the final stanza SERMON: Text: Ezekiel 2:1-5 Theme: God Strengthens His Prophet 5

6 Those able, please stand RESPONSE TO THE SERMON: Christian Worship, page 20 Please be seated OFFERING: We bring our firstfruits to God with gratitude and joy. OFFERTORY Those able, please stand HYMN OF REDEDICATION: Christian Worship #293 God s Word Is Our Great Heritage Called Frederik rather than Nikolai by those close to him, Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig ( ) was the son of a Lutheran pastor. He was brought up in a very religious atmosphere, although his mother also had great respect for old Norse legends and traditions. He was schooled in the tradition of the European Enlightenment, but his faith in reason was also influenced by German romanticism and the ancient history of the Nordic countries. He studied at the cathedral school of Aarhus, from 1798 until graduation. He left for Copenhagen in 1800 to study theology and was accepted to the University of Copenhagen in At the close of his university life, Grundtvig began to study Icelandic and the Icelandic Sagas. In 1805 Grundtvig took a position as tutor on the island of Langeland. The next three years he used his free time to study Shakespeare. Returning to Copenhagen in 1808, Grundtvig boldly denounced the clergy of the city in his first sermon in When Grundtvig published the sermon three weeks later, it offended the ecclesiastical authorities, and they demanded that he be punished. In 1810 Grundtvig underwent a religious crisis and converted to a strongly held Lutheranism. He retired to his father's country parish in Udby as his chaplain. His new-found conviction was expressed in The First World Chronicle of 1812, a presentation of European history in which he attempted to explain how belief in God has been viewed throughout human history and in which he criticized the ideology of many prominent Danes. It won him notoriety among his peers and cost him several friends. Upon his father's death in 1813, Grundtvig applied to be his successor in the parish but was rejected. In the following years his rate of publication was staggering: aside from a continuing stream of articles and poems, he wrote a number of books, including two more histories of the world (1814 and 1817). From 1813 to 1815, he attempted to form a movement to support the Norwegians against the Swedish government. Later he preached on how the weakness of the Danish faith was the cause of the loss of Norway in His sermon was met by an enthusiastic congregation in Copenhagen. In 1839 he was called as pastor of the workhouse church of Vartov hospital in Copenhagen, a post he held until his death. In 1843 he visited England for a fourth time. From 1844 until after the First Schleswig War, Grundtvig took a prominent part in politics, developing from a conservative into an absolute liberal. In 1861 he received the titular rank of Bishop in the Church of Denmark, but without a see. He continued to write and publish until his death. He spoke from the pulpit at Vartov Church every Sunday until a few days before his death. His preaching attracted large congregations, and he soon had a following. Grundtvig wrote or translated about 1500 hymns, including "God's Word Is Our Great Heritage." 6

7 PRAYER FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS Please be seated LORD S PRAYER BENEDICTION Those able, please stand SENDING HYMN: Christian Worship #619 God Bless Our Native Land POSTLUDE You are invited to join us in the sanctuary after the service and tomorrow after the 6:30 p.m. SonRise service to sing a couple of hymns before the pews are back in place. Come hear the new acoustics! 7

8 SAINT JAMES FOUNDATION Remember the Foundation in your will your gift can make a difference for generations to come. Suggested Wording: In thanks to God for the gift of His Son Jesus, and for all His blessings to me in my lifetime, I gift and bequeath to Saint James Lutheran Church Foundation at 460 West Annapolis Street, West Saint Paul, MN the amount of $ or (specify the asset.). SERVING IN OUR WORSHIP TODAY Pastor Michael Albrecht (preaching) Pastor Dale Critchley Pianist: Tom Rowland Ushers: Len Bohrer and Team #3 Audio Video Team: Hannah Critchley, Sharon Ferrara, Glenn & Wendy Gatzke, Jerry Hinz, Len & Diane Munson, Jerry Peterson, Becky Martinez, Lorna Redding, and Leif Thune Screen Slide Production: Ami Heesch PEOPLE TO PRAY FOR Let us remember to pray for some of our veteran members: Don Stephan, Lu Trowbridge, Wilmer Unruh Stewardship Thought Forgiven people ought to be forgiving people. (Contributed by a Saint James member) Living as a Local Missionary MISSIONS TO PRAY FOR This week please pray for Feed My Starving Children, as they mobilize volunteers to package meals for distribution to children in more than 50 countries around the world. FLOWERS The flowers in the vases are given in loving memory of Ida Nelson, who entered her eternal home 27 years ago on July 7 th, provided by her family. If you would like to order FLOWERS please contact Altar Guild Flower Chairwoman Kathy Stadler at or stadlerek@comcast.net. When you get gas, clean your windows and then offer to clean someone else s. Acknowledgements Front Cover photo: By Public Domain, Tobias Clausnitzer photo: Von L.R. - Gemeinfrei, 8