Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 19 th and 20 th, 2018

Transcription

1 Last Week s Stewardship of the Means of Grace and the Means for His Work Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 19 th and 20 th, 2018 Worship: 73 ABC: 25 Aug 12 th & 13 th YTD* 7 of 53 YTD Goal Budgetary Income $3, $49, $64, *$1,163 of this amount is from member directives through Thrivent Choice News & Notes EIO Volunteers Several weeks ago, a sheet was out in the entryway for members to sign up to learn about leading English Improvement Opportunity classes. Rev. Tim Flunker, the WELS Coordinator for Hispanic Outreach, will be conducting a training seminar here at church on the evening of Thursday, August 30 th. Whether you signed up on the original sheet or not, all are invited to come and learn more about serving our non- English speaking neighbors in this way. Please note that ABSOLUTELY NO FOREIGN LANGUAGE ABILITY IS REQUIRED! We ll provide a lite supper at 5:30 and the training will begin around 6:00. Expect the seminar to last around 90+ minutes. Please add your name to the NEW signup sheet so we can have adequate materials and food. Mandatory School Orientation Nights A formal presentation in the church sanctuary begins at 5:30p on Wednesday and at 6:30p on Thursday of this week. Please be prompt! Tables with resources and various signup sheets (milk, extra-curriculars, etc.) will be set up in the downstairs fellowship hall for parents to visit before or after the presentation. Please note that the school building will NOT be open on those evenings for dropping off school supplies. Those can be brought anytime during school business hours or on the first day of school. Church Council Vacancies A few positions are still vacant: financial secretary, elder, and property manager. Please speak with Pastor and/or Gary Brandt (church president) if interested in serving in this way. Let the Children Come Update FVL s building program is nearing completion and the capital campaign is well underway. In order to secure the best financing rates, $1M in gifts are needed by September 1 st. A member of the FVL Federation has recently offered to match up to $100K of new donations received by that date. Donate online at: All are invited to attend the Dedication Service and Open House on October 14 th at 2:00p. Building Program Theme Suggestions We re still looking for suggestions for a project theme perhaps a phrase from or based on a Bible passage. Submit them to Tori Kluess. Building Program Committee Meetings All committees should be looking for a time to meet during August. The minutes or a printed summary of the meeting should be in Tori s hands in time for the Aug 28 th LRPC meeting. St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School 437 Turner Street, Wrightstown WI, Pastor Mike Gehl (pastorgehl@gmail.com)... (920) Church Office (church@stjlw.com)... (920) School Office (stjlsw@gmail.com)... (920) Timothy Raddatz, Principal, Grades (920) Jennifer Bunn, Grades (920) Rebecca Wicks, Grades K-1... (920) Jamie Buss, Preschool and Pre-K... (920) Gary Brandt, President (gbrandt2@hotmail.com)... (920) Fox Valley Lutheran High School... (920) [12]

2 Welcome! We extend a very warm and friendly welcome to all who ve joined us for worship today. We pray that the God of grace, who sent his Son to save you and who proved his love for you by raising him from the dead, will fill your heart with joy in knowing that your salvation has been made sure through Jesus. May God bless your worship! If you re a guest with us this morning, please sign the Friendship Register in your row, checking any applicable boxes. If you need assistance of any kind, don t hesitate to ask one of the ushers. If you d like to learn more about St. John congregation or the Bible s teachings, please speak with Pastor Mike Gehl. And if you don t already have a church-home, feel free to return and worship with us again at your earliest convenience. Our restrooms are located downstairs (through the entryway). Activity bags to help keep children occupied are on a hanger in the entryway. We love having your children sit with you during the service, but if you feel that your infant or toddler is getting a little too fussy, you may briefly step out of the sanctuary until they re ready to come back in. Today s order of service is displayed on the screen and printed out in the worship folder (with music notes) for your convenience. Hymns are found in the red book in front of you. St. John also operates an all-day preschool and a fullday kindergarten through eighth grade Lutheran Elementary School. We re a member of the Fox Valley Lutheran High School federation. If you are interested in hearing more about these opportunities for Christian education, please speak with Pastor Gehl or Principal Tim Raddatz. At Your Service Today: Sun Greeters: Bea Ambrosius Ushers: PowerPoint: Lou Ann Beard Music: Altar Guild: Miranda Gehl Mon Carol Just Lou Ann Beard, Mary Fritsch, & Aura Lee Gehl [2] Mission and Purpose St. John Lutheran Church exists as part of the Holy Christian Church on earth. We engage in the continuing development of disciples of Jesus Christ by GATHERING for worship, education, and fellowship in order to GROW in faith and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. By God s GRACE we GO to proclaim Christ and his Word with our lips and lives. We realize that it s only through the GOSPEL in Word and Sacraments that one can be equipped for discipleship and bringing GLORY to God. Closing Prayer We give you thanks, O Lord, for the foretaste of the heavenly banquet that you have given us to eat and to drink in this sacrament. Through this gift you have fed our faith, nourished our hope, and strengthened our love. By your Spirit help us to live as your holy people until that day when you will receive us as your guests at the wedding supper of the Lamb, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Blessing Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and [ ] give you peace. Closing Hymn... God Be with You till We Meet Again (CW 327) The Week+ Ahead as We Live in God s Grace Today (19 th ) 9:00 am Worship w/ Holy Communion 10:15 am Adult Bible Class (Favorite Psalms: Messianic) 11:00 am Catechism Class Parent Meeting (option 1 of 3) Mon (20 th ) 6:30 pm Worship w/ Holy Communion 7:30 pm Events Committee Meeting Tue (21 st ) 12:00 pm Senior Luncheon (all members are always invited) Wed (22 nd ) 5:30 pm St. John School Orientation Night #1(church sanctuary) 7:00 pm Bible Information Class (Lesson 13: Commandments 4-6) Thu (23 rd ) 6:30 pm St. John School Orientation Night #2 (church sanctuary) Sunday (26 th ) 9:00 am Worship 10:15 am Adult Bible Class (Favorite Psalms: Ascent) 11:00 am Catechism Class Parent Meeting (option 2 of 3) Mon (27 th ) 6:30 pm Worship 7:30 pm Catechism Class Parent Meeting (option 3 of 3) Thu (30 th ) 5:30 pm English Improvement Opportunities Training Meeting 17 The blessing of Aaron has been spoken over God s people for over 3,500 years. The Lord said, So they will put my name on [them], and I will bless them (Numbers 6:27). [11]

3 Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) John 1:29 Distribution Song of Simeon (Nunc Dimittis) Luke 2: O Lord, now let your servant 2. All glory to the Father, Depart in peace, assured: All glory to the Son, For I have seen your promised All glory to the Spirit, incarnate, saving Word Forever three in one; A Light that will enlighten For as in the beginning, All gloom where Gentiles dwell; Is now, shall ever be, The brilliant, crowning glory God s triune name resounding Of those in Israel! Through all eternity. Service Theme for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Are the beautiful truths of the gospel, not least those taught by Jesus in John 6, easy for us to grasp? Not at all! In fact for the natural man and his fallen reason they are impossible. This Sunday recognizes the difficulty and calls for the response of a sacrifice of intellect, a sacrifice that only the Spirit can work if fallen reason is to be overcome as we receive and rejoice in the saving truths of the gospel. Divine Service II Opening Hymn... As We Begin Another Week (CW 223) Invocation 1 In the name of the Father and of the Son [ ] and of the Holy Spirit. Confession Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us. Absolution 2 Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, for sins of habit and sins of choice, for the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, you should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus sake. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son [ ] and of the Holy Spirit. Lord, Have Mercy (Kyrie) 3...Mark 10:47 In peace, let us pray to the Lord. 1 The name of the triune God and the sign of the cross remind worshipers of their baptisms. 15 Jesus is God s Lamb (Agnus Dei), who was offered as a sacrifice for sin once for all. 16 The Nunc Dimittis ( Now dismiss ) is also known as the Song of Simeon. Through God s Word and Sacrament, we have seen Jesus Christ, and like Simeon we find divine peace and comfort through faith in the Savior. [10] 2 The use of the keys is that special power and right which Christ gave to his church on earth: to forgive the sins of penitent sinners (The Small Catechism, First: What is the use of the keys?). See John 20: Kyrie is the Greek word for Lord. The expression Lord, have mercy is one of the oldest worship responses in the Christian church. [3]

4 For the well-being of all people everywhere, that they may receive from you all they need to sustain body and life, hear our prayer, O Lord. Lord, have mercy. For the spread of your life-giving gospel throughout the world, that all who are lost in sin may be brought to faith in you, hear our prayer, O Christ. Christ, have mercy. For patience and perseverance in this life, that we may not lose the hope of heaven as we await your return, hear our prayer, O Lord. Lord, have mercy. Lord of life, live in us that we may live for you. Glory Be to God (Gloria in Excelsis) 4... Luke 2:14 1. All glory be to God on high! 3. O Lamb of God, to you we pray. Your name, O Lord, we glorify; You take all human sin away. We praise you for your peace and grace, Have mercy, Lord; receive our prayer; Your favor toward our fallen race. From God s right hand, your mercy share. 2. Our grateful thanks to you we bring, 4. You, Christ, are holy Lord alone; For your great glory, heav nly King, The Father s glory you made known. For all, O Father, you have done We by your Spirit sing again: Through Jesus Christ, your only Son. All glory be to God! Salutation 5 The Lord be with you. And also with you. The Word 4 Christians praise God by proclaiming the great things he has done to accomplish our rescue from sin. Glory to God in the Highest has been a Christian song of worship since the fourth century. 5 This greeting has deep roots in Christian worship and marks the beginning of the Word section and the Sacrament section of the service. [4] We give you humble and heartfelt thanks that by the mystery of Christ s holy incarnation, you have made him our brother and helper forever. By his birth, circumcision, and perfect obedience, you have purified us from all sin. By his baptism, fasting, and temptation, you have become our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. By his agony, bloody sweat, and cruel scourging, you have crushed the head of our ancient enemy. By his precious cross, death, and burial, you have turned the gloomy portal of death into the bright gateway to the everlasting Eden. Remembering your Son s death and resurrection, we receive in repentance and joy his body and blood. Strengthen us through this gift for our pilgrimage on earth until, together at last, we shall eat and drink with our Savior anew in the kingdom of God. Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord s death until he comes. The Lord s Prayer... Matthew 6:9-13 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Words of Institution Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:24,25 Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat; this is my [ ] body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you; this is my [ ] blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. The peace of the Lord be with you always. 14 As he speaks the Words of Institution, the minister both proclaims the words of Jesus to the congregation and sets apart the bread and wine for the Lord s use. The sign of the cross reminds us of Christ s death. [9]

5 Preface 11 The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is good and right so to do. The Sacrament It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who has called us to be his own so that we may live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Therefore with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song: Holy, Holy, Holy (Sanctus) Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 21:9 1. O holy, holy, holy 2. Hosanna in the highest! Lord God of pow r and might, How truly blest is he Your glory, earth and heaven Who in God s name is coming In countless ways recite. To set his people free! Hosanna! Come and save us, He comes to bring salvation Lord God of hosts on high, And with his blood outpoured, And in your grace and mercy Deliver us from bondage Receive our fervent cry. Hosanna, mighty Lord! Prayer of Thanksgiving 13 Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the universe. Before the creation of the world, you chose to redeem us with the precious blood of your Son, a Lamb without blemish or defect. Prayer of the Day Let us pray. Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift of grace that we come into your presence and offer true and faithful service. Grant that our worship on earth may always be pleasing to you, and in the life to come give us the fulfillment of what you have promised; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. First Lesson... Proverbs 9:1-6 (EHV) Wisdom is personified. Christ is that wisdom. Wisdom is much more than mere knowledge or skill. Wisdom is that attribute of God which is Christ and which is revealed in Christ and which Christ imparts as we eat his flesh by faith and live. The wise of the world despise the simple. And the simple don t understand the wise. But he who is wisdom knows that we re all simple, too simple to understand the way of salvation or the meaning of life or the point of death. He doesn t despise and spurn us in our simplicity; he calls; he invites; he lures and entices (as Luther says so often) with a banquet of understanding for this life and for the life to come. He s the host, and he s the banquet. An understanding of him, of ourselves, of life and death it s all there for those who come and eat, inspired and moved by his invitation. 1 Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars. 2 She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has already set her table. 3 She has sent out her servant girls. She calls from the highest point in the city, 4 Whoever is naïve, let him turn in here. To someone who lacks sense she says, 5 Come, eat my food, and drink the wine that I have mixed. 6 Abandon your naïve ways and live. Travel the road to understanding. Second Lesson... Ephesians 5:15-20 (EHV) Be careful! The days are evil. Only the wise recognize it and know how to triumph over the evil that would drag them down into hell itself. How do we triumph over the evil and rejoice while doing it? We stay close to the source of wisdom and to the power contained in the Word. We read the Bible and sing it. We speak its saving wisdom to encourage ourselves and those who are with us. And so we grow in our joy at leaving behind the wisdom of our own reason and delight instead in his saving and conquering wisdom. 15 Consider carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise people, but as wise people. 16 Make the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk on wine, which causes you to lose control. Instead, be filled with the Spirit 19 by speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (singing and making music with your hearts to the Lord), 20 by always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 11 The words of the Preface mark the beginning of the Sacrament section of the service and lift the worshipers hearts in praise. The opening sentences are among the oldest in the Christian liturgy. 12 Sanctus means holy. Used possibly as early as the second century, this canticle was in wide use among Christians in worship by the fourteenth century. 13 Jesus took bread and gave thanks (Matthew 26:26). [8] [5]

6 Verse of the Day so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like your fathers ate and died. The one who eats this bread will live forever. this is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise be to you, O Christ. Hymn of the Day 7... O Holy Spirit, Grant Us Grace (CW 185) Sermon... Ephesians 5:15-20 Strive to Be a Wise Guy! Please stand 6 Gospel Lesson... John 6:51-58 (EHV) But Reverend, that just isn t the way I see it! What pastor hasn t heard that a thousand times from the outsider? It s the natural response to every doctrine in the Bible and most importantly, with the chief doctrines of the Bible. Jesus knows that very well. He even delights in it. And so he tells us things in his Word that by ourselves we d never believe. Then, by his telling it, the mighty Word overcomes us. God made flesh for us feeds us with himself given for the life of the world!? Yes, it s so! The wisdom of God isn t merely more clever than the wisdom of the philosopher or anyone else in this world. It s altogether other and unique. It s powerful, so powerful that it overcomes the death of unbelief and the arrogance of fallen reason. Most gladly we bring to him the consequent sacrifice of all our own wisdom and our own opinions and lay them at the foot of the cross as so much foolishness and death bringing nonsense. Most gladly we go to war against all of our own thoughts that contradict any part of his Word. For all other bread for the soul perishes in its use, and those who eat it perish with it. The gospel isn t just one religious tradition among many; it s the only truth that gives life and salvation. The Gospel according to John chapter six. Glory be to you, O Lord. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. 52 At that, the Jews argued among themselves, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 So Jesus said to them, Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day. 55 For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, 6 The congregation stands and speaks words of acclamation out of respect for the words of Christ, our King. [6] Nicene Creed 8 We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian 9 and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Thank-Offering 10 Prayer of the Church 7 The Hymn of the Day is assigned to this day because of its rich content and connection to the day s Gospel. 8 Public confession is faith s response to God s saving Word. Christians composed the Nicene Creed in the fourth century to defend the Bible s teachings that both Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are true God, equal to the Father in one eternal, undivided Trinity. 9 The original text here reads catholic, a word meaning universal. The Church consists of all believers in heaven and on earth, of every time in history. 10 Moved by God s love in Christ, we offer him our first and best gifts, purely out of thanks to him. [7]