Living Savior Lutheran Church 4616 Gharrett St Missoula, MT 59803 livingsaviormissoula.org 406.543.8222 Pastor Noah Willitz noah.willitz@gmail.com November 4, 2018 Reformation WELCOME TO WORSHIP We re happy you re here to worship with us! We pray that the Lord bless you through his Word this morning. Notes about your visit: If you have any questions, please don t hesitate to ask one of the greeters or anyone else. Restrooms There are restrooms out the back doors and down the second hallway on the right. Parents, we are so glad that you have brought your little children to church this morning. If needed, there is a nursery out the back doors to the right. Understanding the Church Year Reformation Day On October 31, 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses (statements) to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He was hoping to start a conversation that would guide the Christian Church back to the truth and purity of God s Word. Luther taught that the Bible is the only source of truth, not man-made traditions or the opinion of the pope. He showed from Scripture that God freely forgives sinners on account of the perfect life and death of Jesus Christ. By God s grace, 501 years later, we praise God because we know that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, according to Scripture alone. 1
LORD, KEEP US STEADFAST IN YOUR WORD OPENING HYMN Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word 203 INVOCATION M: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. C: And also with you CONFESSION M: God invites us to come into his presence and worship him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us acknowledge our sinfulness and ask him to forgive us. C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. ABSOLUTION M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. M: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord. 2
O LORD, OUR LORD 3
PRAYER OF THE DAY M: Let us pray. Gracious Lord, our refuge and strength, pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your Word, protect and comfort them in all temptations, defend them against all their enemies, and bestow on the Church your saving peace; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. The Word THE EPISTLE READING Revelation 14:6-7 (ESV) God promises his people that as long as the world exists, the good news of his gospel will never fade away. 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. 4
VERSE OF THE DAY John 8:31-32 M: Alleluia. If you continue in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Alleluia. C: (Sing) God s Word Is Our Great Heritage 293 God s Word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever; To spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way; In death it is our stay. Lord, grant, while worlds endure, we keep its teachings pure Throughout all generations. THE HOLY GOSPEL Mark 13:5-11 (NIV) As members of his Church, Jesus tells us that we will face trials and difficulties. Yet his Word will never fail. By God s grace, the gospel will be preached, and we are his forever! 5 Jesus said to them: Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, I am he, and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. CHILDREN S MESSAGE HYMN OF THE DAY A Mighty Fortress Is Our God 201 Stanza 3 will be sung by the choir. 5
SERMON Daniel 3:16-28 (NIV) Lord, Keep Us Steadfast 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, Weren t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied, Certainly, Your Majesty. 25 He said, Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here! So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 6
NICENE CREED 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 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. Amen. OFFERING Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7 7
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH M : Lord, our refuge and strength, we worship and praise you for your work of reformation in your Church and ongoing reformation in our hearts. C: Lord, to you alone be glory. M: God of grace, in unfathomable love you pitied us sinners and sent your Son as our substitute to deliver us from sin, guilt, death, darkness, and despair. C: For your grace, Lord, to you alone be glory. M: By your grace you sent your Spirit to call us to repentance. Your powerful gospel rescued us from rebellion and fills us with faith in you, the true and living God. C: For saving faith, Lord, to you alone be glory. M: By your grace we are heirs of your eternal Word through which you proclaim your saving truth to every generation. By the Scriptures you restored to your church the message of salvation by grace alone. C: For the Holy Scriptures, Lord, to you alone be glory. M: Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word. Make us eager to grow in and eager to share your gospel promises. We ask all these things for Jesus sake, in whose name we join to pray: LORD S PRAYER C: 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. 8
The Sacrament M: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. M: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them up to the Lord. M: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give Him thanks and praise. M: Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He protects and preserves his Church in every age and gives us confidence to lift up our heads and watch for Jesus with joy. Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and thanks and honor and glory for ever and ever. HOLY, HOLY, HOLY 9
THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION M: 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. C: Amen. LAMB OF GOD 10
DISTRIBUTION Guests: Living Savior practices member communion. We do this because the Bible teaches that not only do we receive Christ s true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins in Holy Communion, but we are also confessing a oneness in the faith. For this reason, if you are not a member of Living Savior or the WELS, we want to give you a chance to learn what we believe and teach before we ask you to join us for communion. Please speak to Pastor if you are interested in joining us for communion in the future. Thank you. DISTRIBUTION HYMN Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice 377 THANK THE LORD 11
BLESSING M: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness. 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. C: Amen. CLOSING HYMN By Faith Next Page 12
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News and Notes Reformation Potluck All are welcome to stay after the service for our Reformation Day lunch. Church Cleaners Needed Looking for a way to help out around the church? We could use a few more people in the cleaning rotation. If you d like to serve in this way, talk to Pastor and he ll let you know how you can get started. Serving at Living Savior Greeters: Today: Landers Next Sunday: Murphy Cleaners: This Week: Landers/Hill Music: Today: Peter Camera: Today: Donavon Next Sunday: Terry This Week at Living Savior Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday 6:00 pm: Choir Practice No Bible Study tonight. 7:00 pm: Hebrews Bible Study 6:00 pm: Confirmation Class In our prayers this week: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Philippians 4:6 The Appelt Family: John is undergoing treatments for esophageal cancer. Ruth Adams: Ruth is one of our members in Kalispell. She is being monitored for potential heart problems. How can we pray for you? Let Pastor know! 14