The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost June 26, 2016

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost June 26, 2016 Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church 460 West Annapolis Street - West Saint Paul, MN 55118 Church Office: (651) 457-9232 Fax: (651) 457-1893 E-mail: stjlc@saintjameslutheran.com Visit our web site: www.saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Michael Albrecht 651-457-6796 malbrecht@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Dale Critchley 651-689-3253 dcritchley@saintjameslutheran.com Terese Thune Youth Director 651-336-2117 tthune@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Ralph Rokke 651-457-3955 rrokke@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Richard Stadler 651-338-8621 rstadler@saintjameslutheran.com Shirley Hess Parish Nurse 651-210-3380 pnstjlc@saintjameslutheran.com

WELCOME TO WORSHIP! The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost June 26, 2016 The crucial turning point in Luke s Gospel comes when Jesus sets His face to go up to Jerusalem. There was no turning back, because this was what the Father had sent Him to do. Jesus wants this same kind of commitment and dedication from those who follow Him. Don t look back! Follow Jesus. 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 is available in the pew racks and place it in the offering. For every guest who completes this form, Saint James will donate $5 to the Neighbor s Food Shelf. Also, stop by the Visitor Welcome Center as you leave and pick up a small gift. Thank you for coming, and please come back and visit again soon. 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 Come, Follow Me, the Savior Spoke, Christian Worship #453. 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 both locations. 2

THE ORDER OF SERVICE PRE-SERVICE HYMN SING: This is your chance to request your favorite hymn. OPENING HYMN: Christian Worship #536 Lord Jesus Christ, the Church s Head Johann Mentzer, the son of a minor government official, was born July 27, 1658 in the Saxon town of Jahmen. He studied theology at the University of Wittenberg, and became a pastor at the age of 33. He was strongly influenced by Pietism. He collaborated with Henriette Gersdorf, as both of them wrote many hymns. He later worked with her grandson, Count Nikolas von Zinzendorf, who wrote Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness. Mentzer s two most popular hymns were Oh, that I Had a Thousand Voices and Lord Jesus Christ, the Church s Head, which can be sung to the melody of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. Mentzer s first wife, Eva Maria, died after five years and two months of marriage. His second marriage to Anna Magdalene lasted 29 years and three months. His second wedding was a double wedding. His brother-in-law preached for him and Anna, and he preached for his brother-in-law and his bride. God blessed Johann with thirteen children and seven grandchildren. Mentzer buried his first wife and twelve of his children. During an extremely heartbreaking stretch of three weeks, he lost four of his children. Mentzer died himself on February 24, 1734. Those able, please stand for stanza 4 PASTORAL GREETING: Pastor Albrecht SERVICE OF THE WORD: Christian Worship, pages 38-39 PRAYER OF THE DAY Please be seated PSALM OF THE DAY: Christian Worship, page 68 Psalm 16 THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: I Kings 19:9-21 9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? 10 He said, I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD. And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the The prophet Elijah needed to be reminded that the LORD is not in the stormy wind or the violent earthquake or the blazing fire. No, the LORD is in the still, small voice. When Elijah felt like he was all alone, God gave him Elisha. 3

earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah? 14 He said, I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away. 15 And the LORD said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. 19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again, for what have I done to you? 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. Reading Response P: This is the word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! Sanctification is the work the Holy Spirit does in our hearts and lives. The Holy Spirit inspires us to resist the desires of our own sinful flesh. The Holy Spirit causes us to bring forth the fruits of faith. EPISTLE LESSON: Galatians 5:1, 13-25 1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have 4

crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Reading Response P: This is the word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! VERSE OF THE DAY: Christian Worship, page 40 THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 9:51-62 51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village. 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. 58 And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. 59 To another he said, Follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. 60 And Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. 61 Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home. 62 Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Gospel Response P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ! Those able, please stand Jesus was bound and determined to go up to Jerusalem because He knew that was where He would die. Jesus did not come to destroy other people including the Samaritans but to die for them. Jesus wants those who follow Him to devote their lives to Him who died for them. APOSTLES CREED: Christian Worship, page 41 SERMON HYMN: Christian Worship #529 Built on the Rock Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig, the son of a Lutheran pastor, was born September 8, 1783 in Udby, Denmark. He studied at the University of Copenhagen, and took a special interest in Norse legends and Icelandic sagas. He also studied the works of Shakespeare and Schiller. He underwent a religious crisis in 1810 and converted to a strongly held Lutheranism. He published many articles, books and poems. When Norway became independent of Denmark in 1814, Grundtvig blamed it on the Danish weakness of faith. He was married three times, first to a pastor s daughter named Elisabeth, who bore him three children, then to Marie, the daughter of a landowner, and finally, at the age of 76, to Asta, from an aristocratic Danish family. The Danish Golden Age included Hans Christian Andersen, Soren Kierkegaard, and N. F. S. Grundtvig. He died September 2, 1872 in Copenhagen. Please be seated Children are invited to come forward during the sermon hymn for the Children s Message. 5

SERMON: Text: Luke 9:51-62 Theme: There Is No Turning Back Those able, please stand RESPONSE TO THE SERMON: Christian Worship, page 20 Please be seated Give online at give.4gvn.us You can find step by step directions in the I Give Online card available in the pew racks. Those able, please stand OFFERING: We joyously and gratefully bring our firstfruits to God. OFFERING VOLUNTARY: Psalm of Summer... Ahlen HYMN OF REDEDICATION: Sung to the tune of Built on the Rock 1. Now we may gather with our King E en in the lowliest dwelling; Praises to Him we there may bring, His wondrous mercy forthtelling. Jesus His grace to us accords; Spirit and life are all His words; His truth does hallow the temple. 2. Still we our earthly temples rear That we may herald His praises; They are the homes where He draws near And little children embraces. Beautiful things in them are said; God there with us His covenant made, Making us heirs of His kingdom. Please be seated SANCTUARY INTERIOR COMMITTEE UPDATE: Susan Schultze INSTALLATION OF THE VESTRY PRAYER FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS 6

LORD S PRAYER BENEDICTION Those able, please stand SENDING HYMN: Christian Worship #203 Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word Martin Luther (1483-1546) wrote this hymn in 1541. He may also have written the tune, based on a 12 th Century plainsong melody. In August 1541, King Ferdinand was defeated by Suleiman the Magnificent and his Mohammedan army at Budapest. Then a hurricane destroyed the ships of Emperor Charles V near Algiers in October 1541. Luther organized a prayer service against the Turks, for which he wrote this hymn to be sung by the boys choir. The original German text is a prayer that God would smite the murderous Pope and Turk. ORGAN POSTLUDE: Fantasie Pachelbel 7

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 55118 the amount of $ or (specify the asset.). SERVING IN OUR WORSHIP TODAY Pastor Michael Albrecht (preaching) Pastor Ralph Rokke Organist: Judith Dehrer Ushers: Len Bohrer and Team #3 Audio Video Team: Dani Critchley, Hannah Critchley, Sharon Ferrara, Glenn & Wendy Gatzke, Jerry Hinz, Len & Diane Munson, Jerry Peterson, Lorna Redding, Michael Schroeder, Leif Thune and Gil Ude Screen Slide Production: Ami Heesch PEOPLE TO PRAY FOR Let us remember to pray for some of our veteran members: Nina Keeling, Vic & Lolla Keller, Eileen Lick, Phyllis Malmgren MISSIONS TO PRAY FOR This week please pray for Don and Pam Leonard and Project Video, who use local talent to produce and distribute Bible videos in Thailand and China. Stewardship Thought Integrity is being the same person when nobody s watching as you are when everybody s watching. (Contributed by a Saint James member) FLOWERS The flowers in the chancel vases are provided by the Saint James Altar Guild. The flowers behind the crucifix are in memory of Joe Cogger, from Mom, Anthony and Sophie we miss you. If you would like to order FLOWERS to be placed in the chancel, please contact Altar Guild Flower Chairwoman Kathy Stadler at 651-450-6452 or stadlerek@comcast.net. Living as a Local Missionary When someone succeeds at work, affirm that success physically, like a high five, pat on the back, handshake, etc. Know your coworkers enough to know who s comfortable with that. 8