! ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH CHURCH OF THE LUTHERAN CONFESSION LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 16TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SUNDAY) SEPTEMBER 9, 2018 1
ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 2470 Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood, CO 80214 (303) 233-5000 www.denverlutheran.com Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC) www.clclutheran.org Thomas Schuetze, pastor (303-428-5524) Larry Reed, president Mike Sprengeler, SS Superintendent Ruth Greening, Suzannah Miller, Lisa Sprengeler, organists ORDER OF WORSHIP: SERVICE OF THE WORD (printed on liturgy insert inside front cover of maroon hymnal) Pre-Service Devotion: Psalm 78:1-8 (pew bible, p.521) The Hymns: 523, 867, 866, 921 Scripture Lessons: Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 2 Timothy 3:10-17 Psalm of the Day: From Psalm 119 Sermon Text John 17:11-18 OUR PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SUNDAY: LORD, SANCTIFY US BY YOUR TRUTH! 1. Use your Truth to protect us from the evil influence of the world. 2. Use your Truth to consecrate us for joyful service in Your kingdom. Offering of Our Hearts and Gifts Prayers & the Lord s Prayer Installation of the Sunday School Staff Benediction & Closing Hymn (921) A WARM WELCOME IN CHRIST TO OUR WORSHIP GUESTS! We are glad for the opportunity to share with you the Gospel of forgiveness through Jesus! Please introduce yourself to the pastor and sign our guest book. We invite you to come worship with us again. If you would like to know more about St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church and our national organization, the Church of the Lutheran Confession, please speak with the pastor. He will be happy to call on you to share our confession and mission with you. Large print bulletins are available in the tract rack or by request from an usher. 2
TODAY S SCRIPTURES First Lesson Deuteronomy 6:1-9 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Psalm of the Day From Psalm 119 P Oh, how I love your law!: C I meditate on it all day long. P Your commands make me wiser than my enemies: C For they are ever with me. P I have more insight than all my teachers: C For I meditate on your statutes. P I have more understanding than the elders: C For I obey your precepts. P I have kept my feet from every evil path: C So that I might obey your word. P I have not departed from your laws: C For you yourself have taught me. P How sweet are your words to my taste: C Sweeter than honey to my mouth! P Your word is a lamp to my feet: C And a light for my path. Second Lesson 2 Timothy 3:10-17 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,persecutions, sufferings what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to 3
worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Sermon Text John 17:11-18 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. + + + ANNOUNCEMENTS Today (9/9) 9:30 am Worship Service with Installation of the Sunday School Staff 10:45 am Sunday School (Creation, OT 1) 10:45 am Bible Class 12:00 noon Pizza Lunch Tue-Thu West-Central Pastoral Conference at Watertown, SD (see note below) Sun (9/16) 9:30 am Worship Service 10:45 am Sunday School (Cain and Abel, OT 3) 10:45 am Bible Class 4
EXTENDED CALENDAR Chadron, Nebraska Ladies Retreat: Sept.21-23 Area Mission Festival hosted by Redeemer, Cheyenne: Sunday, Sept.30, 3 pm (followed by mission presentation and potluck). Church Council Meeting: Sunday, Oct.7, 8:30 am Church Picnic at the parsonage: Sunday, Oct.7, 12:00 noon Fall Clean-Up Day: Saturday, Oct.13 (rescheduled from Sept.22) Mary/Martha Ladies Meeting: Sunday, Oct.14, 10:45 am Church Movie Night: Friday, Oct.19, 7:00 pm Quarterly Voters Meeting: Sunday, Oct.21, 10:45 am SERVING US AT GOD S HOUSE DURING SEPTEMBER Ushers: Mike Sprengeler, Don Claeys Elder: Larry Reed Communion Assistant: Mike Sprengeler OUR FALL SCHEDULE RESUMES TODAY with Sunday School and Bible Class following the service at 10:45 am. The installation of the Sunday School staff will take place in today s service. We thank the Lord for providing the following individuals to serve as teachers and support staff for our school and ask for His blessing upon their labors on behalf of the precious lambs of His flock. Classroom instructors Ed Chiappetti, Sharlene Chiappetti, Wayne Ruegge, Mike Sprengeler Teacher Substitutes Jo Blakey, Willa Mae Janssen Music teachers Suzannah Miller, Lisa Sprengeler Feed My Lambs Cradle Roll Program Secretary Julie Whitmer-Wright The following were led to decline their Sunday School calls: Ruth Claeys, Ruth Greening, Naomi Peters, and Crystal Ruegge TO KICK OFF THE NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL YEAR a pizza lunch with salad and desserts will be served in the church basement today beginning at noon. Please join us, if you can! PRAYER AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR Lord Jesus, bless the start of this new school year. Bless our students and teachers. As You sat at the feet of teachers in the temple when You were a 12-year old boy, so may our children sit at the feet of their teachers and grow in wisdom and love. Let Your Word be a lamp to their feet and a light for their path now and for the rest of their lives. Amen. 5
PASTORAL CONFERENCE: The West Central Pastoral Conference of the CLC will be held this week Tuesday through Thursday, hosted by Trinity Lutheran in Watertown, SD. Pastor Schuetze plans to attend. In an emergency you may reach him at this number (720-465-4809) or through one of the elders. Conference Agenda Old Testament Exegesis (Ezra 5:1ff.) Mark Gullerud New Testament Exegesis: (Romans 12:2ff.) James Naumann Minor Prophet Devotional Study, essayist's choice John Klatt Word study of the Greek verb parakaleo Delwyn Maas A Study of the Structure and Purpose of Matthew s Gospel Aaron Ude Giving offense vs. taking offense Michael Roehl Pastoral Self-Discipline How to keep organized, on task, and focused in our little corner of God s kingdom Paul Nolting Review of the Doctrine of Predestination Thomas Schuetze Review of Lutheran Hermeneutical Principles Joel Fleischer Review of Confessing the Gospel: A Lutheran Approach to Systematic Theology Edited by Samuel Nafzger et al. (new LCMS dogmatics set) Paul Krause Conference Chaplain: Timothy Daub Communion Service Speaker: Chad Seybt A CHURCH PICNIC is planned for Sunday, October 7, at noon at the parsonage, weather-permitting. Grilled meal (hamburgers & hot dogs) and drinks will be provided. St. Paul parishioners are invited to bring a side item to add to the menu. Circle the date! Invite a friend! + + + PRAYER FOR PATRIOT DAY (9/11) For Firefighters, Police Officers, Medical Workers, and All Who Serve Us in Times of Crisis Blessed are You, Lord, God of mercy, who through Your Son gave us a marvelous example of charity and the great commandment of love for one another. Send down Your blessings on these Your servants, who so generously devote themselves to helping others. Grant them courage when they are afraid, wisdom when they must make quick decisions, strength when they are weary, and compassion in all their work. When the alarm sounds and they are called to aid both friend and stranger, let them faithfully serve You in their neighbor. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 6
DAILY BIBLE READINGS FOR HOME DEVOTIONS SEPTEMBER 10 15 Mon 2 Kings 2 Elisha stuck close to Elijah during their last few days together, for he truly wanted to serve his mentor. When God took Elijah to heaven on that fiery chariot, He transferred Elijah s gifts onto Elisha, which enabled him to provide miraculous help to needy people. Later that day on the road back to Bethel, Elisha settled the score with some smart-mouth teens who made the bad move of mocking Elisha and ridiculing Elijah s ascension. Tues 2 Kings 5:1-19 An Israelite slave girl encouraged her military master to seek a cure for his leprosy from Elisha. So Naaman tried the regular pipeline to no avail (5-7) and needed more prompting to put Elisha s directives to the test (9-13). God healed the poor fellow without royal help or ceremony, and when God s merciful love broke through Naaman s self-esteem, his heart was converted, and his sanctification followed (15-19). Good moves. Wed 2 Kings 6:8-23 Sometimes we realize it; sometimes we don t: Those who are with us are more than those who are with them, for our guardian angels outnumber our adversaries (8-16). Being spiritually blind doesn t have to be fatal, for a Christian can guide blind folks to safety as Elisha did. There they became guests of the king (17-23). Good humanitarianism. Thurs 2 Kings 9:30-10:11 Jezebel was not fit to let live, nor was Ahab so God used King Jehu to remove them. It was bloody business, but necessary for God s people. 2 Kings 13:14-20 Although Syria was a thorn in Israel s side during Elisha s life, God intervened for His people until it was time to send His Son (Gal. 4:4) down to Earth to become Savior of sinners. Good timing. Fri 2 Kings 17:1-23 In God s timing, Israel needed tough love delivered via the foreign Assyrians, who invaded the North and deported many Jews. 2 Kings 20 Things were going sour in the South, too, and since Hezekiah was a good king (by-and-large), God extended his life for fifteen years as a time of grace before the final cataclysm. God is good! Sat 2 Kings 22 and 23 Josiah was the last decent king that God granted to His people in the South; when he discovered God s Word in the church library, Josiah repented and rededicated himself and his people thus meriting more honor than all other royalty and politicians, both then and now. 2 Kings 24 and 25 Josiah s good work didn t last long, and God s time clock was winding down. God allowed heathenish Judah to be invaded and become vassals of heathen Babylon. After Nebuchadnezzar starved Jerusalem into submission, he demolished the city, burned the Temple, and murdered all military persons and civic officials. When God s people forsake their purpose on Earth, they will suffer the consequences. Good civics lesson. 7