3461 Merle Ave Modesto, CA 95355 (209) 551-0563 www.stpetermodesto.org W The Second Sunday of End Time Last Judgment NOVEMBER 12, 2017 Lord, Keep Us Mindful of the Judgment! elcome! Thank you for joining us for worship this morning. In our service we gather before our almighty God to offer him our worship and praise. We also gather to strengthen ourselves through the study of God s holy and powerful word. Welcome Worshiper Cards are located in the book racks. Please fill one out and place it in the offering plate later in the service. Restrooms are located in the entryway. Two Nursery rooms are available for parents with small children. Footnotes throughout the worship folder help explain the different parts of the service. PREPARING FOR WORSHIP Lord, keep us mindful of the Judgment! He will come to judge the living and the dead. We confess it every Sunday, but often live like those are empty words. Today the Church prays that God keep us ever mindful of the Last Judgment that we might be found in faith, fruitful in both word and deed. Then there s no need to fear Judgment Day; rather, we can look forward to the day of our redemption. PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP Lord Jesus Christ, my Judge and Rescuer, change my focus. Redirect it from what I look at so often - the here and now on earth. Redirect it to what really matters - the Day when I stand before you. By your Holy Spirit and Word instill in me a confidence that looks forward to that Day when, in your courtroom, you will pronounce me innocent. This, I know, dear Jesus, is only by the gift of your life and death. Amen. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Flowers adorning our altar this morning are given to the glory of God by Billy and Kolette Williams in celebration of Billy s birthday and by David Stepanovich, praising Jesus, our Redeemer. Minister: Pastor Daniel Schroeder Pianist: Bob Fromuth 1
OPENING HYMN The Day Is Surely Drawing Near Christian Worship #207 stanzas 1,2, and 5 CALL TO WORSHIP M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. CONFESSION OF SINS M: Beloved in the Lord: let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God our Father, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. 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. LORD, HAVE MERCY (KYRIE) 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. PRAYER AND PRAISE M: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord. 2
GLORIA 3
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PRAYER OF THE DAY The greeting and response below expresses the thought contained in the Hebrew word Emmanuel, God with us. This dialog appears in Ruth 2:4 and has been used in Christian worship for nearly 2000 years. M: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. M: Let us pray. Lord God Almighty, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit that we may always look forward to the end of this present evil age and to the day of your righteous judgment. Keep us steadfast in true and living faith and present us at last holy and blameless before you; 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 OF GOD CHILDREN S MESSAGE Children are invited to come forward for a message directed at them. FIRST LESSON Daniel 7:9-10 All mankind will appear before Jesus to be judged I continued to watch until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His clothes were white as snow, and the hair on his head was like pure wool. His throne was flames of fire. Its wheels were burning fire. 10 A river of fire flowed out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and books were opened. (EHV) 5
PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 90:9-12, 16-17 How frail and short is the life of human creature! While there is time, let us turn to God for mercy. He will restore us and make us glad again. 9 For all our days pass away under your fury. We finish our years like a sigh. 10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, or eighty years if we are strong. Yet the best of them are trouble and sorrow, for they disappear quickly, and we fly away. 11 Who can understand the power of your anger? But your fury is consistent with the fear that is owed to you. 12 Teach us to number our days in such a way, that we bring a heart of wisdom. 16 Let your deeds be seen by your servants and your majesty by their children. 17 May the kindness of the Lord our God rest upon us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands. (EHV) 6
SECOND LESSON Romans 2:2-11 Jesus judgment will be based on truth 2 And we know that God s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. 3 Are you thinking that you will escape God s judgment, you who judge those who do such things and then do the same things yourself? 4 Or do you have so little regard for his rich kindness, his restraint, and his patience, that you ignore the fact that the purpose of God s kindness is to lead you to repentance? 5 As a result of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God will reveal his righteous judgment. 6 God will repay each person according to what he has done 7 eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality by persisting in doing what is good, 8 but furious anger to those who out of selfish ambition are disobeying what is true and obeying what is wrong. 9 There will be trouble and distress for the soul of every person who does what is evil for the Jew first and for the Greek 10 but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good for the Jew first and for the Greek. 11 For God does not show favoritism. (EHV) VERSE OF THE DAY Matthew 24:42 Alleluia. Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Alleluia. 7
GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus judgment is compared to the separation of sheep and goats After the announcement of the Gospel, the congregation sings: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. 36 I was lacking clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or lacking clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 40 The King will answer them, Amen 1 I tell you: Just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me. 41 Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you did not give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, lacking clothes and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not take care of me. 44 Then they will also answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or lacking clothes or sick or in prison and did not serve you? 45 At that time he will answer them, Amen I tell you: Just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me. 46 And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (EHV) 1 Usually, people say Amen at the end of a prayer. But Jesus used this Hebrew word at the beginning of a statement, which was unique. The inspired writer simply transliterated the Hebrew word that Jesus spoke, instead of using a Greek term. This translation does the same in English. The basic meaning is I solemnly tell you the truth. 8
After the Gospel, the congregation sings: APOSTLES CREED I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. HYMN OF THE DAY Day of Wrath, Oh, Day of Mourning Christian Worship #209 stanzas 1, 2, 6, and 7 SERMON Matthew 25:31-46 Sheep or Goat? What are You? Jesus said, Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32) When we speak the Apostles Creed, we are joining together to publically confess the simple truths on which our faith rests. The Apostles Creed was not written by the apostles, but is a confession based on the teachings of the apostles. Its roots go back to just a few centuries after Christ when new Christians would confess this creed before they were baptized. When we speak the Apostles Creed today we are uniting our voices with the saints who have gone before us and with Christians around the world. 9
CREATE IN ME OFFERING The members of St. Peter Congregation have joined together to do the Lord s work in this community and around the world. Guests at St. Peter are welcome to participate in the offering but need not feel obligated to do so. PRAYER OF THE CHURCH Spoken by the Minister LORD S PRAYER 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. 10
HYMN Jerusalem the Golden The text of this hymn is composed of selected verses from Bernard of Cluny s poem, De Contemptu Mundi (On Contempt of the World) written about 1145 AD. He wrote it to offer a description of the glories of heaven in contrast to the fearful corruption of that age. The tune is written in the style of an English folk tune. It is still widely used in England. 11
CLOSING LITANY AND BLESSING M: The Lord is near to those who wait for him. C: Give us strength, O Lord as we wait for you. M: The Lord is near to those who see the signs of his return. C: Give us hope, O Lord, as we see the ways in which you are making your purpose and plan known to all the world. M: The Lord is near to those who are persecuted for his name s sake. C: Give us courage, O Lord, as we endure hardships because of our faith. M: The Lord is near to those who look to the heavens, anticipating our Savior Jesus return. C: Give us vision, O Lord, as we watch for you to come with the clouds. M: The Lord is near to those who trust in him. C: Give us peace, O Lord, as we put our trust in you to take us to our heavenly home. M: May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, EHV) C: Amen! 12
CLOSING HYMN O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide The following were reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-706579: Divine Service Texts revised from The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, Music: 2002 Kermit Moldenhauer. O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide words: 1969 Concordia Publishing House. Cover artwork by Ian M. Welch. Copyright 2015 Ian M. Welch. All Rights Reserved. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version TM (EHV TM ) copyright 2016 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved. www.wartburgproject.org 13
NOTES ON LAST JUDGMENT AND THE SEASON OF END TIMES For centuries, the Christian Church has worshiped according to a special calendar called the Church Year. The Church Year is marked by seasons and festivals like Christmas and Easter. It begins at the end of November with the season of Advent. The first six months of the church year follow the life of Christ from his birth until his suffering, death, and resurrection on Easter Sunday. The second six months of the church year focus on the teachings of Christ. We are now approaching the close of one Church Year and the beginning of another. To mark the end of this year, the Church celebrates the Season of End Time. End Time reminds us that the time is short and our Savior is coming again soon. These are the Sundays in End Time: Last Judgment (today) - we remember that Christ is coming to judge the living and the dead. Saints Triumphant (November 19 th ) - we remember the eternal glory enjoyed by the saints in heaven glory prepared and waiting for us. Christ the King (November 26 th ) - we remember that the entire Church Year celebrates the rule of Christ over our hearts now and forever. 14