There s a Reason Not to Worry 12 th Sunday after Pentecost August 6 & 7, 2016
Ebenezer Lutheran Church Port Hudson The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 9100 Highway YY Leslie, Missouri Parsonage 573-459-6432 Church 573-459-6431 Rev. William F. Zastrow, Pastor Mary Sprick, Secretary ebenezerlutheran@hotmail.com ebenezerlutheranchurch.wordpress.com AS WE GATHER: Life brings many things to worry about: money, health issues, politics, relationships, choices, and so much more. Today we see the worry of Abram and Sarai: would God s promise to them actually come true, since they had no son yet? O Lord GOD, what will You give me, for I continue childless, lamented Abram. Amid their worry, Abraham went out not knowing where he was going.... By faith he went. Jesus teaches us, Do not be anxious about your life. Like Abraham and Sarah, we live by faith in the midst of all there is to worry about in our world. Worry freezes us. Worry turns us in on ourselves. The alternative to worry is to venture out toward the people in need around us, believing, by faith, that God will use us to bless the world as He blessed the world through Abraham and Sarah and their ultimate descendant, our Lord Jesus Christ. PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP: Lord God, You are eternal and You love the human beings You have created with a strong and unfading love. Help us, when faced with the challenges, disappointments, and heartaches that sometimes come our way, not to be become so self-absorbed by worry that we forget Your goodness. Replace our worries with confident faith that no matter what the circumstances of our lives, Your love for us endures; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 2
THE DIVINE SERVICE HYMN Rejoice, My heart, Be Glad and Sing LW 424 INVOCATION In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. OPENING SENTENCES Based on Hebrews 11 All: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith, we understand that God created the universe by His Word. By faith, Abel obeyed God and received eternal life. By faith, Enoch pleased God. By faith, Noah built the ark and became an heir of God s righteousness. By faith, Abraham obeyed God and ventured to a land he did not know. By faith, Sarah welcomed the promise of God in a son. By faith, we look to God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to overcome our worries, to guide our lives, and to open our eyes to our neighbor s needs. CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Worry reveals that we are sinful to the core by nature and that we cannot free ourselves from it. By things done and left undone, we have not 3
loved You with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We confess our sins to You, Lord. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that by faith we join Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah in blessing the world with Your mercy. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. INTROIT Psalm 147:8 11; antiphon: v. 7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; He prepares rain for the earth. He makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; 4
KYRIE All: make melody to our God on the lyre! Lord have Mercy Christ have Mercy Lord have Mercy HYMN OF PRAISE "This is the Feast of Victory" LW page 161 Refrain: This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, Whose blood set us free to be people of God? (Refrain) Power, riches, wisdom and strength, And honor blessing and glory are his. (Refrain) Sing with all the people of God And join in the hymn of all creation. Blessing, honor, glory, and might Be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen. (Refrain) For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia. (Refrain) SALUTATION The Lord be with you. And also with you. PRAYER OF THE DAY 5
Let us pray. Lord God, You kept Your promise to Abraham and Sarah in the fullness of time by sending Jesus Christ into the world to lay down His life for us. Help us to live by faith like those who have gone before us, so that we may be a blessing to our world and thereby participate in the fulfillment of Your promise to our ancestors; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OLD TESTAMENT READING Genesis 15:1 6 (God reiterates His promise to Abram.) This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. GRADUAL Psalm 34:9, 19, alt. All: Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing! Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. EPISTLE Hebrews 11:1 16 (By faith) This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. VERSE Luke 12:32 6
All: Alleluia. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Alleluia. HOLY GOSPEL Luke 12:22 34 ( Fear not, little flock. ) The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twelfth chapter. Glory to You, O Lord. (The Gospel is read.) This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, O Christ. CREED Explanation of the First Article All: I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true. 7
HYMN OF THE DAY Entrust Your Days Burdens LW 427 (sung to VALET WILL ICH DIR GEBEN LW 102) SERMON OFFERING OFFERTORY Create In Me page 175 LW Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me, Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit. PRAYER OF THE CHURCH THE ORDER OF HOLY COMMUNION PAGE 144 COMMUNION HYMNS Here, O My Lord, I See You Face to Face LW 243 I Come, O Savior, to Your Table LW 242 CLOSING HYMN Sent Forth by God s Blessing LW 247 OUR MISSION AND MINISTRY We welcome our members and guests who are here with us today. May the Lord refresh you with peace and love during our worship service on this Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost. Please join us here at Ebenezer again soon! Please sign the guest register near the front entrance with your name, address and Church affiliation. 8
LFCS COLLECTION - Lutheran Family and Children's Services shared with us some of their needs. When a child comes into foster care, they try to give the foster parents enough items to get through a day or so before they have to go shopping for clothes and other items for them. They usually put one set of clothes, one set of pajamas, a stuffed animal and hygiene items appropriate for the child into a backpack and send it with the foster parents at the time the child is placed. HOW CAN WE HELP? We have an opportunity to help by donating items they need. BABY ITEMS: Diapers, wipes, bottles, sippy cups, infant clothes and pacifiers. ANY CHILDREN'S ITEMS: Shirts, pants, socks, underwear, pajamas, shoes, backpacks, stuffed animals, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush or any canned food items. You may place the items in the designated basket in the narthex and we will give them to Emily Thoenen after the service August 28th. What an exciting way we can help! VBS Update - We are pleased to report that Barnyard Roundup - Jesus Gathers Us Together was a huge success. There were 54 children enrolled and 38 helpers throughout the week. The weekly penny offering was $551.05 and the closing service offering was $251.10. Sincere thanks to everyone that made VBS a success. Your help and support enabled many children to hear and know about the love of Jesus our Savior. Volunteers are needed The New Haven Senior Center is needing some volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday. For 9
more information or if you would like to volunteer, please call Don Kappelmann at 573-694-2051. Donation Opportunity Lutheran Family & Children s Services accepts donations of gently used cars, vans, and pickups. The process is simple. The proceeds of your donation benefit our programs in our area and you are allowed a deduction on your federal taxes. Call (314) 754-2790 or (866)326-5327 for information or to make a donation. T-Shirts are Coming - The Ladies Aid has ordered T-Shirts that are personalized with our Church s name with a cross and logo I Love My Church. A picture is on the back bulletin board. We will be taking orders after our initial order is received. The prices will be between $8.00 and $12.00 depending on the size: child through adult 5x. They are navy blue. Please take a look at the picture on the bulletin board at the back of Church. Born in Missouri? Persons who were adopted get your original birth certificate. If you were born before 1941, you can obtain your certificate of birth on August 29, 2016. For those born after 1940 you can obtain your birth certificate on January 2, 2018. For more information contact: Missouri Adoptee Rights Movement, P.O. box 14, Clark, MO 65243. www.missouriadopteerightsmovement.com or missouriadopteerights@gmail.com. Debbie Donatti will be taking a van that can take 6 people to Jefferson City on August 29 th if you would like to be there for the first day for getting original birth certificates. Debbie s number is 573-789-4257. RADA Cutlery Our Ladies Aid has received a number of RADA Cutlery catalogs for you to look at. If you would like 10
to look at the catalog, please take one. You can place your order using the forms in the catalog and then give it to Nancy Quinn or Margaret Zastrow. These make excellent gifts. Cookbooks are still available We still have some Blessings From The Table Cookbooks available. Please see the sample on the table at the back of Church. They are $15.00 each and would make a wonderful Christmas gift! Please check the shelves in the kitchen downstairs. There are a lot of pans and dishes that have been left here. Lutheran Family and Children s Services Dinner Emily Thoenen, representing Lutheran Family and Children s Services of Missouri Union Office will be speaking about the vital mission of LFCS to our community. This will take place on Sunday, August 28 th. Their offices are located across the Street from the old Courthouse next to Willard s Barber Shop. Emily will speak during our Church service. Ebenezer Lutheran Mission Society will have a dinner after the Divine Service and a free will offering will be taken to support the Union office of the Lutheran Family and Children s Services. Menu will be ham, cheesy potatoes, slaw, green beans, and corn. Desserts will be provided by Ladies Aid and Ebenezer Mission Society. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1Peter 5:7 11
Those Serving Today Organist Saturday Organist Sunday Head Usher Saturday Head Usher Sunday Altar Guild Acolytes Bell Ringer Jennifer Huellinghoff Ruth Marschel Tracey Bade Lee Kassebaum Kathy Scheer and Karen Scheer Tyler Kasmann Kayleigh Crego Cierra Donatti Jeff Hohlt Offerings and Attendance Weekly Contributions $1,283.00 Plate 208.88 Sunday School 24.84 $1,516.72 Attendance: Saturday Worship 14 Sunday Worship 63 Sunday School Attendance: Children 11 Adults 19 YTD Thrivent Choice $3,899.00 This Week at Ebenezer Saturday Worship 5:00 PM 12