Go at once to Nineveh, that great city. Jonah 1:2 August 6, 2017 11 am St. John s Lutheran Church Salisbury, North Carolina
Welcome to St. John s! Part of this morning s liturgy may also be found at the front section of this hymnal, where noted in your bulletin. Occasionally you will be invited to turn to a hymn in the red Evangelical Lutheran Worship. The congregation s responses are in bold. A SPECIAL WELCOME TO OUR GUESTS! We hope that you will feel a warm sense of welcome today. If you are without a church home, we invite you to become a part of the ministry of St. John s. Please complete the Friendship Pad found on the pew so that we might get to know one another better. For more information, visit our website at stjohnssalisbury.org. HOLY COMMUNION is offered on the first and third Sundays at the 11 am service, on the second and fourth Sundays at the 8:30 am service, and on the first Sundays at the 9:27 am service. All baptized and communing Christians are welcome to the Table to receive God s gift of grace through his body and blood. Those not communing are invited forward for a spoken blessing. Following the ushers instructions, proceed down the aisle to the front of the church. SMALL CHILDREN are always welcome at worship, although a nursery for infants through age 5 is provided in the lower level of the Sanctuary building for your convenience. Please ask an usher to direct you to the nursery. AS WE GATHER FOR WORSHIP, please feel welcome and invited to greet your neighbors and enjoy this time together. As the prelude begins, let us be silent and prepare ourselves for worship. Be mindful that this is a worship service. Please turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras, ipads and other picture-taking technologies should be limited to before or after the service. Thanks for being considerate of others regarding flashes and ringtones. May the Spirit of God fill this place and lead us into the wonder of his Presence. ST JOHN S IS FULLY ACCESSIBLE to those with physical restrictions. An elevator to the sanctuary is located along the side entrance of the church. Hearing aids and audio loops are available at the 11 am service. Large print bulletins are available at the 11 am service. Our ushers will be glad to assist you. 2
Gathering Welcome Please sign the Friendship Pad and pass it to your neighbor in the pew. Prelude Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service arr. Anne Krentz Organ Michelle Trivette, saxophone Prayers of Confession. Please stand, turning towards the cross of Christ. As we gather for worship, you are invited to make the sign of the cross as a sign of your baptism. In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us pray. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Silence for reflection and self-examination. Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. God s Promise of Forgiveness God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen. Entrance Hymn 842 Oh, Worship the King HANOVER Verses 1, 3, 4 and 5 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. 3
Kyrie. A centering prayer asking for God s mercy and peace. 4
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. Glorious God, your generosity waters the world with goodness, and you cover creation with abundance. Awaken in us a hunger for the food that satisfies both body and spirit, and with this food fill all the starving world; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Please be seated Word Preaching Text: Jonah 1 Jonah tries to run away from God 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2 Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me. 3 But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. 4 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 The captain came and said to him, "What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish." 7 The sailors said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, "Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?" 9 I am a Hebrew, he replied. "I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." 10 Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, "What is this that you have done!" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them so. 11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you." 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. 14 Then they cried out to the LORD, "Please, O LORD, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man's life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you." 15 So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. 5
17 But the LORD provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God! Children s Worship Children are invited to Children s Worship, returning after the sermon. Please stand Response Hymn 794 Calm to the Waves CALM SEAS Choir sings first, then Congregation joins in The Holy Gospel: Mark 1:14-20 Jesus calls the first disciples The Gospel of our Lord. Thanks be to God! Sermon Please be seated Pastor Rhodes Woolly Please stand 6
Hymn 843 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness NETTLETON Please be seated Apostles Creed The three paragraphs of the Creed express our belief in the three-fold nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Creed is found on page 105, in the front of the red ELW. Prayers of Intercession Each petition ends: Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer. Throughout this 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the congregation is invited to speak the words of the final petition, drawn from Martin Luther s Morning Prayer: We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected us through the night from all harm and danger. We ask that you would also protect us today from sin and all evil, so that our lives and actions may please you. Into your hands we commend ourselves: our bodies, our souls, and all that is ours. Let your holy angels be with us, that the wicked foe have no power over us. Amen. Sharing of Christ s Peace We share the peace of Christ with one another using the words, Peace be with you. (John 20:19) Please be seated Meal God feeds us with the Bread of Life Collection of our tithes and offerings, and preparation of the Table Offertory Children of the Heavenly Father Setting by Mark Albrecht Michelle Trivette, saxophone As the gifts are presented the congregation stands and sings the Doxology, ELW page 884. Let us pray. Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us our selves, our time and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 7
The Great Thanksgiving The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise.... and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, Lord God of pow r and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Eucharistic Prayer, followed by the Lord s Prayer, page 154, front of ELW The gifts of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Distribution of Holy Communion. See page 2 of bulletin for instructions. Communion Hymns Lamb of God, p. 154, front of red ELW Hymn 472 Eat This Bread Hymn 466 In the Singing Hymn 494 For the Bread Which You Have Broken Please stand Prayer and Blessing Benediction Sending Sending Hymn 547 Sent Forth by God s Blessing THE ASH GROVE Dismissal Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! Thanks be to God! Postlude Unless otherwise indicated, today s service is from Evangelical Lutheran Worship and is reproduced by permission of Augsburg Fortress Liturgies annual license #26999. 8